History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

Even though I agree with IF IT NEVER WAS, HOW CAN IT BE EXTINCT????, I tend to look at it a little differently. If the car was designed and proof remains, then the car did exist in some form. Some even made the sales catalogs but for one reason or another, they were cut before production. Suppose we could start a new thread "Automobiles and Cars that never made it past the drawing board or sales catalog"

 

SunRoof, that's a hell of an idea, because LOTS of never-WUZ cars really WERE on company drawing boards -- but got canned, for a lot of financial or other reasons. Packard designers even went to the mule and show-car stage on some WONDERFUL cars during the "high-pockets" era. But the cars could not be produced at a saleable level, so they were (wisely) kept from mainline production.

And, then, there are the CONCEPT cars, all the way from Harley's Y-Job to, Chrysler's Thunderbolt, to Packard's Predictor and even its '57 CaribbeAn (which would have been hung on a Lincoln Premier chassis), on and on.

WHAT DO OTHERS THINK???? SHOULD THOSE BE A SEPARATE THREAD? OR, ARE THEY "FAIR GAME" FOR THIS EXTINCT/NEAR-EXTINCT THREAD???

 

VintageRide, thanks for the catch, buddy! Yup, AlsAncle brought up the mention AND pic of the Graham 3W Spirit of Motion!!! SORRY, AlsAncle!

And, VintageRide, THANKS for the "at-a-boy!" I honestly never imagined guys would get into this theme this much, BUT WHAT HAPPENED EARLY SURELY IMPACTED ENGINE, CHASSIS, ELECTRONICS, ETC., FOR ALL THE CAME LATER!

 

Here it is,

the Dodo

 

Swi, WOW! The Victress -- had it succeeded -- would have predated the Corvette, Darrin, Edwards and all OTHER fiberglass-bodied roadsters! (I mean, of ocurse, with the possible exception of Exner's Ghia-bodied Adventurers, etc.) BEAUTIFUL CARZZZ!!! Any idea if anybody actually got any of these mounted on a frame and driveable? Surely would be fun to see the REAL thing.

 

BeeBing . . . Uh, NICE !!! But those CROCS have to go !!! Not trad! LOL

(But, NOW you DID it! We have to go find a pic of a REAL DODO car! Sheesh!)

 

I'm not convinced that Graham didn't build one or two. Up until a few years ago there were only drawings of the Hollywood 2 passenger. I'm always amazed at what survives quietly in rumor or in complete obscurity only to be discovered. There is allegedly still a Duesenberg hidden away in Paris since WWII.

I've got a drawing of a Spirit of Motion Conv that I need to post when I get in the office next week.

 

AlsAncle, would the Spirit of Motion convertible have been done in FRANCE? I was amazed at how the French fell in love with the style, while American consumers sort of thought it was the Edsel -- a couple of decades early! The French DID "cusomtize" the Graham S-o-M.

 

Good point. What if someone found an unknown factory Auburn cabin speedster custom that escaped the auto show tent fire?

Vintageride

 

With those that have owned cars for 50 to 60 years getting up in age, you just never know what is going to come to light. I believe we're in a big Generational shift in the auto hobby right now.

 

There were a number of spirit of motion convertibles built in Europe. More then a couple. There was a write up in the Graham Club newletter on one that came back to the U.S.A in the last couple of years.

 

The Dodo automobile was reportedly ONLY produced in 1912. Beyond that, very little seems to be known. Exactly where Dodos were made, or who produced them? Bupkus, since no reliable information appears in any readily available records. However, word-of-mouth accounts passed down for a few generations speak of a group of drunken, hungry sailors finding and breaking into the humble Dodo works and gnawing on the live-rubber tires. Some old-timers also suggested that the seamen may have inadvertently left behind a few of their pet dogs, cats, pigs and rats, and these animals (folk legend holds) did wipe out the few Dodos inside the shop. As sad as this is, we do have an artist's conception of an original, factory-authorized radiator adornment (pictured). If ANY HAMBer knows any darn info at all about this EXTINCT make, please do share it!

