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

If your referring to taking the post and posting it somewhere else, I don't have a problem with that. You have my permission to use my posts anywhere you want.[/QUOTE]

Thanks I just did.

 

SUNROOFCORD,

Great catch. Part of the reason we do this is to learn.

The Frontenac Automobile and the Frontenac OHV heads ,as a popular modification, on many Model Ts were by different companies.

Then there is the use of the term "Fronty" as applied to certain race cars. Now, would that apply specifically to the Frontenac OHV head equipped Model Ts?

The Frontenac OHV head for the Ford would be fairly prolific, the Frontenac Automobile would not be.

Jimi Shemi

Glenn Curtiss was a great american. I saw that one of the articles I read during the past few days placed the remaining Aerocar Travel Trailers at 12. I wonder if there is a registry?

Vintageride

 

Now you got me confused.

(The and ? the Frontenac OHV heads as a popular modification on many Model Ts were by different companies.)

According to the article and what I know, I was under the impression that all the Frontenac Heads used the on Model "T"s were built by the Chevrolet brothers and the term "fronty" generally refers to a Model "T' motor with a frontenac head.

(Indiana brothers Arthur and Louis Chevrolet, who produced the Frontenac (or Fronty) heads that reached production numbers around 10,000)

My Dad had all this stuff in his head but I lost him in March, so I can't just call him up and ask him. I'll have to check with some of the 4 cylinder guys I know.

 

You have it right. A small cut and paste error gone wrong.

A quick edit on the earlier post is in order.

Vintageride

 

Can you tell me which craigs list this came from?
Or provide the link?

I have no knowledge of this one, or if it "is" a Corvair custom.

There were many Corvairs modified and sold as a different car.
The Yenko Stinger
The Fitch Sprint
Fitch Phoenix (only one, a prototype)
And the Solar Cavalier, only about 30 of them made. Produced by the Solar Company
And the Escelman Eagle that was a re-badged Corvair

But have never heard of the Snyder.

 

Here is a list of Corvair Variants and one off's:
Prototypes and one off's
Cameo Rampside Prototype
Super Monza - Speciality
Pinky Convertible - Speciality
Astro 1 GM Showcar
Bertone Testudo Corvair Showcar
Calvair Stirling-engined vehicle
Corphibian Prototype
Fitch Phoenix - John Fitch
Fitch Super Sprint -John Fitch
Gene Winfield's Reactor-Speciality
Ed Roth's Road Agent - Speciality
Holden pre-1960 Corvair Prototype
Lost Cause Prototype
Monza GT - GM Showcar
Monza SS - GM Showcar
Pinfinarina Corvair - Showcar
Pontiac Polaris - prototype
Sebring Spyder XP 737 - GM Showcar
Super Spyder XP 785 - GM Showcar
Trailblazer (Blazer prototype)
AGL-4 Truck - military prototype

Kit cars and buggies
Amante GT - Kit Car
Azteca GT2 - Kit Car
Bugetta - Buggy
Deserter GS - Buggy
EMX - Kit Car
Fiberfab Avenger - GT40 Replica
Kelmark GT - Ferrari 246 Dino replica
Lazer 917 - Kit Car
Manta - Kit Car
ManxVair - buggy
Marauder - Kit Car
Piranha and CRV-II Kit Cars

"Production" Vairs, though non-factory
Cord 810 by Glen Pray
Corv-6 Art Silva 215
Corv-8 Crown Mfg
Corv-8 Kelmark
Corv-8 Kit -Archibald Evans
Devin C
Eshelman Golden Eagle
Fitch Sprint - John Fitch
Solar Cavilers & Sprints
Ultra Van
Wayne 100 boat
Yenko Stinger

 

Swi, what info do you have on the EARLY Spaulding, made by Spaulding Automobile and Motor Company, Buffalo? Why'd they stay in business for such a short time?

