Just A Car Guy: 12/5/10

Saturday, December 11, 2010

a try for a safer car has had some strange prototypes, here is Sir Vival, a custom trying for safety innovation

W C Jerome, a Worcester Massachusetts inventor who was determined to build the world's safest car. In the early nineteen fifties he modified a '47 Hudson for the back half, and a 48 Nash for the front. Primarily concerned with head-on collisions, Jones split his car in two, hoping the front section would absorb collisions, leaving the passenger cabin untouched.

For maximum visibility the driver sat in the raised turret area surrounded by 360 degree glass cylinder that rotated thru vertical squeegees so the driver wouldn't have to view the road obscured by wiper blades. The car was featured in every auto and mechanical mag of the day. He displayed it at several world's fairs including the NY fair of 64.

Wrap-around rubber bumpers protected the Sir Vival's bodywork from errant motorists in slow speed collisions but they were just one of Jerome's innovations. The Sir Vival was years ahead with seat belts, a padded interior, and built-in roll bars.

Mechanix Illustrated published a 3-page illustrated article on this car in the April 1959 issue.
In that oddball world of self made safecar inventors was also the Rev who made the Aurora, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/07/once-there-was-guy-who-lost-his-mind.html also weird looking... what was going on? Was there a big national contest for strange cars that might be safer, and no one remembers the contest?

Via: http://megamoto.tumblr.com/page/5 and most of the photos are from http://community.livejournal.com/shushauto_ru/15732.html

https://www.facebook.com/groups/617321618289389/permalink/1835948819759990/

Messerschmitt snow machine... cool!

via: http://megamoto.tumblr.com/post/1707922375

It was only a matter of time before someone tried to make a working copy of the Tron lightcycle

This is a rolling motor driven creation by the Parker Brothers Choppers http://www.parkerbrotherschoppers.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4&zenid=urth348n839kubk3qljp2grak1 but from the videos, it only moves about 5 mph, and has a useless limited range of front wheel turning from side to side, maybe 5 degrees?

to compare this with the real Tron lightcycle http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/tron-legacy-artwork-by-artist-daniel.html or the beer barrel bike https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGvO5qFSchRZPRwhdJqh105R5JJKlamxG3rdDKw9cGssZY8eN0dtRAHSwNDUYex9ghJYNDLsrNs_BOdLU7not7mzQVhHCg9cHRpdOSrnzyqqRQu79N-qCiqtx6AmJnr-66eMd/s1600-h/ssfunny-superbike_01.jpg

Von Dutch car I just learned of, the Bungatti

Story about it here: http://www.rumpsville.com/2010/01/-in-1997-i-was.html

but the basics are that the photographer was at Universal studios in Orlando and found this miniture roadster owned by Jim Brucker in a storefront window, and why Von Dutch twisted the bugatti and bung togother... I don't know. Bungatti seems to just thumb the proverbial nose at the quality of the Bugatti sports cars

LeMay museum finally had it's groundbreaking (2 years since I posted that it would happen)

http://hagertyblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/lemay-museum-groundbreaking-june-2010.html for the story and photo gallery. My first post didn't say much, just informative that it's supposed to become the largest in the world
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/if-you-live-near-seattle-you-might-want.html

barnfind 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

it sat in the garge 30 years, was found by http://www.vintagesportscars.com/vintage_car_barn_finds.html who saw it once and then 6 years later the old woman who bought it new finally sold it to him and he extracted it from the garage.

Stupidly, after all the trouble of getting it, he didn't keep it. Dumb ass traded it for construction work that was never completed.

The Wisconsin stash of Don Schlag, 21 semitrailers full or rare parts and rare cars

21 semitrailers stuffed with parts and cars. Don locked the trailers, welded the doors shut himself and parked them tail-to-tail on flattened tires. No, he didn't just keep opeing the doors and looking at the cool collection he'd compiled.

He went to every swap meet. He took a trip to California every year in his RV and would return towing a trailer full of parts that would vanish into his stash. He bought whole cars that never seemed to show up on Wisconsin streets again.

Larry wound up paying Don's heirs a "mid-six-figure" sum for all the pieces. And except for a couple of cars he sold himself and two Corvettes kept by Don's nephews, he sold the entire lot to another collector, Scott Milestone, for half again as much money. As this is being written, Scott is in the process of uncrating and reshelving all the various components into an East Coast warehouse.

Here are just some of the jems in the collection of 14 nice, low-mileage cars more than 150 high-performance engines have been found that Don stored away
1. '57 Corvette-Original fuel injection. Big fuel tank and big brakes.
2. '57 Corvette-Original dual quads. Big fuel tank and big brakes.
3. '63 Corvette coupe-Original fuel injection. Production number 480.
4. '64 Corvette roadster-Original fuel injection. Four-speed. Both tops.
5. '67 Corvette roadster-427 with Tri-power. 37,000 miles.
6. '74 Corvette coupe-454 big-block. 14,000 miles.
7. '72 Camaro Z28-Four-speed.
8. '67 Camaro RS/SS coupe-350 and four-speed. Fair condition.
9. '69 Yenko Camaro-37,000 miles.
10. '70 Chevelle SS454-Automatic with bucket seats.
11. '70 Chevelle SS454-Four-speed, bench seat
http://www.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/hrdp_0608_don_schlag_chevy_car_collector/index.html

a complete engine for a 1969 Camaro Z/28 engine, a DZ-302 that’s complete down to the breather, one of approximately six such engines found, and the cast-iron COPO 427-cid engine block.
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/article/Huge_muscle_car_stash_found/

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Lawman, Boss 429 Mustang that AL Eckstrand brought to the USO tours during Vietnam to take the troops mind off the war for a moment

Owned by Bill Goldberg, the crown jewel of his collection, the last car he'd ever get rid of he's said. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/07/if-you-havent-heard-of-motorator-car.html

above vinatge photo found on http://stiffspeed.tumblr.com

the unusual things that cought my attention at SEMA

Great idea for an instant pop up parking sign

Barstool racers

per comment by THEMADV who is too stupid to include an effing email so I can respond to them woith an answer... Sure I know more. You want that info? Add your email to your blogger profile or your question in the comment function.