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I don't care what anyone thinks, past or present.
This is one sharp car! Other than economic times
and the apparent fact that the public had shied
away from Graham, I can't undestand why this
legitimate and bold design didn't resonate with U.S.
consumers. Loook at the fine side-sweep trim!
Shark-nose, indeed. Go figure.

 

QUOTE: With those that have owned cars for 50 to 60 years getting up in age, you just never know what is going to come to light. I believe we're in a big Generational shift in the auto hobby right now.

SunRoof, man, I think you hit the nail on the head. With no more scrap drives or depressions, people HAVE held onto rare cars for an entire generation. They MUST come out, ralatively soon!

 

Not extinct , but your neighbor dont' have one .Dorris motor cars built in St.Louis
Only one known to exist Red one is 1916 Dorris , I believe it was colled a convertable back then , the body came off with 6 bolts and an open shell could be installed. Steering column ,seats, floor and firewall stayed on chassis . No record of anyone ever buying both bodies .

Tan is 1918 Touring, I think 6 known to exist . 9 pass vehicle, full retractable top , side windows that snapped on for inclimate weather , middle row of seats are jump or fold down and face rearward .

The coupe now resides in St.Louis Museum of Transportation and the touring is in Florida and should liely be seen in parades come summer

 

Here are some real ones. Coachwork by Pourtout and second is Saoutchik.

 

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1993 Ford Ecostar Electric Van


Early electric vehicle efforts took many forms, with automakers striving to compress the learning curve in order to meet California's impending 1998 Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. While a few automakers like Honda developed their electric vehicle programs around all-new designs, most turned to electrifying existing car, truck, minivan, or SUV platforms. Some were recognizable models sold in the U.S. Others, like Ford's Ecostar, were built on platforms sold only abroad. The Ecostar was unique in many respects, not the least of which was its use of an experimental sodium-sulfur "hot" battery, which provided exceptional on-board energy. Ultimately, this battery didn't make the cut and was abandoned, although the Ecostar itself still shines as one of the era's true stars. This article shares details of Ford's Ecostar program and is reprinted verbatim from Green Car's December 1993 issue.
FORD ECOSTARS TAKE TO THE HIGHWAY
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1993 It was just over a year ago when Ford debuted its Ecostar electric vehicle to the skeptical motoring press in Los Angeles, Calif. The unusual vehicle, based on the automaker's European Escort Van built in Britain at Ford's Halewood, Merseyside, manufacturing facility, seemed normal enough at first blush. But its powertrain made it the most unique vehicle ever to hit Hollywood's Sunset Strip.
Green Car editors who drove the Ecostar found it to be an extremely capable EV, perhaps the best to date. But there were a few small glitches including an occasional drivetrain shudder and a degree of inverter noise. A recent test drive in a more refined Ecostar example illustrates just how far Ford has come in its electric vehicle project. The only two glitches we had noted were conspicuously gone, and the Ecostar drove better than ever.
"The shudder was an interaction between the drive system and the mechanical system it was driving, creating a resonance," Ford's Bob Kiessel told Green Car. "What we had to do was compensate for that resonance. It's all done electronically." Evolutionary changes in the controller also eliminated the high-pitched noise noted on the earlier drive. The Ecostar's gauges and diagnostics were also working this time around, a simple matter of more time spent dialing in the EV's many functions and subsystems.