 

HJManiac, your Post #750 brings up a point that is timely in the thread, AND it kind of calls for underscoring. I'd mentioned HOW people VIEWED and treated cars in the early days. And, absent extended warranties and plenty of dealerships for top-notch service, etc., they QUITE OFTEN just junked cars rather than find a way to fix them.

But old-car attrition was accelerated during the scrap drives of WWII, certainly, and maybe we just haven't touched on this enough. In the context of the public mind-set and government "spin," just about everybody who considered him/herself a patriot was not only EXPECTED to sacrifice until it hurt, but they were generally WILLING to do so! And, SO, I really believe that MANY, many oldies that people would have loved to hold onto simply became a "NECESSARY" sacrifice for the war effort. Hell, buy a bond = another bullet to fire at the Axis, right? Grow a Victory Garden, save cooking fat for bombs, repair your old tires 'til they fall apart, give and old car or farm machinery to a scrap drive . . . one can easily imagine the mind set of the time.


Courtesy of HAMBer CarlS over on my thread, "Old Time Junk Yard Photos PIX 1920 to 1970," here is a circa. 1942 scrap-drive, as shot in Detroit. The cars are staged, on their way for recycling at a nearby foundry. The hand-painted sign sported by the middle car reads, appropriately, "Now My Job Is to Lick the Japs."

 

While the iron is hot, I want to add a point: IT WASN'T JUST COMMON MODELS THAT WENT TO THE WWII SCRAP DRIVES. Jim Stecker saved the only known 1931 Jordan Speedway Ace. BUT, there was at least one more in private hands in Cleveland, and it is thought to have been pulled out of the garage where it was being kept and sacrificed for metals for the war effort!

 

This is the famous picture of a I believe one of the Yount's Model J Judkins Berline Duesenberg being weighed in for a scrap drive minus tires. I remember reading this was a bit of a publicity stunt by the owner but the car did get crushed.

 

I'm going to have to hit the books on that one.
There are so many small auto companies that started up, I really don't beleive there is definitive info on asll of them.

Somewhere in my house, I have a book that was put together basically by research of old newspapers documenting the history of car manufacturers in NY State. So far have not found it.

For years I have been trying to find out the history of the Buffalo Auto Owners Association Inc.


I have this porcelain sign, there is a grille badge on display in the Buffalo Transportation Museum, I do have the info of when they were incorporated, and where they were located at the time they started up. But nothing historical yet on what became of them.
I'm guessing they may have been one of the predecessors of AAA, or maybe were absorbed or put out of business by them.

A lot of auto history went that way, much lost forever. Forgotten over the ages.
There awas supposed to be an auto manufacturer in my town of Gasport. But it is noyt known if they ever completed even one of their cars.

 

There were a lot of pop up car companies in the teens and twenties. If anyone visits Pittsburgh you have to make your way to the Frick Car and Carraige Museum. There are about 20 car on display and recently there was a whole thing about Pittsburgh built cars. The Penn was one of them listed on the site above. Nice site! Everyone and their mother made a car back then but were very short lived. I have photos somewhere I will try to get up.

 

Swi, maybe the 1902-1903 Spaulding is typical of one of those "makes" Buddy67 just brought up. And THIS is a very, very good point! Early on, the public was positively FASCINATED by the new-fangled horseless carriage. UNFORTUNATELY, at least 90 percent of the folks didn't have the capital, patience, inventiveness/experience, NOR stick-to-a-tivity, etc., to build a serious motor car. But, they didn't know unil they'd given it their best shot. So, an awful lot of one-offs, almost-one-offs and short-lived "companies" get counted as U.S. auto makes.

I have to borrow on a sentiment expressed by VintageRide, considering that we've been seeking to find and discuss EXTINCT and near-EXTINCT cars. He referred to the Graham Spirit of Motion 3W-coupe, which DID NOT MAKE IT OFF THE DRAWING BOARDS. He said that probably counts more as a NEVER WAS. You have, first, to EXIST, before you can be EXTINCT.

