Ralph Mulford, Knox, Indianapolis 500


Mulford (winner of the 1911 Vanderbilt Cup) was involved in a singular historically odd and slow Indy 500 the 1912 Indy 500.

 The top 10 finishers had to complete the full 500 miles to collect their prize money, there were only 24 participants, and they were on the grid according to when they registered, not qualifying speeds

 Mulford realized that if he completed the 500 miles, he would be classified as the 10th and last finisher, after passing DePalma and his mechanic who pushed their car across the line for the 198th lap.

The other 9 competitors had already completed their 200 laps, and had left he track, and with an obvious scenario laid out, Mulford knew he only had to knock out DePalma to bump him down the leader board, and pick up 10th place.

Seeing the few runners remaining, he realized that completing the 500 miles would give him 10th place and $1200 in prize money ($30,000 in today’s dollars).

So Mulford and his riding mechanic continued on. It’s reported they pitted at one point to change shocks for a more comfortable ride and again for a dinner-on-the-go of fried chicken and ice cream.

So after multiple pit stops, he completed the 500 miles with a record slowest 56 mph, in 8 hours and 53 minutes, and hour and 40 minutes slower than the 9th place finisher.

For context, the winner was at 86 mph, 6 hours 21 minutes

 His average speed of 56mph is still the slowest for a car that was classified as a finisher in Indy 500 history.

Thanks Graham!

found on http://www.vintagemotorphoto.com/

https://simanaitissays.com/2015/02/04/the-amazing-tale-of-the-slowest-indy-finisher-2/


I found another photo to make a matched set for this old street sweeper on Steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com


I found the above on Shorpy I think, but Steampunkvehicles posted the one below, and it's impressive that another photo was taken at the same moment.. at least the guy hanging on to the side of the vehicle didn't change position while it was in front of the bandstand... more impressive that in this great big planet the two photos are matched up

Balloon tires so big they look cartoonish, 1915 Harley Davidson Baby Cup race car (at the 2007 Half Moon Bay Ritz-Carlton Hotel Concours)




Similar, or the same car, 100 years later? Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/with/14338133866/  via http://theoldmotor.com/?p=125042

the video below shows the Art Smith troupe of baby cars racing at an event. Smith’s racers were built with the help of Dudley Perkins of the Dudley Perkins Company, a San Francisco Harley-Davidson dealership.


Thursday, June 30, 2011

1927 Franklin "Airman Series Sedan" looks great, has a terrific lamp inside




Thanks for the photos got to Angyl! Appreciate the photos and that look inside at the lamp, very cool! Not many people take photos of the interior interesting things about old cars. I like to see if there are unusual things inside, it's not often, but occasionally there are unique little things to enjoy

Steampunk Vehicles Tumblr just clued me in on double front ended inspection railcars




When it was not easy to turn them around, and they knew that the car would need to return to its original location, they had to build with two engines, so it doesn't overheat from driving backwards long distance.... as the radiator needs the airflow to keep the engine cool. I just learned this from Johnny at Steampunk vehicles!

blog.1aauto.com is giving Hooniverse competition on great stories and interesting rare stuff, like this red Delorean, and 76 Road Runner

In 1982, Delorean Cadillac in Cleveland Ohio had some Delorean’s on the lot that they were having trouble selling. Rather than giving them away at a loss or sitting on them forever, they decided they might sell if they were more colorful. The problem is painting stainless. So Delorean Cadillac had PPG come up with a paint that would adhere to the stainless. They succeeded and before long, several DMC’s were painted a variety of fun colors like red, purple, and blue. http://blog.1aauto.com/2011/06/30/you-want-to-see-the-candy-apple-red-delorean/#more-6395

http://blog.1aauto.com/2011/06/27/this-road-runner-took-full-advantage-of-the-1970s/
plus great stuff like a Bentley stuck on the beach, a GTOmino and a Mustabird!

For all of these: http://blog.1aauto.com/ is the place

a variety cool and unusual vehicles from steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com

Above, kids home made flivver. Think any kids try making their own cars anymore? Doubt it.