During this most recent drive, we were aware of a significant amount of tire noise making its way to the cabin. Because this also created its own unique resonance, it was cited by some drivers as motor noise, a suggestion that Kiessel denies. Even so, he offers that improvements are in the works.
"We're testing a next-generation motor-transaxle that cuts the noise level down by an order of magnitude," Kiessel shares. Tire noise will be engineered out, at least to a greater degree, as R&D work on the Ecostar continues.
There was a reason for the Ecostar's recent coming out party. Ford has completed a number of the Ecostar examples it began assembling in June and was preparing to deliver them to fleets for real world testing over a 30-month period. Fleets taking delivery: Southern California Edison (Los Angeles, Calif.); Pacific Gas & Electric (San Francisco, Calif.); Allegheny Power (Frederick, Md.); Commonwealth Edison (Chicago, Ill.); Detroit Edison (Detroit, Mich.); and the U.S. Dept. of Energy (Washington, D.C.).
Ecostars now being driven on U.S. highways are milestone vehicles in that they're the first to travel under power of advanced batteries. The 37 kWh, 780-pound sodium-sulfur battery, built by ABB (Heidelberg, Germany) for Ford, allows the 3100-pound Ecostar to achieve a conservative Federal Urban Driving Schedule range of 100 miles. Acceleration on the highway is brisk enough to meet daily driving needs. Ford estimates 0-60 mph acceleration at about 16.5 seconds, in the realm of a Volkswagen EuroVan powered by a 2.5-liter inline 5-cylinder engine. Top speed is cited as 75 mph.
Once the entire 105 vehicle fleet is fielded in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe, it's expected that Ford will get plenty of feedback on how these vehicles perform and how they can be fine-tuned for the real market.
"This vehicle is a learning tool for us in several different ways," says Kiessel, "from a design standpoint to an engineering skills standpoint, and from a supplier development standpoint to market development and service. It's a probe to learn. What we're trying to do is focus on the things that will help us make better electric vehicles in the future."
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The factory is being turned into highend loft apartment now. They have a couple of the last marathons ever made. I belive only 12 exist and they have 2 of them. I will see about getting some pics up.


Its the Lane motor museum here not the Lang. Awesome place, me and my 5 y/o son go all the time.

 

My bad, only 8 are left.

Heres an ad I found from them. I am gonna try to go down there monday and see the one they have displayed and get some pics.


Heres a linkto the Lane motor museum. alot of rare and neat autos.
www.lanemotormuseum.org

 

Link to photo album of four Marathons at Marathon Village.

http://www.marathonvillage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02

 

Cool link, I used to work down the street from there. Lookslike they added a few since I was last there. Its a cool place but in the ghetto. Its an awesome old building that you can see from the interstate when driving through downtown Nashville.

 

Actually, an entire website devoted to forgotten fiberglass sports cars.
http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/

A lot of obscure, and yes "extinct" cars listed here.

Some of which, they are actively searching for.

 

The Dodgeson was an automobile manufactured in Detroit, Michigan by Dodgeson Motors in 1926. The Dodgeson was designed and engineered by John Duval Dodge who was the son of the John Francis Dodge, one of the original Dodge Brothers. The vehicle had a straight-8 rotary valve engine, with 3.2L of displacement, and produced 72 bhp (54 kW) at 3,000 rpm. The engine was supported by a four-point suspension system. Only prototypes were produced, and the series never saw production.

 

