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

cowl forward 80-90% is there!

All one would need is a old aluminum boat flipped over and some ol bus seat and new tires and vroooom

 

http://www.americansportscars.com/maverick2.html will give you all the information on that '52 Maverick Sportster and at the bottom of the page be sure to "return to Home Page" to see more American sports cars in that fabulous collection. You won't be wasting any time.

 

A little more modern extinct car - The Davis. I remember reading about this car in a magazine when I was young, and I saw one years later in some museum, but can't remember where. I had completely forgotten about it until recently when watching a show on Discovery. It came with 3 wheels, a 4-banger Hercules and B-W 3 speed transmission. It was supposed to be a post-WWII econocar that seated 4 adults and sold for $995. Sadly Mr. Davis had a fate similar to Preston Tucker in that he sold dealer franchises before he had cars to sell. Production numbers are believed to be about 17 cars, but no one knows for sure. As with Tucker, I believe they were all '48 models.

 

You know if that Davis had some louvers on the hood and about a 3 inch chop with a little rake, it'd be a cool rod.

Here are a couple of more pics which I thought were interesting and a link to the registry below. Note the removeable top. I wonder if that front end on my HA/GR would pass tech ?



http://www.suarezweb.com/davis/histfoto05.htm

 

I don't know if any of these made it into production, but it's a pretty late year date (1953) for a dodo...

 

well jimi, that was the37kid that mentioned the hamb. i agree with everone, the fastest and most informative group around. as for the gaylord, no more pics, and the book i found it in said that jim gaylord made is own chassis engine was a 365 cid chrysler hemi, retractable roof that ford enginers took pic and mesurments of(hummm)a company in west germany was to make the bodies, and them and gaylord had problems,only three chassis were built and two are know to be in a museum in orlando fl.

 

here is some more on the davis tom

 

hey stilloutthere here is what i have for the maverick

 

here one for you east coast guys, the multiplex- 1912-1915 and then 1952 to 1954 and in those two years only three were built

 

Popular thread, guys! Since Sept. 12, we now have nearly 200 posts and going on 7,000 views. Despite numerous guys saying how brain-challenging this "what's extinct?" theme is, only four guys have gone to the top of the page and voted a rating (those blue stars). I don't normally feather my own nest, but if more guys would assign the number of stars they feel the thread rates, then maybe MORE guys would see that an "tune in" with their own informed opinions? My 2 cents.

 

The above comments are so very true - old cars at the time were regarded as having no value whatsoever. It was not uncommon in the Midwest up until as late as the early 1960s to stack cars along the river banks to control erosion. I haven't been back that way for a few years but it wasn't that long ago that you could travel up the Missouri River along the backroads in the Dakotas, and see literally hundreds of cars piled in sections along the river bank and down into the water. They weren't worth anyting at the time and were apparently a lot cheaper than rip rap. Even when scrap prices peaked a few years ago, I would think recovery would have been cost prohibitive.

 

ChiefWannabe, I am glad you added THAT piece to the "picture" of how people USED to get rid of old cars. Yeah, I can remember seeing them shoring up river & creek banks.

I'm sure ALL of us today wish (future) desirable cars could have been "set aside" SOMEWHERE, but . . .

scrap yards, ravines, rivers & creeks, WELL, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT USED TO BE, before collectors, rodders, customizers and environmental rules were much of a factor in our country!

 

One of my high school friends from Minnesota who's last name was Gardener Was restoring a Gardener. He as I recall had 2. One was a 4 door sedan.

 

Yo, DaBirdGuy! Thanks for the post on the Gardener. Thought it was an early make, it was sure not a minor make in terms of influence on the industry. Made from 1920 to '31, they some years amounted to thousands of cars per year.

Again, I sure appreciate your bringing it up, as I myself surely NEVER heard of the Gardener!!! Scarce, almost certainly; extinct, probably not.

 

A good friend the late William H. Oexle restored a 1927 Gardener roadster in the late 1970's. Really nice car with a bit of a Wills St. Clair look to it. He sold to to Bill Harrah and after his passing it was auctioned off, think it is somewere in New Jersey now. ...........Ever hear of a HOLLISTER? The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 gives some company details and ends with "Manufacture of a car is doubted." In a 1919 Connecticut Motor Vehicle Redister there was one running on the streets of Ridgefield, a 1914 Runabout. Has the serial number listed #1, wonder who the owner Henry Langbehn was?

 

37Kid, I think you just hit on one that ISN'T even on that huge list of Wikipedia! But it SOUNDS as if at least ONE got made! Did it SURVIVE? Sure make ya WONDER!!!

