Friday, July 24, 2015
Ford 2 man tank, WW1
Ford 2-man, 3 ton tank, World War I.
max. speed 8 mph, two Ford Model T engines, one cal. 30 machine gun
http://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A202218#sthash.KEYpvx5q.dpuf
the City Slicker... an Allison mounted longitudinal and a couple BIG ol tires nearly sidewall to sidewall. 3 turbos, each fed a quad of cylinders
Lee Pendleton, who was friends with Art Arfons and worked on the Bonneville Salt Flats during speed runs as well as occasionally helping him with jet dragsters, created this monster
Found on http://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/the-wildest-of-them-all-meet-the-completely-insane-city-slicker-pulling-tractor-triple-turbo-allison-wvideo/
42 year old missing persons case solved... the latest car found in a lake using sonar, why aren't more lakes getting checked?
A 43-year-old mystery was solved Tuesday after authorities found the remains of Amos Shook – missing since 1972 – and identification cards in a 1968 Pontiac Catalina pulled from the bottom of Lake Rhodhiss in Caldwell County.
The green Catalina, filled with mud with the roof caved in, matched the car belonging to Shook on Feb. 19, 1972, when he was reported missing, Caldwell County Sheriff’s Capt. B.J. Fore said Wednesday. “This case was so old we didn’t even have a report on it,” Fore said.
Sheriff Alan Jones said Shook’s wallet was found in the car with remarkably preserved identification cards.
Using advanced sonar from the North Catawba Fire and Rescue Dive Team, the outline of a car was spotted under 30 feet of water, Fore said.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article28282066.html
the last couple years has revealed a 1969 Coronet in a Florida Canal since 1978, and a 69 Camaro in a lake in Oklahoma
Police Pose as 'Panhandlers' at Off-Ramps to Catch Distracted Drivers
Four plain-clothed San Bernardino police officers stood on highway off-ramps on July 15 holding signs in an attempt to catch distracted drivers, police told ABC News
The officers were able to walk right up to some of the cars unnoticed because the drivers were consumed with either texting or talking on their cell phones, police said in a statement.
"I made 13-14 stops and out of all of them, only one woman said she noticed and read the sign, but by that time it was too late," police detective Devin Peck told ABC News today.
Officers gave 33 tickets to drivers for cell phone use and 15 tickets for drivers not wearing seat belts. Five cars were also impounded after police discovered the driver was either unlicensed or driving on a suspended license.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/police-pose-panhandlers-off-ramps-catch-distracted-drivers/story?id=32638298
you really have to love a brand of rims to make a collection display like this
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CragarSS/?fref=nf
Henry Joy and his Packard, he liked it so much, he bought the company
Mr. Joy bought his first Packard after he saw one in New York chasing after a fire engine, ended up buying into the company, and later ran it. He became a leader of the good roads movement, and spark-plugged the development on the Lincoln Highway.
Notice the window sign in front of him, it's the Packard dealership, next to the New York Cafe and Lion Brewery. I'm guessing it was a couple beers for lunch every day. Without air conditioning, you could keep employees a lot happier with a couple cheap beers I bet.
http://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A170752
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Barney Oldfield and the Peerless Green Dragon
http://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/
Barney Oldfield was America's first auto racing star. His persona expanded beyond racing or even automobile circles to become a household name. His appeal was more than the fact that he was a winner. He thumbed his nose at authority, at elite society and was never afraid to tell you what was on his mind. That produced great copy so he was a favorite among the "newspapermen" of the day. The average Joe and Jane loved it. He struck a blow for them.
His talents are disputed today but that's because people don't take the time to read about him and think of his motivations. He sought to control his own destiny and if he ever got truly angry it was at people he felt exploited racers risking their lives so they could promote their races - and take the lion's share of the receipts. Barney's barnstorming adventures were about making the money he felt entitled to and making sure the environment was safe for himself and his team.
Oldfield knew his worth and wasn't afraid to negotiate. In May 1910 when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway threw open its doors for its first-ever Memorial Day weekend competition events as the Brickyard, Oldfield had held out for special consideration - and he got it.
One of the investors was the Conduitt Automobile Company, an Indianapolis dealership selling Knox automobiles. They supplied the cigar-chomping grassroots hero with a race car for a number of events.
On the first day of the meet the car broke a steering knuckle - a tough deal given that this was not a factory entry and spare parts were not readily available.
In the spirit of old school auto racing ethic Indianapolis manufacturer National Motor Vehicle Company stepped in to lend a helping hand. They fabricated a replacement part so the crowd favorite could return to competition on Saturday.
The decision may have been somewhat self-serving though. The top officer at National was Arthur C. Newby who was also one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its First Vice President. Newby was no dummy. He knew having Oldfield on the track meant more people in his grandstands.
Still, he probably wasn't thrilled with the results of the important five-mile stock car sprint race that matched Barney with two of Newby's drivers: Johnny Aitken and Don Herr. Barney, in his Knox with a "National" steering knuckle smoked the field to take the win.
http://www.firstsuperspeedway.com/articles/national-rescues-oldfields-knox
This article originally appeared in the May 29, 1910 Indianapolis Star.
these 3 from https://www.facebook.com/groups/yachtclubdesavionsdelaroute/?fref=nf
the 1908 New York to Paris Race
The French de Dion at start of New York-to-Paris Race on Feb. 12, 1908, in NYC. The car was withdrawn from the race at Vladivostok after 8,653 miles. The three man crew was captained by M. Bourcier de St. Chaffray, official observer for the Paris newspaper, le Matin. With him rode Captain Hans Hansen, an explorer who had offered the benefit of his arctic experience to the French auto firm, and M. de l'Autan, who had been mechanician on the de Dion the previous year durng the Peking-to-Paris race.
Above, the Thomas Flyer
the Zust and Protos above
Zust above
Motobloc above
http://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/search?page=3&f[0]=mods_subject_topic_ms%3A%22New%20York%20to%20Paris%20Race%2C%201908%22
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