Newark's Mora Motor Car Co. - 1905
By John Zornow
<QC /> ​

As early as October 1905, a group of public-spirited Newark businessmen, all members of the Newark Board of Trade, had made contact with Mr. Samuel Hancock Mora in Rochester.
Mora was looking for a building, and even more importantly, a community to support his venture, that of building motor cars. One of members of the Board of Trade , Thomas W. Martin, had a building for rent, the former Reed Manufacturing Co. plant on the east end of Seigrist Street. The Reed Company, manufacturers of tin ware and enamelware, had vacated the wooden building in 1903 to move just west into their huge brick plant that still stands today as a warehouse owned by Graybill Enterprises.
In Rochester, S.H. Mora had left the employ of the Eastman Kodak Co. after nearly 13 years, having risen to head of sales. (Mora apparently left Kodak in good graces, because George Eastman would later own several Mora automobiles.)
Mora and William H. (Billy) Birdsall were working on the automobile project, with their headquarters being the Livingston Building in downtown Rochester. Birdsall was no stranger to the fledgling motorcar business. In 1902 he designed the Buckmobile as venture of the Syracuse Automobile Co. and soon after was the mechanical mind behind the Regas automobile, built in Rochester and financed by Thomas Byron Dunn, who had made his fortune in the candy business. Dunns Sen-Sen mints were in every child's pocket, as well as the pockets of men trying to hide their smoking habits. Billy Birdsall had designed a nice little four-cylinder car for T.B. Dunn, who eventually lost interest in the motorcar business. We must assume that Birdsall and Mora got acquainted in Rochester.
S.H. Mora Comes to Newark- The Mora Motor Car Company was incorporated in Newark in March of 1906. By July, a crew of 35 men were building 4-5 cars a week, and S.H. Mora was selling more than that amount. A backlog developed and it was clear that the old wooden frame building would not work. That building is long gone and the site is a now parking lot for I.E.C. Electronics Research and conversations with old timers indicate that a foundry jointly owned by the Bloomer Bros. Co. and H.R. Inman, was used to make engine castings for the cars. This building is now the Spinco Corp.
Stockholders in the newly formed company were S.H. Mora, William N. Freeman of Eastman Kodak, William H. Birdsall, and George S. Whitney of Akron, Ohio, possibly related to Mora, who had originally lived in Cleveland, Ohio.
The vehicles made in the Seigrist Street plant in 1906 and 1907 were a roadster and touring car, with wheelbases of 98 and 103. The single offering in the engine department was a four cylinder 28 h.p. watercooled version. These cars sold for $2000 to $2500. To put this into prospective, the average worker made 5 to 10 cents an hour for a 6 day week, and clearly could not afford to buy any car at all. The automobile was a plaything for the wealthy, and according to many observers, it would stay that way. In and near Detroit, many new makes of motor cars were introduced in 1906, including Aerocar, Jewell, Thomas Detroit, Mason, Hewitt. Oldsmobile was number one in sales for the year with 6,550 sold.
The lack of a middle class in Newark, New York in 1907 drew a clearly defined line as to who would be driving an automobile. Newark was a very progressive village, and had many industries and businesses. There were several automobile owners in the village and several auto dealers, including the H.R. Drake Buick-Reo sales agency, later Scofield Garage, now Americas Furniture, 226 East Union St. The auto soon became a status symbol, and driving clubs were formed.
S.H. Mora's business prospered and he continued to live in Rochester but commuted to Newark on the new Rochester Syracuse & Eastern electric trolley. He also stayed many evenings at the Gardenier Hotel, corner of East Avenue and East Union Street. It is not known where Billy Birdsall lived but records show that Mora purchased a building lot on the Bailey tract, south-east corner of East Maple Avenue and East Avenue. The house that stands on that lot now is owned by the Paul Salisbury family.
The Browniekar - A small but colorful part of the Mora story is the Browniekar. A child's car or cycle car. Equipped with a one cylinder 3.5 horsepower engine, it would go 10 miles an hour, enough for any child.