Above, a MGM movie publicising sound train I haven't come across before http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/Sound%20Train Aero streamline tow truck... looks like a Count De Sakhnoffsky design, middle of the following post http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/09/extraordinary-designer-of-automotive.html
Custom worked Pierce Arrow?
Above, stream line your Model T at home!
Above, 1914 Alfa Romeo streamliner
Above 1905 Bordeaux Cali Limousine.
Above 1917...don't have a maker
Above 1920 in California
Above Queensland


Tank on rails, WW 1? Clever that the rail rims are mounted to the ordinary tires and rims
Gravity fed fuel system, quite the jalopy

http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/ a source for many cool and unusual cars, highly recommended

Motor Cities National Heritage

The Gilmore Car Museum received a grant from MotorCities National Heritage Area for the Gilmore Garage Works Program. The Gilmore Garage Works program helps teens learn life lessons as they restore a classic car at the Gilmore Car Museum during an after-school program.

If your school can not come to visit us here at the Gilmore Car Museum all the above programs can visit you. Our educators will visit your classroom and present the program at no charge. Just email us for more information.
http://www.gilmorecarmuseum.org/html/content_page.php?content_id=39&

Designated by U.S. Congress in 1998 to preserve the cultural and historic landscape associated with the automobile in Southeastern and Central Michigan.

The 18th of 49 National Heritage Areas, focused on raising awareness and understanding about the impact of the automobile on this region with emphasis on increasing tourism, expanding education and encouraging revitalization.

Nearly 1200 auto-related resources have been identified in the heritage region; the largest concentration of auto-related sites, attractions and events in the world.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum received a grant from MotorCities National Heritage Area for the Teachable Moments program. The Walter P. Chrysler Museum education programs are aligned with the Michigan Department of Education Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs). Programs for students in grades K-5 emphasize language arts, math, science and social studies concepts while reinforcing skills students need to be more successful on state tests.The middle and high school programs introduce students to engineering, design and related disciplines as they explore Michigan Career Pathways in a changing technological world.
Check it out at
http://www.wpchryslermuseum.org/assets/attachments/WPCMEducationProgramsK_1A.pdf

The Motor Cities:
Became the "Silicon Valley" of the early 20th century, marshalling access to natural resources, transportation infrastructure, skilled labor, innovation and ingenuity, and venture capital to become the center of the global automobile industry;

Put the world on wheels by perfecting the assembly line, mass production and vertical integration for vehicle manufacturing;

Created the "five dollar day", the American middle class, the modern labor movement, and numerous wage and benefit advancements

One of the programs that Motor Cities is benefiting is the Polonica Americana Research Institute (PARI) that will guide researchers in completing three components of their history:

1) employment in the auto industry, (as many of the Big 3 were built by Polish-Americans, the unsung line workers employed by the Big Three)

2) documentation of the immigration process;

3) and a description of the economic status of the Polish village they left behind.

Cecile Jensen, Director of PARI, is seeking participants who would like to enroll in the workshops and submit their family histories. Her latest publication—Sto Lat: A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy—will be the manual for the project. The completed family histories will expand the international knowledge of the Polish experience in the auto industry.

The Michigan State University - Vincent Voice Library received a grant from MotorCities National Heritage Area for their Lansing Auto Town Gallery. The G. Robert Vincent Voice Library is a collection of over 40,000 hours of spoken word recordings, dating back to 1888.

The MotorCities grant will enable the Michigan State University to digitize and catalog analog materials currently held within the Vincent Voice Library. Majority of materials are focused around 122 oral histories of UAW Local 602 and other GM related stories. Once digitized, the materials will be made available via the Michigan State website as "Lansing Auto Town Gallery".

For more info on the programs, grants, and donations see http://www.motorcities.org/

Monday, June 27, 2011

rail inspection cars found on Steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com

The above is from http://blog.hemmings.com/
above 1926 Chev
Might be Dodge truck cabs, and both the above and below are from New Zealand


Above a Nattrass Rail Tractor



Above photo was in South America

http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/is a source for many cool and unusual cars, highly recommended