this photo in 1934, depicting a Terraplane sedan parked in front of the Montpelier Vermont state capitol building, known locally as the State House, though I doubt that it's welcoming to visitors anymore.
The road in the above picture was removed, probably so no one could drive as close as this, anymore.
the above satellite view makes it clear the city street in the top image, and the same one in the below image, was removed
In the 1930s promoting new cars to a nationwide audience still took hill climb and land-speed records, Pike’s Peak runs, and nationwide endurance feats of distance and sometimes gas mileage.
the Terraplane in the top photo was named “The Colonial Cruiser” and it carried a map of it's traveled route around New England in its rear window.
Hudson planned about 20 such "Ruggedness Runs" across the country, each using a 1934 Terraplane already in the hands of a customer, sent out for two weeks straight on pre-selected circuits (or “Ruggedness Routes”) of 1,500 to 1,800 miles.
Hemmings did an article on this a decade ago, and found evidence of five Ruggedness Runs: the Colonial Cruiser throughout New England;
the unnamed car that traveled through Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Delaware;
the Cascade Express, which hit Washington state (and, likely, Oregon as well);
the Golden Gate Flyer, Sacramento resident W.W. Luce’s car that covered California;
and the Gulf States Flyer, which saw service in Florida
https://chicagology.com/centuryprogress/1933fair50/
http://myflatheadford.com/historic-around-town-shots/
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2010/05/05/two-weeks-punishment-hudson-terraplanes-ruggedness-run/
No comments:
Post a Comment