Advertising indicated that The boy or girl who drives a Browniekar will obtain, by practical experience, a knowledge of things mechanical, construction, carberation, ignition and operation of gas engines that he or she would not be liable to obtain from books. Its most comfortably arranged and sufficiently racy to thrill the hearts of all juvenile auto aspirants. At a price of $150, or $175 for custom colors, it was clearly a toy for the children of the wealthy. Initially, the little car was made by a division of Mora called the Child's Automobile Co., later changed to the Omar Motor Car Co. a clever touch, Omar being an anagram of Mora. One very lucky owner was vaudeville and MGM child star Buster Keaton, who drove a Browniekar at the age of 13. Keaton's family was far from poor, and lived in an Italian Villa in Los Angeles. Historians differ on Mora's choice of Browniekar for the name. Some feel that it was named after cartoon character Buster Brown, but the most plausible answer indicates that Mora simply latched on to the notoriety of George Eastman's Brownie camera, which would define amateur photography for 70 years. Actually, the Brownie Camera was named after the Brownies, little folk cartoon characters of the time, and the sort of Poke-mon of that time period. The small car was manufactured for a couple of years, and today only a couple are known to exist. A 1908 Browniekar is on display at the Newark-Arcadia Museum, 120 High Street, as part of the year long transportation exhibit: Wings, Wheels, and Water- On The Way to Grandmothers House.
A re-organization and a new plant -
The successes of 1906 brought hope for the future, and plans for a new building. Mora went to the community for help in the form of a stock issue in the amount of $750,000. Newark men who were major investors were given board seats. They included Thomas W. Martin, former President of the Reed Company, and Newark businessmen Charles Crothers, Frank Garlock, and Abram Garlock. In 1905, T.W. Martin had built the house at 509 East Avenue, later owned by R.A.S. Bloomer, Dr. James Palmeri, and now owned by Dr. Fred Zugibe. The Martin children had a Browniekar and ran it up and down East Avenue, which was a dirt road.
Thanks to the success of the stock offering, a new plant was under construction on Hoffman Street. It was an impressive two story structure, with plenty of room to expand, and was located on a railroad siding. (The Northern Central Railroad) There were no car transport trucks then, nor were there roads capable of handling such trucks. By early 1908, the company moved to the new Hoffman Street factory with over 200 men working 24 hours a day, six days a week producing hundreds of cars in a assembly line style set-up. One strange feature was that finished cars would be end up on the second floor. Research also reveals that there was no foundry included at the new plant, which included a test house and office building. The plant is now the factory for the Hallagan Manufacturing Company, a producer of high-end upholstered furniture.
Collectors of antique automobile literature will notice that early Mora advertisements list several addresses on Mora Place. This was an early attempt to track advertising results by identifying which magazine or newspaper the client had read. (For many years, Newark's Jackson & Perkins Co. listed several addresses on a fictitious Rose Lane in the same manner.)
The year 1908 was an important time in the automotive industry. Several new makes were introduced, and many failed. William Crapo Durant, producing Cadillacs and later adding Buick, Oldsmobile and Oakland, formed General Motors Company. The Model T Ford was introduced as a 1909 model. Cadillac won recognition for its interchangeability of parts. 63,500 passenger cars were built and 1,500 trucks and buses. Most importantly, the first rural mile of concrete highway in the United States was laid down near Detroit.
With a new Mora factory in operation, Billy Birdsall designed a six-cylinder, all ball bearing engine. The chassis was lengthened to 115 to accommodate the new six. Prices for Mora vehicles were $3,500 for the racy-type, and $3,600 for the five passenger tourer. At considerable expense, Birdsall set upon developing a 60 horsepower four cylinder engine that introduced in 1909.
Ever the salesman, S.H. Mora joined every automobile association that could help his business, including the groups that were promoting better roads. By 1910 Mora advertised that their car would compare with any other automobile built costing even $4000, and they were prepared to prove it. A 1910 Mora car was driven 9000 miles over all kinds of roads with out opening the hood. This was heralded at a Worlds Record Sealed Bonnet Tour the bonnet being the term for hood.
This achievement was highly touted by the company at auto shows, and advertised as the Worlds record Sealed Bonnet Hero.
