Straight 8 Delage for 1930

1927 Sunbeam motorcycle toolkit

Comprehensive kit, lots of wrenches, no screwdrivers...

Aeritalia G222

Looking all the world like a 2 engine version of the C-130 Hercules, the Italian Aeritalia G222 was designed in 1970 for much the same purpose. The airplane first flew in 1976 and although it was good performer it wasn't a big seller, with the Italian air force being the biggest customer. The US bought a few, naming it the C2-A Spartan. This ad dates from the mid eighties and the 111 aircraft were built between 1970 and 1993.

Jaguar Mk VII

Monday Motorcycle Mystery: Liner Motorcycle

Seen at the 1955 Tokyo show, this close copy of the Sunbeam S7 was shown in 250cc form by the company "Liner Motorcycles". Apparently one of the many postwar Japanese motorcycle startups,  there is not much information online. The company seems to have started up in the very early '50s but was gone by 1961.

More questions than answers here

Planes in Formation; Handley Page Herefords

Handley Page built a variation of the Hampton powered by Napier Dagger 24 cylinder sleeve valve engines and named it the Hereford. The engines offered little power advantage and suffered with unreliability issues. They were soon out of service and others converted to Hampton spec by re-engining with Bristol Pegasus radials.

Know your British clutch

Not a definitive collection by any means but I post mostly for the technical illustration. Having said that, my TRW clutch came disassembled in a rusty can and I need all the help I can get!

Burman clutch with shock absorbers built into the primary sprocket.

The BSA A Group clutch with pressed steel cover.

Villiers clutch with 9 springs.

Sidecar Sunday

Watsonian trials sidecar

A poor carpenter blames his tools...

Preston Petty Products

At one time Preston Petty plastic parts were everywhere in the industry.

1957 Reliant Regal

Seen at the 2018 British Car Day

CB92 Benly 125 Twin

Bike noted (and heard) at Daytona many years ago. The megaphones were remarkably loud and authoritative. Cycle world (Kevin Cameron) article here.

Dayton Folding Tonneau

Horseless Age, Sept. 14, 1904:

"US Patent #769,455- Vehicle Body - John D. Artz, of Dayton, O- September 6, 1904. Filed  April 15, 1904. This patent relates to a convertible vehicle body for automobiles, with a folding rear seat. The body comprises a back panel hinged to its rear portion, and side panel extensions rigidly projecting from the back panel. To these extension panels are hinged folding panels and a seat panel which folds against it. The drawings clearly illustrate the idea."

More information on John Dudley Artz, the Artz family and their various enterprises here at Coachbuilt.com. 

Suzuki Katana and the whole 1982 Canadian streetbike line

I've been looking at the various original Katana fan sites and finding things to disagree with. No they did not appear in showrooms in 1980, that sort of thing. I recall seeing the shocking showbike in the magazines in probably late 1980, Crazy thing! They'll never produce that bike, too bizarre. After all, the previous oddball failure from Suzuki- the RE-5- was fresh in people's minds.
  But then, amazingly Suzuki did produce it and we saw a  prototype 1100 in Canada in November 1980 when it rolled into the gas station in Kingston, Ontario, the rider/tester looking for a Suzuki dealer because the front brake lever was coming back to the bar... that anti dive never really worked well...
  We Canadians got the 1100, a 750 and the 550, even more weirdly styled- with orange calipers and brake disc edges, the bikes appearing in the showrooms after being shown at the January motorcycle show. 
  I bought the first Katana in Kingston, a 750, in late February 1982, but did not pick it up till early May. I also picked up this Suzuki pamphlet, folded out left to right, the important part of the 1100 styling was displayed in 9x24" format- big enough to be a poster. On the back was the the streetbike line, featuring the 1100 and 550 Katanas. Not even a picture of the 750. I've seen pictures online of a 750 apparently sold in some markets with no windshield, not the case in Canada. We got the whole bodywork of the 1100 with different paint, the front fender and tailpiece were all-silver, the seat all-blue smooth vinyl. not quite as attractive I thought, as the 1100. The tach featured a redline of 9500 compared to the 9000 of the 1100.
The fairing of my early-production bike was fibreglass, later I acquired a 1983 model, that fairing was injection-molded. I assume the tool wasn't ready yet? I don't know when Suzuki changed over.
Other markets got the rubber fins located under the fairing, Suzuki refers to them as "wing-cowling". We never got them on Canadian bikes- but they were available in the parts book!
As far as I know, this pamphlet was the only 750 Katana promotion from Suzuki. I never saw any magazine test of the 1982 750 Katana and only a 550 comparison test (including the Katana) in Cycle Canada. 
Folded out again vertically and the rest of the 1982 lineup was revealed. I did not include that part of the pamphlet in this post. No price list but a reader Drew found one from 1983 with a very similar model lineup. Attached below.

