Pierce Arrow
1910 Model 36 UU Demi -Tonneau
6 cylinder T head, 36 hp., Manufactured in Buffalo, N.Y.
Pierce Arrow was one of the finest cars of the era, referred to as the "American Rolls Royce." A particularly unique feature was the cast aluminum body. The big dual ignition engine, combined with a four speed over drive transmission, gave the vehicle unsurpassed performance. 55 miles per hour could be easily achieved, provided you could find a decent road.
Franklin
1913 Model M dirt-track racer
6 cylinders, 32 hp., Manufactured in Syracuse, N.Y.
Franklin was the most long-lived and successful air-cooled engine car in America, prior to the introduction of Volkswagen. Other notable features were the fully-elliptical suspension, aluminum engine, transmission and body panels and a wooden frame. Wood and aluminum are significantly lighter than steel, thus making the vehicle very quick despite it's modest 32 hp. Race cars of this era could reach a heart-stopping 80 mph.
Centralized weight distribution
Monocle debris deflector
Fast and dangerous
Cord
1937 supercharged Cord 812 phaeton
Cords were produced by Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company of Auburn, Indiana. This 812 model came along toward the end of production and encompasses all the modifications to that time.
Unusual and pioneering features include: front wheel drive, disappearing headlights, no running boards, pre-select transmission (a solenoid-actuated precursor to an automatic transmission), radio with hidden antenna and a heater/defroster combination.
The engine is a Lycoming flat-head V8, with a Cummins supercharger. Naturally aspirated models produce 117 hp. The optional super- charger brings it up to 170 hp! (Ford's V8 at the time produced 85 hp.)
Notables who also owned this model Cord were cowboy actor Tom Mix and aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart.
Auburn
1932 Auburn boat-tail speedster
Auburn was the parent company producing Auburns, Cords, and Duesenbergs. There were three variations of the speedster. The first design came out in 1928 and was built for two years. In 1931, the above model was introduced. Over the three years of production, fewer than 100 were built. Then in 1935 a third, supercharged model was all the rage. The company was at the end of their tether by then, so production numbers were low.
Speedsters were flashy and fun, but decidedly impractical. Built during the Great Depression, only the rich and famous could see their way clear to owning one. As a result, just a tiny fraction of the cars produced by the company were speedsters. In today's collector market, they are highly sought-after.
Note: before you ask, yes, the colors are factory.
Detroit
1918 Detroit electric brougham, Model 75
Production of electric cars began in the latter part of the 1890's and a somewhat modified version of this car continued in production to nearly the end of the 30's. Although various models were produced over the years, this very original all-weather Brougham was by far the most popular. Other manufacturers included Baker Electric and Rauch and Lang.
With just a sixty-mile range and a top speed of 25 mph, they were primarily a city car. Electric cars were popular with the ladies. Lots of glass and headroom meant you could see and be seen in your big hat. Also, roll-up windows (to keep you from being blown around), no gears to change and forget that dirty old crank. Upon arriving home, you'd just plug it into the charger (shone in foreground), and turn it on. Note chargers similarity to a prop from a Frankenstein movie set.
Note: A Tesla it ain't.
Rolls Royce - MG
1929 20/25 Rolls Royce and 1949 MG TC
Spirit of Ecstasy or The Flying Lady, is the Rolls Royce emblem. (She's also known as Nellie in her nightie.)
Ford
1913 Ford Model T touring car
Designed for people with three feet.
During the early 20's, young men would buy an old jalopy for five or six dollars and paint popular expressions on them, presumably to attract the fairer sex (this writing is put on with chalk, so as not to damage the original paint).They reflect sayings my father remembered seeing at the time (we're still looking for a coon tail).
While Henry Ford is believed by many to be the father of the American automobile, in fact, he was a relatively late entry. Two brothers, Frank and Charles Duryea, preceded him by ten years and were producing cars in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts (interestingly, for many years Frank lived in Madison, Connecticut). The credit for first mass-produced car goes to FE and FO Stanley, when they manufactured 100 cars in 1898.
So where does that leave Henry? After a number of false starts he hit on the idea of making a cheap, simple, lightweight car that could be afforded by the masses. In 1908 he introduced the first Model T. Taking a page out of Eli Whitney's playbook, he introduced interchangeable parts. A moving assembly line was next. As one of many cost-cutting measures, he required parts from suppliers to be shipped in wooden crates of a certain size, with holes drilled at specific locations. Once disassembled, the crates became the floorboards for the cars.
Model T production ran from 1908 through 1928 and millions were produced. This record was finally broken by Volkswagen.
The museum's 1913 Model T is a surprisingly-unaltered survivor. Original items include: running gear (engine, transmission, rear-end etc.), upholstery, top, lights, wheels, paint and radiator. Replaced or restored items: windshield (now safety glass), tires, gas, oil, and water for the radiator. Oh yes, the air in the tires is new too.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cars we've let slip through our fingers over the years.
Locomobile
1912 Locomobile Torpedo
Anderson
1907 Anderson motor buggy.
The Anderson is powered by a two cylinder apposed air-cooled engine. The engine drives a half-shaft, which in turn operates the chain drive to the rear wheels. The transmission has two forward speeds and a reverse. A parking brake is provided, but no service brake. To stop, you pull a lever back, which disengages high gear. Continuing to pull it back begins to engage reverse, thus stopping the vehicle.
Carriage and Horseless Carriage
Bentley
1929 41/2 liter Vanden Plas bodied Le Mans tourer