Troubles Ahead - Quality problems, a cash crunch, wet spring weather, and anxious creditors spelled trouble for Mora. Birdsall was not a salesman, or a numbers man, and Mora was not an engineer. What was needed was someone to tie it all together. That did not happen. As early as September of 1909, the failure of the entire production of piston rings caused Mora to curtail deliveries of cars. There was no way that a car would be shipped unless perfect. Suppliers were not happy. In a letter to parts supplier, the Rome-Turney Radiator Company, in Rome, New York, S.H. Mora personally asked for their patience and understanding. But, it was the small companies that could not afford to wait for payment. As a result, on July 16, 1910, the company was forced into receivership. The plant continued to operate under court supervision until November 1910, when the Frank Toomey Co. of Philadelphia, bought the building and contents for $65,000. S.H. Mora and Billy Birdsall were gone.
The Frank Toomey Co. of Philadelphia was involved in the machine business there and apparently had the means to purchase the Mora works at a bargain price. They produced Mora cars for about a year using parts on hand as well as from the normal suppliers. A copyof Who's Who in Autos published in 1913, and owned by Karl S. Kabeloc of Rochester, lists all automobile owners and dealers in the surrounding 7 county area. Included were all owners of Moras. One car listed was a Toomey. Did the new company plan to market a vehicle in their own name? Nonetheless, by August 1911, it was announced in the Arcadian Weekly Gazette that Frank Toomey and Co., owners of the Mora factory, have decided to discontinue business and offer the entire plant, including stock and machinery for sale at public auction. Newark's second chance to keep their automobile factory was gone.
The Board of Trade Steps in Again- Arthur N. Christy, a C.W. Stuart executive and secretary of the Board of Trade, reported at a meeting in February of 1912, that a furniture company of Syracuse had been interested in the plant, but the Toomey company had refused the offer. Other prospects were a steam engine company, and a machinery company. The furniture company, The Canastota Couch Co. of Canastota, New York, near Syracuse, in business since 1900, was waiting very patiently in the wings. The former Mora plant was perfect for them and needed nothing, except a kiln to dry frame wood. On April 19, 1913, it was announced, that a deal had been struck with Simon E. Hallagan, and Freedus E. Thompson, owners of the Canastota Couch Co. to purchase the Hoffman St. plant and move their entire operation to Newark. Today, the Hallagan Manufacturing Company operates on Hoffman Street, in the same plant, under the management of the fourth generation of the Hallagan family. Once again the Newark Board of Trade had put a deal together. This time it was to last for many, many years and has provided goods jobs in Newark for generations. In charge of negotiations back in 1913 were Newark businessmen L.G. Mattison, George W. Muth, and Peter R. Sleight.
What happened with the Mora? Were the seeds of failure already in place, when S.H. Mora and Billy Birdsall misjudged the market and how fast the popularity of the automobile would grow with the common man? As with modern technology, such as VCRs, DVD players, the PC, and digital cameras, the sooner that you get the product refined, and in the hands of the masses, the more successful it will be. George Eastman had the formula in 1900 with the Brownie Camera, Henry Ford got it right in 1909 with the Model T. Had Mora produced a car that was affordable for the working man, thinks might have turned out differently.
Mora and Birdsall head for Cleveland. Undaunted by their failure in Newark, S.H. Mora and Billy Birdsall established the Mora Power Wagon in Cleveland, Ohio, where S.H. had originally come from. That truck line lasted until 1914, and also became a part of Americas great transportation history. Samuel Hancock Mora died by his own hand on March 7, 1918, and is buried next to his mother, Grace Marie Mora at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester. Three new vehicles were introduced in 1918. They were the Cleveland, the DuPont, and the Briggs & Stratton Flyer, and they all failed, while Ford sold 435,898 cars, almost all black, and well under $1000 each.
The automobile, which Americans had grown to love, had become as much a part of their lives as eating, sleeping, education, and working. It is now an urgent necessity, rather than a luxury. Research acknowledgments: The Arcadian Weekly Gazette, The Courier Gazette, Drumlins Magazine, Cars Made in Upstate New York, by James Bellamy, The Newark-Arcadia Historical Society archives.