He wrote: Ever hear of a HOLLISTER? The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 gives some company details and ends with "Manufacture of a car is doubted." In a 1919 Connecticut Motor Vehicle Register there was one running on the streets of Ridgefield, a 1914 Runabout. Has the serial number listed #1, wonder who the owner Henry Langbehn was?

 

Forgot I was at Rhinebeck aerodrome a few weeks back and got pics of these - never heard of them except the Brush mentioned earlier in this post.

1908 Brush - check out wooden front axle

1912 Metz

1913 IHC Autobuggy

Saxon

 

Very interesting thread!

There were a few Texas Manufacturers, most lasting little more than a year or two.

The Little Motor Kar Company of Grand Prairie built cars & light trucks or "Texmobiles"...none to my knowledge have survived;

Southern Motor Company of Houston made the "Dixie" line of cars;

 

Great thread , thanks for starting it.

 

GWhite & 29Bowtie, yes, when I originally proposed the question, I didn't even imagine it would be this exciting & fun for so many people. If you have been enjoying it, please feel free to got to the top of the page & vote a rating (blue star system).

 

Originally Posted by Carl La Fong
The first Franklin was built in 1902, one year before the Wrights flew. The pre 1902 aircraft engine market was a bit slow

I guess I'm wrong on that, oops.

Now I'm doubting myself that they made aircraft engines. That will teach me to blindly listen to my pops.
______________________________________________________

10/05/09


OK, I did a little research on this.

I still believe Franklin wound up making air plane motors later in the 19-teens. I read this incredible book about the early days of racing. It talked about Miller, Duesenburg, Cheveloret Brother and Loius' go at with Fronty.

Anyway, the author pointed out a few times that a good deal of the early car manufacturers got into making cars first and realized that the big money was in government contracts making aricraft and marine engines.

They cut there teeth with the cars, hoping to refine their powerplants and get them into the boat & car market.

So, maybe my Pop was telling a portion of the truth afterall.

 

Originally Posted by Carl La Fong
The first Franklin was built in 1902, one year before the Wrights flew. The pre 1902 aircraft engine market was a bit slow

I guess I'm wrong on that, oops.

Now I'm doubting myself that they made aircraft engines. That will teach me to blindly listen to my pops.
_______________________________________________________

Posted 10-05-09

OK, I did a little research on this.

Some of these early car wound up making air plane motors later in the 19-teens. I read this incredible book about the early days of racing. It talked about Miller, Duesenburg, Cheveloret Brother and Loius' go at with Fronty.

Anyway, the author pointed out a few times that a good deal of the early car manufacturers got into making cars first and realized that the big money was in government contracts making aricraft and marine engines.

They cut there teeth with the cars, hoping to refine their powerplants and get them into the boat & car market.

So, maybe my Pop was telling a portion of the truth afterall.

Taken from Hemmings on-line:

After the Franklin car company went out of business, some of their engineers bought the company’s assets and launched the Air Cooled Motor Development Company in Syarcuse, NY. This example of the 150-cubic-inch 4-cylinder Franklin motor was the companies first airplane offering.


Another car company who branched into airplane engines was Hispano-Suiza. This V-8 300 hp liquid-cooled motor was built under contract by Wright Aviation in NJ. Used in SPADs and Sopwiths of the day, it weighed over 500 lbs. and had a displacement of over 1120 cubic inches.

 

It seems all companies around in the "horsless carriage" era, took a chance at making cars. I heard about the Duquesne company locally (Pgh, PA) and they made everything from toasters to cars to washing machines. Super rare cars too. I wish I could find a pic. they offered a full line.

(I didn't read every post so if it was already mentioned sorry)

 

How about a Davis. Not the 3-wheel maker and not mine. Guy states 1 of 3 in the U.S.
http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/cto/1395434711.html

 

Brooks Stevens "'55 Gaylord".There was recently a museum exhibit about his industrial design (he's considered by many to one of the forefathers of modern, industrial design). Along with the exhibt was a book about him I grabbed at the library last year. IIRC, there was alot of info on the Gaylord in there including concept drawings.
He also designed some really wild boats.

 

not on the list, but here are a few now-defunct American makes....

Welsh
Winton
White

 

Few more...

The first one- Top is Chalmers, bottom is Coey

Second one- not American, but thought they were cool looking-Blue Delage, white Mercedes

Third- 1908 Queen

 

More-

Franklin

Overland

Pope-Hartford

Last one- 1915 Monroe, and 1909 Holsman

 

Here's another kooky one for you:
Scans of a sales brochure for a mid-60's attempt to revive the Duesenberg marque......
you don't see THAT everyday!

 

Here is a couple:

Meisenhelder from York (notice the slow light)



Jump seats in case your friends want to hitch a ride


And here is a Holsman