My point is that many locally made cars that never ran a mile, or didn't run well and were abandoned as ventures, OR the maker only managed to make one or two unreliable contraptions (which probably got subsequently torn down & the pieces used for other things NON-automotive!) seem to have gotten onto someone's master list of ALL U.S. car makes.

WHY DO I THINK THIS POINT IS IMPORTANT? I would hate for anyone with a casual interest in early U.S cars to think for a SECOND that every one of the 2,500 to 3,000 U.S. auto makes were SOLID automotive ventures! GOSH, that's probably the farthest thing from the truth.

I welcome anyone to present an alternate opinion. But my two-cent WAG is that 95 percent of ALL U.S. car "makes" never amounted to tempest in a teapot -- not viable, not practical, little more than hobbies and experiments for dreamers (though, there's not a DAMN thing wrong with trying, either!).

 

AlsAncle, thanks for that great pic! Yup, it is a GRAND example of a sacrifice (wherein the owner obviously got a bunch of INK in the newspapers!). But one HAS to think that ONE Deusey crushed led a ton of Americans to look at the treasure T in the shed and think, "Well, who am I to hold onto needed stell when THAT guy is willing to contribute his luxury car to help our fighting soldiers, sailors and fliers???"

 

Yes. There is a video magazine here called North Carolina Weekend. During a recent car show in Henderson, they interviewed quite a few Corbitt owners.



Here's the video

http://flash.unctv.org/ncweekend/10152009_eastcoastdragtimes.html

 

My understanding was the first time it was donated to the scrap drive, they recognized it as something special and saved it. When Mrs. Yount found out it had been saved, she was very upset and ordered them to take it back to the scrap drive. There is a great book by Frank B. McKinley and Greg Riley (who happens to be a Corvair guy) called Black Gold to Bluegrass; from the oilfields to spindletop. The book is about Frank Yount and includes stories about the Yount Duesenbergs;

After partnering with Thomas Peter Lee of Houston, Frank Yount, water-well driller turned wildcatter, struck it rich, and the Yount-Lee Oil Company began a remarkable march that almost took it to the top of the oil industry. Although he used some of his wealth to benefit his fellowman, Frank Yount, also put together a priceless collection of antique violins, and some of the classiest and most expensive automobiles of the day, including three Duesenbergs and a Cord. He built a state-of-the-art Saddlebred training facility in Beaumont, hired dashing horseman Cape Grant to run it, and directed him to take the horses of Spindletop Stables to competitive shows throughout the county—and win!

Frank Yount died young at age 53 in November 1933. Within two years, Pansy—his wife and principal heir—and the investors in the Yount-Lee Oil Company sold the enterprise to Houston attorney Wright Morrow for then what amounted to the third-largest financial transaction in American business history. Morrow, who later became one of the giants of Texas politics, immediately parceled off most of Yount-Lee’s oil assets to Stanolind (Standard Oil of Indiana), a subsidiary of the giant Standard Oil conglomerate which later became Amoco. In spite of the magnitude of this transaction, when expressed in Depression era dollars, it was later widely acknowledged that no one, save perhaps Frank Yount himself, fully understood the astronomical significance and value of the Yount-Lee holdings.

Pansy, no less independent and colorful than her husband (but somewhat more flamboyant) took her part of the family’s fortune and moved Spindletop Stables to a 1,066 acre show farm in the horse country of Kentucky, building a 45,000 square foot mansion which she named Spindletop Hall, the centerpiece of the new and extremely successful Spindletop Farm. The farm became the most innovative saddle horse breeding facility of its time, and Pansy became a legend in horse circles.
Using an array of previously unknown primary source materials from the Yount-Manion family archives, photographs never before published, and recently discovered film, McKinley and Riley present a book filled with incredible acts of generosity, long-standing controversies, intrigues, and twists and turns at every point.