Thanks, Drew!

Velocette 250, 1921

Actually 69.9 mph, but who's counting?

First Canada US mail flight, 1928

Larry Milberry, Aviation in Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson 1979

Pictured at St Hubert in October 1928, a crew loads up the mail for the inaugural Canada-US mail flight. The aircraft, a Fairchild FC-2W2 is lettered in Canadian Colonial colours, a subsidiary of the Aviation Services of Delaware, a company that was trying to corner the eastern Canadian aviation market. Not much information on this company but it's likely part of the Fairchild aircraft company which was branching out into all sorts of aviation-related businesses at that time.
This particular aircraft burnt in a hangar fire in New Jersey in 1930.

Monday Mystery, Entrenching tool manufacturer

A military shovel made by ET Ltd, of which we can find no information. The Broad Arrow is British military, 1942 dates it to WW2. The company is rumoured to be Canadian, and we wonder if the ET stands for "Entrenching Tool" ? Possibly, one of the wartime era companies set up to supply the war effort. Any info welcomed...

If I had a million dollars...

I'd buy you a K car- a nice reliant automobile... (Barenaked Ladies)
Thanks, Drew for pointing out that the cars of our youth, even the less appealing ones, are now 'historic" vehicles (note the historic plate).

Sidecar Sunday

No 3 Snubber Tool Co.

I found this interesting device at The Liberty Tool company this summer. Its purpose and function is not readily apparent but patent 1,990,820 describes it thus: "This invention relates to implements for applying clamps to hose for the usual purpose of securing one hose-section to another or for the attachment of a coupling-member at an end of a hose." The other side of the tool says Stayput Tool Company."
 Still not clear to me but the company was based in Denver Colorado. No idea when the business closed but the trademark was listed as expired in 2006.

Work and Win, an Interesting Weekly for Young America

Featuring Fred Fearnot

Brooks saddles, 1903

F-84 Thunderjet

Outside at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum

Bikes in the `hood, Honda CBX

 Hard to believe this bike is nearly 40 years old... Still looking new and in daily use...

Velocette Thruxton Cutaway

From The Classic Motorcycle April 1995

Velocette had three Thruxtons on their stand at the Earls Court show in 1966, including this sectioned and cutaway model.  sections removed showed the insides of the engine, transmission, fork, headlight shell, etc. According to Bertie Goodman, it took about 6 months to complete in the final assembly area of the factory. After the company closed down in 1971, the bike went to the family, by the nineties, following two and half years of restoration, it was put on display at Simon Goodman's parts business but it apparently is now part of the Herb Harris collection. 

Photography, First World War

 The Art Gallery of Ontario is showing a series of photographs taken during WW1. This was time of technical advancement in war, aircraft and photography. Kodak introduced the Brownie in 1900, the first 35 mm cameras- the Tourist Multiple and the Simplex- became popular in 1913 and 1914.  I took a few sample pictures, more info here.

Yacht Southern Cross

Howard Hughes bought the 338 ft yacht Rover sight unseen in 1933 after the former owner Lord Inchscape, chairman of the P&O steamship line passed away.
He renamed the yacht Southern Cross but sold it before WW2. It ended its life as part of the Mexican navy and was scrapped in 1960.

Burndy Model MR8-39T

Anyone that ever used a pair of pliers to mangle electrical crimp connectors soon finds out that a proper connection is hard to make, a proper crimping tool is needed. They are not cheap. 
Not sure of the age of this one made by Burndy, but it appears to have came out of the Avro aircraft company which closed down in 1962 after the demise of the Arrow project. Burndy, however is still in business making electrical connectors and associated products.