Just a Car Guy: 12/7/08

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Of all the photos I or my girlfriend Tere have taken, these are my top 100 most favorite, in no order

As always, click on them to make them full size

My 2nd hundred, the runner ups that are almost this good: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/12/hundred-that-didnt-make-my-top-100.html

Tere http://justacargal.blogspot.com/ (my girlfriend) took both of these, and I think they are colorfully the most beautiful

I hope you've enjoyed them when I've previously posted them, but I was curious for my own enjoyment... of what photo's I was most proud of for a screen saver slide show.

The idea come to me to post them as an 2nd anniversary of my blog, but it took a while to find the time to look though the last 2 years of many thousands of photos. I narrowed the best down to 330, then to 100. Only one is here from before the summer of 2008. All were taken at San Diego car shows.

I hope you like them too, most are computer wall paper quality, and you are welcome to save them too. If you share them with others, please let them know where you found them.... I'd like to have more people enjoy the stuff I share here with all of you.

As always, click on them to make them full size

My 2nd hundred, the runner ups that are almost this good: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/12/hundred-that-didnt-make-my-top-100.html

Friday, December 12, 2008

50 cars, you must drive while you're upwardly mobile

http://www.motor-klassik.de/medien/foto-shows/

Bruce Meyer, car guy, preserver of significant hot rods

Extra-ordinary car collector, one time chairman of the Peterson Automobile Museum, one of 15 people on the International Steering Committee for the Harold E. LeMay Museum, and preserver of historically significant cars....

some are the Pierson bros coupe,

the Greer, Black and Prudhomme dragster,

the Doane Spencer highboy roadster,

and the So-Cal Special bellytanker,

the Troy Ruttman Indy 500 car,

SWB Ferrari #12 that won Le Mans, and

a Mercedes once owned by Clark Gable

http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/units/19/video/transcript.html

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/collecting/2005/03/04/cz_ms_0304guide.html

Bettie Page, passed away yesterday

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-page12-2008dec12,0,5310709.story

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Robert Lee's Museu de Caçapava, the lost museum

Above is the before.... below, the after

Above, before... below, after the 1964 Willy Capeta

"the photo above is the Willys Capeta, Soler design of the Hall for 1965 ... It looked like a mix of Willys Interlagos with DKW with Malzoni and Brasinca Uirapuru.Esse car was donated by Ford of Australia to be part of the acquis when The Museum was inaugurated ... the adhesive reflective of the team BINO, family Greco." from comments translated by Google

Robert Lee was assassinated by his wife, someone in high society with powerful friends, and it seems that the judge in the case absolved her due to "being taken by strong emotion" .

For the full gallery : http://74.125.93.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://picasaweb.google.com.br/lcorreard/MuseuDoAutomVelDeCaApava2008&prev=/search%3Fq%3DMuseu%2Bde%2BCa%25C3%25A7apava%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us&usg=ALkJrhg0dgoO2dpwZIOA6WJUxN-oREC2vQ#

Another gallery: http://www.autoclassic.com.br/galeria/museulee/album/index_2.htm#20

In Brazil, people are very angry with the authorities from Caçapava, that has let such a huge collection disappear. Nik at Carros Antigos has made all the news about that issue, including the other blogs and message boards where we are discussing that, listed here: http://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/a-discussao-sobre-o-acervo-do-roberto-lee/

Here is the gallery of Lucas, who has before and after photos of the Tucker in the lost museum

From the framed prints on the wall being removed we can see that time passed. If I am correct, the top photo was 2004, the bottom was 2008. I could be wrong.

http://picasaweb.google.com.br/lcorreard

Remember: "we lost one, but let it be remembered by saving others" (Adam Rosenbaum, Portland Maine) http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/11/we-lost-one-but-let-it-be-remembered.html

Once upon a car museum... in Brazil, the owner died. The heirs fought over the inheritance, it's unknown what became of the lost museums' treasures

Current state above of the museum

V12 engine and trans

In the good days when the museum was open

1932 BP-3 Alfa Romeo, Gran Prix

1929 Willys Whippet

1929 Cadillac pickup

1925 Packard 8 Phaeton

1931 Packard 845 Super 8 Cabriolet

http://www.carrosantigos2004.blogger.com.br/2004_10_01_archive.html

The following is from the email I received from "CarrosAntiago" Nik!

Roberto Lee was the father and the mother of the idea that old cars must be preserved in Brazil.

He build in Caçapava, São Paulo, a museum that for many years received visitors from all the country. People who knew him at the time say he was always there receiving friends and anyone who wanted to visit some of the classic cars he collected for years.

Roberto traveled all around Brazil saving rare cars from being destroyed in a time that we still had a lot of them to be saved. The proof is that in his collection you can see a Tucker.
The problem is that Roberto has been assassinated by his wife in the mid 70s and since them the collection was destroyed by many people who even stole parts, cars, and bikes. It seems the daughter’s didn’t have the same opinion about it and then they are fighting for his fortune since then.

Meanwhile, the treasury is being lost.

The post is because we here in Brazil recently received new photos from the area and what was left from there and what we see is a shame. A shame to our memory, to the history of the automobile and to the legacy of Roberto Lee, he was a gentle and good man.

There was a prototype car made in Brazil in the early 60s, named Carcará (name of a small eagle from here), which is lost since the 70s, that seemed to be at Roberto’s museum. The car has a wonderful story, and is very important to OUR automotive records (traveled at 210km/h with a 3 cylinders engine, Latin America record for the category until today) but seems that was stolen after Roberto’s death.