Black Gold to Bluegrass is a must for general readers and scholars alike, whose interests lie in Saddlebreds, antique automobiles, or violins; and for oil enthusiasts, the book paints a rags-to-riches story of a true wildcatter turned contemporary hero who embodies the American dream.

 

I remember reading somewhere that Mrs. Yount mistakenly beleived that the Duesenberg was a German-built car. Mrs Yount went along with the anti-German sentiment that was prevelant during the war, and that was part of her motivation for scrapping this fine car.




P.S. SunroofJim, you need to stop over and see my new car!

 

Thanks Demo Derby

 

Long Hidden Jordan Speedway Ace Revealed...Somewhere East of Anchorage
March 17, 2008 Story by Angelo Van Bogart Photos by Christopher Sauer,

For many years, rumors of a “Cleveland mystery car” circulated around the city, its exact location hidden and precise identity unknown. By the 1970s, at least two people knew that mystery car was a 1930 Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace roadster, one of 14 Model Zs built, and it was in the Cleveland suburb of Collinwood. Among those people who knew about the rare Jordan, a car whose name was made famous by the company’s “Somewhere West of Laramie” ads, was well-known car collector and casino owner Bill Harrah. The other was Cleveland car collector Jim Stecker.

How Harrah learned of the “Cleveland mystery car” is probably a secret that died with him in 1978. Surprisingly, Harrah didn’t hide the fact that the Speedway Ace still existed, if he was asked about it. However, for those who asked, Harrah did his share to maintain the mystery.

“Harrah said he found it, and it was in Alaska,” Stecker said. But all the while, Harrah was paying someone in Cleveland to watch the Speedway Ace after his offer to buy the car was turned down.


Only 14 1930 Jordan Model Z series cars were built, and this is the only remaining car. Jim Stecker pulled this Speedway Ace out of its hiding spot 10 years ago, and recently oversaw its lengthy restoration completed for the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car has been out of public view for more than 60 years.

Around 1975, Stecker became aware of the Cleveland, Ohio-built Jordan Model Z Series of cars through an article by Ken Gross. In reading the article, Stecker learned that so much such excitement surrounded the Model Z, crowds at the New York Auto Show had to wait several hours to get close enough to see them. Despite the public’s excitement, only 14 Model Z Series cars were said to be built: 12 Model Z Sportsman sedans and 2 Model Z Speedway Ace roadsters. So few people knew about the Jordan Speedway Ace roadster hidden in Cleveland, even the article stated that none of the cars existed any longer.

Impassioned by reading the article, Stecker went down to a friend’s shop and started talking about the Jordans he had just read about. The friend, Weert Ley, said he remembered a Jordan in the Cleveland suburb of Collinwood. Stecker, a self-described treasure hunter, was immediately on the hunt.


The straight-eight was sourced through Continental, and was not unique to Jordan automobiles. The Model Z series of Jordans were inspired by aviation, and the 114-hp engine promised to fly the cars up to better than 100 mph. The engine swallows fuel through a Schebler dual-throat carburetor and is backed by a four-speed Warner Gear transmission and.

“One day, I was driving around Collinwood in a 1975 Oldsmobile Toronado with my son Scott,” Stecker said. “I came down East 140th Street to an old house with a row of garages, so I pulled in.

“An old man pulled in behind me with a truck,” Stecker said. “His name was Laddy Kanker.”

It didn’t take long for Stecker to sense that Laddy Kanker wasn’t interested in making new friends. Immediately, Stecker could tell that Kanker had an untrusting nature and preferred to keep to himself, but Stecker felt he was in the right place and wasn’t ready to give up.

“I kept asking him if he had an old car, and I noticed he kept looking at my Toronado. He finally said, ‘Yes,’ and opened the garage where there was a 1947 Cadillac. But there, out of the corner of my eye, was the Jordan. I saw it and my knees buckled.”