 

Swi, very "satisfying" article on the Mora company
and the BrownieKar. I admit, I have a soft spot for
the tiny "toy" cars made almostly completely for the
enjoyment of kids. Mora sounds like another of those
companies that just didn't ahave a well-rounded
LEADERSHIP base. How do YOU see it?
<QC />

 

Well with jstorm's help here, sounds as if Marathon survival is pegged at EIGHT. Not many! So, I guess that makes it NEAR-EXTINCT?

 

AlsAncle, whooee! Pretty, pretty (and well-restored) car! I remember the first time I laid eyes on a G-P Spirit of Motion at a car show. It was ARRESTING and NOT at lal BIZARE. It seemed quite bold -- and not in an unpleasing way. If I have one criticism in the styling: I feel the headlamps are OVERWORKED to the point where they detract from the pleasing grille style. (BTW, not sure what's depicted by the hood ornament. Is it just a stylized symbol of speed & air flow???)

 

Seeing as you asked.
Given the era, certainly there were dreamers that bit off more than they could chew.
But Henry Ford killed so many fledgling makes due to his mass production.
And price and competition was so much an issue.
Let's face it, Why did AMC die?
A better product elsewhere, competition?
Same with Studebaker.
Then why are the Big 3 currently being beat by foreign competition?
Arrogance?
Not selling what the people want?
I hate to admit this here, but my daily driver is a Prius.
My wife and I bought it last year when gas was $4 a gallon.
We actually rented one for a trip.
50+ MPG is not hard to take when gas was 4 bucks.
And I researched it like crazy, including customer satisfaction, and repair costs.
Buying a car is a major decision, would be great to support the local economy, but I'm afraid that costs, and faith have a lot to do with purchases. Be nice to buy a car from Buffalo now. But would it be cost effective for me?
Yeah, I bought a Prius, my heart wanted a new Challenger, but practicality won out.
and what I save on gas driving back and forth to work, I blow out the pipes of my "toys", all 10 of them. Every chance I get.

 

I spent a couple hours digging and found the book I mentioned earlier!
"A Guide to Cars and Trucks made in Buffalo and Western NY 1895-1986" by Herman Sass.

It is pretty much comprised of newspaper clippings, and typewritten backgrounds more or less mimeographed into book form.

Here is an excerpt from this book:

There was another Thomas Automobile made in Western NY, but not Buffalo, Batavia.
Charles D. Thomas was a thirty-year old Batavia mechanic whan he built his dream car in 1939. Among other features, it sported a one-piece unit body, independant front suspension, a padded safety interior, suspended control pedals, and a streamlined periscope on the roof providing vision to the rear. The car was pictured in the August 1940 Issue of Motor magazine, and although Thomas attempted to find backing to go into producction, he was unsuccessful. After the second world war, Charles Thomas tried again, however, with a new car called the Playboy. One of the most promising post war sports cars, the Playboy was put into manufacture, though a few less than 100 were built before the company went under in the early 50's.

Now, for the kicker!
I know where the one and only thomas is!
He won't let me photograph it, it is certainly rough.
He says he will restore it someday, he has restored other cars.
And I cannot disclose where it is at.

 

Spaulding Buffalo NY 1902-1903 In January of 1902 Henry F. Spaulding and his brother C.M. incorporated the Spaulding Automobile & Motor company in buffalo (the previous family business had been the Spaulding Machine Screw Company) The immediate start up and production was delayed by a lawsuit brought by the Olds Motor Works regarding infringement of its motor patents. Spaulding got around that by re-designing its single cylinder engine and a run of 100 units began therafter.

The Runabout sold for $650 in 1902 which was raised to $700 by January
1903, by which time a larger two-cylinder car was added to the line. The tourer had wheel steering and a three speed sliding gear transmission. The runabout steered by tiller and featured a planetary transmission. By february of 1903 the company was in financial trouble, and in March was sold at a receivers sale to J. F. Morlock who proceeded to build a Spaulding look alike under his own name.

There is a picture of a 1902 Spaulding in the book, but barely legible
The picture of the Morlock is the same faded picture.

this book I have was put together back before photocopiers, more mimeographed than anything else. But a wealth of information.