Just A Car Guy: 9/7/08

Friday, September 12, 2008

An authoritive blog post on streamliner beer trucks

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/11/24/where-did-all-the-streamlined-beer-trucks-go/

Dan (makes the http://blog.hemmings.com/) does one terrific blog, and darned if he doesn't almost always beat me to the punch on cool stuff.

Extraordinary designer of automotive and everything else... Count De Sakhnoffsky. Emphasis on the LaBatt's streamliner

the above 3 are via: http://www.eevamoritz.com/lab47.html

1934 Esquire magazine sketches

1937 D-35 Jungle Caravan, in Times Square in 1938

https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM6581

He was amazing in automotive design work.... having designed for Austin, Bantam, Cord, Auburn, Packard, the '33 Nash, the '34 LaSalle, the 1935 Chrysler Airflow, the 1937 D-35 Jungle Caravan, and notably, the 1934 12cyl Packard 1108 Sport Phaeton (for LeBarron), said to be one of the most beautiful designs of an American coachbuilder.... however he may be most easily remembered and revered for the design of the LeBlatt's Beer trucks. Beer and alcohol advertising in post prohibition was hghly restricted in Canada and the Labatts Company needed public attention so they commissioned him to conceive a tractor-trailer that would both haul huge loads efficiently and serve as an instantly recognizable travelling billboard, and with customized "cab over engine" White Motor Company tractors pulling brilliant red and gold streamliner trailers. Vicktor Schreckengost (who replaced him at Murray Ohio Bicycles) assisted him in the design of the first-cab-over-engine truck for Cleveland's White Motor Company.

There is reference to his design of furniture, and interior home elements like radios. He also had been the chief bicycle designer for Murray-Ohio prior to 1938. He was perhaps the greatest pedal car designer of all time... in 1937, Steelcraft, the Cleveland-based pedal car division of the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Co claimed as much anyway, and he was the winner of the Grand Prix at Monte Carlo for six consecutive years in the Elegance Contest for his "juvenile automobile" designs. His 2nd version for LaBatt, produced in 1936, was the winner of the ‘Best Design’ award at the New York World’s Fair in 1939.

Esquire magazine, in 1934 hired de Sakhnoffsky to become the technical and mechanical editor. The magazine immediately became a showcase for Sakhnoffsky’s design concepts of cars, trucks, boats, bathtubs, movie theatres with alternating seats for more legroom http://www.lepoix.de/html/reference/sakhnoffsky_streamine_design/inner_circle_streamline_architecture.htm , a swimming pool with rubber escalators, executive desks, and an air-conditioned jungle caravan. Joining the US Army in WWII he rose to the rank of Lt. Col. at war's end.

He even published a book "A Portfolio of Antique and Modern Horseless Carriages"

http://wmspear.com/Bantam/alexis.html

http://www.brewtruck.co.uk/archive/Labatt%20Breweries%20Streamliner.pdf

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/whitetrks.htm

http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/?p=781

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/labatt_white_article.htm

http://www.chromjuwelen.com/de/partner-und-mitglieder-blogs/blog.hemmings.com/attilio-gatti-no-wonder-he-drove-internationals.html

http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/s/sakh/back.htm

http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/2008/08/-the-keeper-of-the.html

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008/08/19/four-links-another-beer-truck-sighting-jalop-hearts-russian-military-vehicles-another-dc-garage-railcar-return/

Pickuptrucks.com top 10 list of "better than average gas mileage" classic trucks

Number 10: the 1928-31 Model A... 17-21 mpg
Number 9: 1937-47 Austin Bantam 35 to 50 mpg
Number 8: 1940-62 Crosley 41 mpg
Number 7: 1950 Austin A40 28 to 35 mpg
Number 6: 1954 -56 Powell Sport 28 mpg
Number 5: 1961 Volkswagen Pickup 20-25 mpg
Number 4: 1960-1966 Ford Ranchero 24-30 mpg with the smallest engine
Number 3: 1960 Crofton Bug (A Crosley at heart) 44-50 mpg
Number 2: 1964-1966 Chevrolet El Camino 14-20 mpg with the smallest engine
Number 1: 1961-1971 International Harvester Scout Pickup 25-28 mpg with the smallest engine

http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/stories/history/pumppassing/page1.html

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wavecrest 2001 photogallery (800 photos)

http://public.fotki.com/wackydave/woodies/wavecrest_national-1/

Vintage trailer rallies and websites

This may be the ultimate vintage trailer website... it's better than any other I've seen http://www.collectibledetective.com/s/298/vintage-travel-trailers.html

http://gages-56.com/Pismo2008.html for the Pismo Beach rally of 2008 http://public.fotki.com/wackydave/vintage_travel_trailers/ for 3 galleries of trailers

For upcoming rallies:
http://www.vintagetrailercamp.com/
http://www.tincantourists.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2
http://www.teardroptours.com/tours.html

For links to the vintage trailer clubs in your area of the US:
http://www.50stateclubs.blogspot.com/

Teardrop trailers websites

General all around good teardrop websites:
http://www.teardroptours.com/
http://www.teardrops.net/index.html
http://www.trulyvintagetrailers.citymax.com/page/page/4069093.htm
http://teardrop.blogicalthoughts.com/

Manufacturers:
Rollin Oak (retro woody) Coolest website of all of these

Big Woody Campers (retro)
Little Guy Teardrop Trailers (modern)
So Cal Teardrops (retro)
Desert Teardrops (plans)
Retro Traveler (retro)
T & B (large modern)
http://www.lindertech.com/btp/

Here's a way to treat your inlaws while they visit....

http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/teardrop/

"....you find out you have company coming. Now where to put them? You could pitch a tent or rent a motel room, or you could make or buy a Teardrop trailer that will hold your guest just fine for a couple of days "

Gas station things for sale

http://gasboyz.com/

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Found while out and about, taken with the camera phone so the quality isn't as good as usual

Coincidental proximity of two Neons the factory painted the same color, and then owners gave them different looks

It may be more than coincidence that they were a vehicle apart in a parking lot, but I have no info on that.

On it's side in a 20 mph zone. No idea how.

Photographed just before the jump to lightspeed

My cell phone camera has this method of snapping a picture of a car driving by. I wasn't trying to photograph this Scion, it got in the way of what I was trying to photograph. See if you don't think it has an eerie similarity to the Lartigue photo http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/05/photography-of-jacques-lartigue.html

A bike with possibly the coolest history of any we'll ever hear of, the 1926 Scott

It starts with a company that was using telescoping front forks, a v twin 2 stroke engine, and liquid cooled engines... in 1929. That's a bit ahead of the competition for 1929.

The company was a winner in the 1914 Isle of Man race. That's highly reputable!

The bike gets restored and eventually purchased by Steve McQueen. That makes it desireable.

He gave it back to the restorer and pinstriper of the bike, Kenny Howard aka Von Dutch.

Ever heard of any true story of a vehicle that can compete with that? I'd love to share that story with the rest of the viewers if you have. jbohjkl@yahoo.com

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/classics/bike.asp?id=134 for the only photos of the bike I could find on the internet

1968 Hemi Super Bee. Only 125 were made.

So when I read about the CEO of Von Dutch buying one after seeing one as he drove by a supercar dealership in LA, I was impressed that a guy who can afford any musclecar he'd like, had to have a 68 Super Bee, and that's all you can see by driving by it... so I'm speculating that he bought it for the looks, and the Hemi is just gravy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Super_Bee for verifying the stat on the rarity.

http://www.vondutch.com/garage.php for more about the company that profits from the work and reputation of Von Dutch.