Set against a solid mahogany instrument panel are all of the aviation-inspired gauges to properly monitor the Jordan Speedway Ace’s revolutions, conditions and functions. Included in this attractive cluster, starting with the large gauge at the 10 o’clock position, are an altimeter, temperature gauge, compass, oil pressure gauge, clock, fuel gauge, tachometer and speedometer. The handles in the center of the cluster control spark, choke and throttle, while the controls for the Transitone radio are to the right of the cluster.

Stecker could see that Kanker was nearly as smitten with the Toronado as Stecker was with the Jordan Speedway Ace buried in the corner of the garage. Stecker offered to trade his new Oldsmobile for the Jordan, the only remaining Model Z Series car. No deal.

Stirred by the Speedway Ace’s racy looks and its rarity, Stecker did not let the car out of his sight. He spent the next 25 years waiting for the car to become available before landing it in his garage. The car was worth every second of that quarter-century wait, not just because of its rarity, but because of its ties to Cleveland history.

In 1930, Jordan Motor Car Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, displayed two Model Z Speedway Ace models at auto shows. Car No. 13 went to the New York Auto Show, and Kanker’s car, No. 14, went to the Detroit Auto Show in January 1930. At the Detroit show, a man by the name of Harrington bought car No. 14 off the floor for a Depression-scoffing $5,500, a price equivalent to that of some custom-bodied Packards and greater than that of a Cadillac V-16 roadster. Sometime later, Harrington sold the car to a man named Holloway, who lived on Cleveland’s mansion-lined Euclid Avenue. From there, it went to Kanker, who was only 17 or 18 years old at the time of purchase, in 1936.


Both Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace models built were true roadsters, each without a provision for a top. To the untrained eye, it appears they were two-seaters, but this is not the case. In this view of the cozy cockpit, a hinge can be seen on the rear deck aft the seat. This hinge allowed a panel to raise, and with the panel raised and passenger seat slid to a forward position, passengers could enter the rumble seat through the passenger’s side door.

What Kanker purchased was the last hurrah of a one-time hometown hero. His Jordan Speedway Ace rode on a 145-inch wheelbase exclusive to the Model Z, a fitting alphabetical model designation since this was to be Jordan’s last new model. On this imposing chassis stretched a racy, swept-back aluminum roadster body built by Facto Auto Body Co., also of Cleveland, in a factory once operated by the Chandler Motor Car Co.

The car’s long, lithe looks belied its grand size and enormous wheelbase, but an off-the-shelf Continental 12K straight-eight engine of 114 hp ensured the Speedway Ace’s speed could match its looks and take its pilot to Laramie or beyond. And probably earn the driver a speeding ticket while doing so.


Rather than side mounts, all of the Model Z cars photographed when new carried rear-mounted spares for a more fleeting look. There were also no trade-offs at the rear of the Speedway Series cars — the car is not only equipped a rumble seat, but also a trunk, the lid of which is visible behind the spare tire.

Equally sleek-looking and trim Woodlite headlamps flanked a shutter-clad radiator that bore no filler cap on top. At the time of the Model Z series’ arrival, aircraft were heavily influencing automobile design. In the interest of keeping the Model Z series’ styling as clean and aerodynamic as possible, the radiator cap was concealed beneath the hood, which stretched all the way to the windshield. Like the thermostatically controlled radiator shutters, the horizontal hood louvers opened to allow the straight-eight to exhale.

Light fenders over black wall-dressed wire wheels didn’t hinder a clear view to the sleek hood louvers. Each fender was a work of art in its own right; a thin, Armani suit-like crease crested all four fenders from tip to tail. Capping off each front fender was a miniature Woodlite lamp that rhymed with the headlamps. On the driver’s side rear fender, a Woodlite tail lamp was used, the only such use of a Woodlite tail lamp Stecker has seen. This tail lamp bears the word “stop” at the top, a clear lens in the center and an upsidedown triangle reminiscent of the Jordan arrowhead-in-a-shield logo at the bottom.