The new pictures are here. http://picasaweb.google.com.br/lcorreard/MuseuDoAutomVelDeCaApava2008#
And the old ones from when the cars were still around and in good shape here. http://picasaweb.google.com.br/lcorreard/MuseuDoAutomVelDeCaApavaANTIGAMENTE#

I will try to go to Caçapava after Christmas. If I do get close of the cars to photograph them. I will let you know.
Best regards from the friend that also LOVE your web site, Nik.

PS: Are you crazy? The blog takes me a lot of time and you still want me to write it in english????

YES!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

When at the races, stand behind immovable objects... and be alert

http://www.clipaday.com/videos/photographer-nearly-gets-clobbered
via: http://www.clipaday.com/videos/photographer-nearly-gets-clobbered

Courtesy Chevrolet, specializing in Corvettes, and my place to get Overdrive newspaper

National Gauge and Equip Co, LaCrosse Wi is in the small logo

I don't remember seeing this speedometer before

The above is to highlight the prop rod that is on the right hand side, holding up the side hood

Mopars at the Playboy Mansion

With two pink Cudas, two Hemi-Under-Glass cars, the Big Fish Charger, Eric Reed's (Pure Vision built) "Hammer" 1970 Road Runner, and The Diamante! http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3466

for photos by Randy Kerdoon: http://www.knx1070.com/pages/3168225.php?imageGalleryXRefId=783382#imgXR

For info and last years photos: http://www.moparsatthemansion.com/

Really big gallery of the 2006 Mopars at the Mansion: http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/events/Playboy2006-1.shtml

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Green Bay Packard, now that's a dedicated fan!

So will anyone do the same to a Hudson Hornet, Dodge Charger http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/04/sd-chgr-among-all-dodge-charger-fans.html , Ford Maverick, Packard Clipper, Mercury Bobcat, AMC Pacer or Eagle, Chevy Cavalier, Plymouth Colt, Jaguar, Muntz or Hudson Jet, or Ford Bronco?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95279085@N00/2635755850/ via http://www.tommcmahon.net/2008/11/green-bay-packard.html

This (14mpg) 1950 Packard lives in Milwaukee, and was purchased in the spring of 2007 from a truck driver in Virginia. It was driven back to Wisconsin, and became the owners shrine to the Packers. Pretty cool. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/29338909.html

The barn Dodge, old story resurfacing today, it was sold off and hasn't been heard of since 2003

A veterinarian from Idaho purchased the blue Dodge new at the local Dodge dealer in Boise. He used it to respond to calls all through the war years; his 1944 permit is still affixed to the windshield.

Being a very valuable asset during war times, the car was always parked in a dedicated spot in the barn when not in use. In 1948, the good Doctor passed away, the car was put on blocks and covered with bed sheets.

In the late 1980s an attempt was made to sell the car, which seems to be in the upswing of the car market values and collecting... but it didn't move. In 2003, again the collector car market takes off, so sheets were taken off, the car was lifted from the blocks, and the tires were filled up with air. It sold to Southern California collector.

Some of the more interesting things found in the glovebox:

Owner's instruction book in its original envelope

"Sentinel" first aid kit, incl. a bottle of "Mercuro-Chrome"

Small upholstery brush, an old bottle opener, a parking stub dated 8/16/19 41, from the "Glen Valley Rodeo"

It seems the original source for this story, and with many more photos and loooong story that I boiled down to the basic interesting part, is here: http://www.tommcmahon.net/2008/12/the-1940-barn-dodge.html

Model A trivia; Two different fordor bodies, one made by Murray, one made by Briggs

Close... Murray and Briggs did build fordor sedans for ford for 28-31. The bodies were almost identical between the makers with few exceptions for the cages around the body nuts and minor things like that. The biggest and most visible difference is the top of the arches for the windows on the doors. One had an arch, the other was flat across the top.

The doors are about the only thing that's not interchangeable between the two. In April 31', the fordor dropped the visor, and had a slightly slanted front windshield and A pillars as you mentioned. This was just a design change with Murray and Briggs continuing to make this body style.

The slant window fordors also have the arched window for both makers, making it harder to tell who made the body. The slant windshield fordors are more desirable since there is considerably less wood. These cars have a metal structure, where the 28- early 31's had a wood substructure.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3464045

For everything you want to know about Model A's: http://scootermcrad.blogspot.com/2009/03/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.html

Similar to the "Sleeping Beauties" the look of these junkyard cars in Switzerland is so amazing they were left alone to be a tourist attraction

The yard was started as a auto recycler/junkyard by Walter Messerli in 1933. Fast forward to 1975, Franz Messerli (his son) took over. The son tried to carry on the business selling parts. Then tried to make money as a museum. Basically the business went under and now the grounds are to be emptied and cleaned up.

The above is a turn signal semaphore

http://foto.blick.ch/album/CID-u0003196-147/ Best website I've found... use the slideshow function.

A similar European junkyard gallery http://www.cb-globe-image.ch/bild-Autofriedhof%20%20Genf%201988/3/53

I learned about these on http://stipistop.com/ and from http://jalopnik.com/394712/swiss-junkyard-actually-a-museum

Car Craft once had a photo of a Camaro that was being eaten by the jungle slowly... and the submission was accompanied by the phrase "we lost one, but let it be remembered by saving others" (Adam Rosenbaum, Portland Maine) http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/11/we-lost-one-but-let-it-be-remembered.html

This photo is from a xmas card John Lee got one year, over at http://oleragtop.blogspot.com/