Well, that didn’t Work…

I’ve got some very cool 50s and 60s hot rod magazines and brochures from my dad’s collection, but my favorites are the parts & accessories catalogs from the era. JC Whitney (founded in 1915!) is probably the most famous name that survives today, but Honest Charlies and Almquist were two other competitors at the time. Looking back at the Almquist catalog from 1957-8, it’s obvious there were a few accessories that guaranteed  big results but delivered dismal disappointment! Below you’ll see some of the biggest ‘snake oil’ examples I could find, from a liquid-filled bar that promises to give better traction, to a mini fan that spins above your intake manifold to create a fuel-saving supercharger effect…