The headlamps, tail lamps and rhyming front fender lamps are all by Woodlite, and each carries the Jordan logo, as does the spotlight. The tail lamp is particularly unique, as it’s the only Woodlite tail lamp Stecker has seen, and its design continues the Jordan arrowhead logo.

In another nod to the world of aviation, a running board with the profile of an airplane wing was suspended between the unjoined front and rear fenders. Each running board was painted to match the body, striped with thin bright work strips and decked with a lamp on the side (green on the driver’s side, red on the passenger’s side).


Owner Jim Stecker finally sits behind the wheel of the car he’s hoped to own and restore since the mid 1970s. He’s also excited to display the finished car at the Stan Hywet estate in Akron, Ohio, this summer. Only a handful of people have seen this car since 1936, but many will see it in 2008.

Despite his untrusting nature, Kanker shared tales from his pilot days with Stecker, which may have partially explained Kanker’s affinity for the Jordan’s aviation features. Stecker also learned that Kanker had owned a Model Z Sportsman sedan at one time, which was probably given to a World War II scrap drive for its aluminum body and steel chassis. However, it wasn’t until Stecker read Kanker’s obituary in 1998 that he learned Kanker had a sister, Janet Lord, in New York City.

Lord was probably more famous than even her brother’s rare Jordan had been in 1930. She was an actress and singer who sang for four presidents and appeared in the 1933 Broadway play “Girls in Uniform” and at least one episode of the western “Yancy Derringer” in 1958. When Kanker died, Stecker wrote to Lord and stated he knew Kanker and his Jordan and was interested in purchasing the car. Soon after, Lord placed a call to Stecker and they agreed to meet in Cleveland not more than a quarter mile from where the car was built.


Fourteen Model Z’s were built, and all but this Speedway Ace roadster, pictured in a factory photograph, have two spotlights. Since Stecker’s car never had a second spotlight, he’s confident his car is portrayed in this photograph. Stecker’s car is No. 14 of as many built, so he jokes that the company only had one Jordan-emblazoned spotlight left when his car was built. To bring Stecker’s Speedway Ace back to this condition, the expert help of Qual Krom in Erie, Pa., was employed to chrome the new bumpers built for the car, and Art Worledge, president of the Jordan Register, helped make many new castings of emblems, including the Jordan arrowhead on the hubcaps and step plates.

“When Janet walked in anywhere, there was a spotlight on her,” Stecker said. “When I met her at her family home, there were pictures on the mantel. One was Clark Gable with a beautiful brunette, one was Bob Hope with a beautiful brunette, and one was Tyrone Power with the same brunette — that brunette was Janet.

“My dear Connie, the love of my life and my best friend, told me to bring Godiva chocolate to Janet,” Stecker said. Within 10 minutes, “We became fast friends, and that’s how I bought the car,” he said.

" When Laddy died, I asked Janet why he kept the car so long,” Stecker said. “She said, ‘When he got married, he went on his honeymoon with the car. And every time he walked by it, he kicked it.’”

For most of the 60 years Kanker owned the Jordan, it had been hidden in the same garage. Once the title was in Stecker’s hands and the car was exposed to the sun again, he could finally properly assess the car’s condition, and the prognosis was good. Despite Kanker’s foot assaults, the body remained in good condition and the car was driveable. What’s more, Speedway Aces only came in ivory (a soft yellow color), and this car retained much of its original paint.

"It only has 35,000 miles, but somewhere along the line, the fenders were thrown away and it was modernized with 1937 LaSalle fenders,” Stecker said. For restorer Jim Capaldi of Capaldi Enterprises, recreating the unique fenders originally on the car was one of the most daunting tasks in bringing the Jordan back to the road.

