Sunday, October 31, 2021

Porter #2 of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway


 Built in 1888, picture from 1935.

Sidecar Sunday

 


Update;  More here
Bob Bergstrom and passenger Saxon Marzzitti on the Norton 500 negotiate Angel's Angle at the Roy Hesketh Circuit during the Sidecar Handicap at the Inaugural Meeting, 26th December 1953. They came in 3rd.

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Selling Piper Super Cubs, 1981


Looks like fun.
 

Tony-Pony Minibike


Looks like an advertising campaign rather than actual production. Somewhere online said they were produced for 2 years but has anyone ever seen one? 
 

Be a man, join the Navy


 Patriotic WW1 painting by Howard Chandler Christy. He was part of the jury for the magazine contest that discovered the "It girl", Clara Bow in 1920 and went on to create the "Christy girl"- his vision of the perfect 20th Century woman. 
 More on the artist at Wikipedia.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021

American Beauty Soldering Irons

This ad dates to 1954 and although I haven't yet happened across an American Beauty soldering iron in my travels, I'm happy to report they're still in business, complete with a repair department. At the bottom of the page is this message. I'm tempted.

Need Help? Bored? Call 1-800-550-2510

Stephenson Radar Speedaylzer

 

Stephenson was one of the first producers of radar speed detection devices. This one probably dates to the early-mid sixties, and consisted of a sleek, modern triangular(ish) metal box with speed gauge and controls and a seperate emitter/collector device that was hung on a rear window glass. On spotting a suspect, an officer would push the trigger button and read the speed off the analog meter.

Once again this is a company with very little history online, the company seems to have been in business from 1960-1971. I found the following at The History of the Radar Gun site.

Stephenson Company details; William H. Stephenson, President, Eatontown/Red Bank, New Jersey Radar speed measuring devices (Speedalyzer?), resuscitators, alcohol testing equipment (Breathalyzer? and Drunkometer?), rescue and first aid equipment. 

 In 1968, Stephenson Corp was acquired by and became of subsidiary of Bangor Punta Corp, a large conglomerate. In 1971, Robert P. Falconer became President, and it was part of the Smith & Wesson Public Security Group, inside Bangor Punta. (S&W was acquired by them in '65).

 I was tempted to buy and try it out, but no idea if it worked and I wonder just how "dirty" the emissions might be.








Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Another job you probably wouldn't want to do, Knife maker


Craftsmen in the French knifemaking city of Thiers lie on wooden planks over the large water-driven and lubricated grindstones to grind knives to shape. The prone position allowed them to apply more pressure on the blade, the board also protects them from the spray of water. Looks exhausting. Not only tiring, but cold and damp also, so these workers have trained their dogs to lie on their legs to keep them warm. 

Motorcycle club portrait


 Another nice photo from an unknown source, this time it looks like a 1950s motorcycle club, I wonder who they are.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Yamaha Molly stripes


 This one is for MARSHALL. Here's another variation on the Molly-designed Yamaha speed block design. 

The bold world of BSA


You'll have to make up your own story to connect the elements in this ad...

 

Hispano Suiza H6 with bodies

The Hispano Suiza H6 was built from 1919 till 1933, about 2300 were built. The normal process was to buy the chassis from the company and have it shipped to your favorite body builder to have a body tailored to your desires. As you might expect, this was pretty much restricted to the extremely rich motorist.

The engine was an aluminum OHC straight 6 of 6.6 litres, later enlarged to 8 litres. Braking was accomplished with 4 alloy drums.



 

Town car by Kellner of Paris

Body by Barker

Open car with folding rear windshield by Million Guiet of Paris

With wooden spoke wheels

And the winner (to me) is this lightweight rivetted tulipwood (or mahogany) strip over aluminum frame.

Monday, October 25, 2021

Alfa Superflow 1 (or great ideas in fenders)


The Alfa Superflow was a show car produced for the 1956 Turin Auto show. The theme of the car besides the fins, was plexiglass, the top was a transparent bubble, as were the front fenders, which were part of a pair of bubbles that covered the headlight, the top and the wheels and continued back to the door edge.

Supercar Nostalgia-1

Dramatic for sure, and the car was a hit with showgoers. However, a few weeks afterwards, the car became Superflow 1 as the body was stripped down to make another more reserved version, Superflow 2 (below). The chassis went on to form the basis of two more showcars later on. 

Military Police Car

A nice friction powered car from Marx. It's missing the sparking gun poking out the front window.




 

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Friday, October 22, 2021

Assembling a Scott


From a rebuild article in Aug-Sept 1980 Classic Bike. Bare frame with stripped engine and transmission on the bench.

Engine and transmission built, seat and gas tank installed.


Radiator, pipes and fenders.


Above and below, ready for wheels.





Everling-Wagen

 This is a prewar experiment in automotive streamlining, designed by German Professor Emil A. Everling and tested in 1938- 1939. The body was built on a Mercedes 170 V chassis by the company Voll & Ruhrbeck of Berlin. It was powered by a 38 hp engine and was capable of 75 mph. Apparently the car was carted off to Russia as spoils of war. 



Thursday, October 21, 2021

Cars in the 'hood, Mercury Comet 404


A surprisingly good body on this 1964 Comet- at least until you see the Alberta license plate, the benefits if a no-roadsalt environment . The car seems to be sitting unnaturally high on the suspension, maybe there's no engine!