Saturday, December 14, 2013

innovation in tires to improve on a typical tire's life expectancy of only 2000 miles had some creative results








from the wonderful site The Old Motor and it's frequent look at the historical innovations and evolving vehicles and auto technology http://theoldmotor.com/?p=108611


By Ariejan Bos:

In the early days of the automobile, the pneumatic tire suffered from punctures, rapid wear and blowouts that could cause serious accidents. At that point in time, the future of this type of tire was not at all certain. In 1906, pneumatic tires would last for around two thousand miles if fitted to a standard sized touring car. However, if fitted to a heavy limousine or sedan which could weigh more than 2 tons, the life span of the tires might decrease to only about two hundred miles. Moreover, the price of tires in the early days was considerable and formed a large part of the yearly operating expenses of a car. Consequently, other solutions were sought to secure comfortable and safe driving without the worries of regular tire repairs and replacements.

below is from a forgotten source, possibly the Steampunk sites

the Michelin railroad tire and custom railcars (found on the Old Motor)






The pneumatic railroad tire developed by Michelin offered a number of advantages over the traditional wheel type in this relatively lightweight application. Passengers experienced a smoother, quieter ride. Better traction resulted in faster acceleration, shorter braking distances and improved climbing ability on grades. Greatly reduced rail wear likewise resulted in reduced track maintenance costs. Downside factors included higher fuel consumption caused by increased drag and the possibility of flats.  http://theoldmotor.com/?p=107711


Michelin dayliner type 51: ( I just don't have time to clean up this translation)

 After the implementation of micheline in normal way on the french network in the early 1930 , their builder realized similar vehicles for narrow path. One of them was tried on the nice - digne line railway de provence In 1934, but was not selected for the network. However, this material would be successful ' export ', In the french colonies. As well, 19 micheline called ' coloniales ', Type 51 and 52, were delivered: 7 in mozambique 2 in indochina ( line of yunnan ), 2 in africa - french equatorial ( line congo - ocean ), 1 in africa - french west line dakar - niger ) and 7 in madagascar .

Found on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Railroads-Pleasures/290116334470566?fref=nf

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2216000102000133/permalink/2286344761632333/

Scuderia Ferrari 1947- 2012

THE FILMOGRAPHY OF CARS by artist Calm The Ham



this poster is for sale by Artist Calm The Ham for the price of $44

With over 71 intricately detailed hand-illustrations, we’ve charted the iconic cars of film and television from 1929 to the modern day. Whether they were notable for their superior performance or the superior performers who drove them, this print pays homage to all the truly iconic automobiles that have graced our screens over the years. From the early 1900s Duesenberg to the time-travelling DeLorean to the portable meth lab within the Fleetwood Bounder, we have it all covered.

 Each print is signed and numbered by the artist from a first printing of 500. Using 100 lb. archival recycled thick stock paper, this poster is pressed on an offset lithographic press in Brooklyn.

http://calmtheham.com/products/filmography-of-cars

Tazio Nuvolari’s Alfa Romeo 8C-35



some very cool things I found on Fabforgottennobility.tumblr.com


I just learned that this is from a photo session with Life magazine, and James Dean was playing with a cousin, some of the photos from that are at http://thehawkandbuzzard.blogspot.com/2012/11/james-dean.html










Mercedes SSK Count Trossi car above