The financially strapped Jordan Motor Car Co. used as many parts from its Great Line 90 series as possible when building the Speedway Aces. However, due to the Speedway Ace’s extended wheelbase and custom coachwork, these parts were largely limited to mechanical features. Unfortunately, the parts that needed replacement on Stecker’s low-mileage car, such as the fenders, were limited to Model Z-only parts. And since Stecker’s Speedway Ace is the only remaining Model Z, acquiring parts from parts cars was out of the question.

“We knew we couldn’t find anything, so we didn’t look, we reproduced it,” Stecker said. “Where are you going to look?”

With no fenders available, Capaldi began the major undertaking of rebuilding the unique and long-gone Speedway Ace fenders out of steel.

He started by making fiberglass fenders to a shape and contour he determined from using photographs as a guide. Through a trial-and-error process, he came up with accurate-looking fiberglass fenders, then took them to George Masavage of Frame Oddities. Masavage created wooden bucks to fit the fiberglass fenders, then slowly pounded and wheeled small sections of metal to fit the bucks. Once the metal panels were formed, they were welded together to complete each fender. Masavage gave the completed metal fenders to Capaldi, who fitted them to the car.

“If it wasn’t for Jim Capaldi, this car would never have been finished. He did a beautiful job.”

Crafting new bumpers for the Jordan was less challenging than making new fenders, but Capaldi ran in to a bit of static when it came to the car’s Transitone radio, which posed its own restoration speed bumps.

“This was probably the first car that came standard with a radio in it,” Stecker said. As a first, or as an early installation of a radio in a car at the least, parts could not be found on dusty, old shelves — they had to be built.

S ince Capaldi and Stecker’s goal was to bring the last remaining Jordan Model Z Speedway Ace to concours condition, the running engine and transmission were completely rebuilt to original specifications and the chassis was painstakingly detailed.

“I have a brand-new Cadillac and the hood isn’t as good as the underneath of this car,” Stecker said. Now, his Speedway Ace’s show-worthy condition is causing a new problem. Not until after it was restored did Stecker drive the Speedway Ace, and following its maiden voyage, he found himself in trouble with his restorer.

“I drove it out of the garage and took it 15 feet, and they yelled at me when I took it back because I got the gas pedal dirty. It’s polished aluminum and it’s beautiful, so they made a protective sleeve for it.”

In restoring the car, Capaldi and Stecker did everything in their power to bring the car back to its original configuration, with only one small concession to its current owner’s preference. Stecker did not want a black interior in the car once again, so he chose to have it reupholstered by Portage Trim of Ravenna, Ohio, in red material to an identical pattern. The interior color change required the black highlights on the car’s exterior belt line to be changed from black to red in order to match the interior. Overall, the slight changes make for a more visually striking package.

Janet Lord had always hoped to see the car after it was restored and would call Stecker every few months to see if the car was done. Sadly, she passed away last year, just months before the Speedway Ace’s restoration was completed. But Stecker knows she’d be happy knowing her introverted brother’s magnificent Jordan will once again live an extroverted lifestyle as the star of the show.

 

The Penn was an American automobile manufactured from 1910 until 1913. Two models were available, fours of 30 hp and 45 hp; they were built in Pittsburgh.

Looks like the one mentioned is the only surviving example.

 

The Jordon is a great garage find/barn find story. If you have ever seen the car in person it is truly spectacular.

 

<table align="center" border="0" width="98%"><tbody><tr><td valign="middle" width="69%" height="168">The Woods Mobilette automobiles were built in Harvey, Illinois between 1913 and 1917. The car was touted as &#8220;America&#8217;s First Cyclecar&#8221;, one of over 233 cyclecar companies which existed in North America for only a short period of time. Mr. Francis A. Woods first Mobilette prototype Model No. 1 was built by Mr. Woods in 1910. Sometime during 1911-1912 Mr. Woods built the Model No. 2, which was powered by a four cylinder 12 HP air cooled engine. Model No. 3 was Mr. Woods first production model with both staggered seat (Sociable) and Tandem seating roadster being powered by a 12 HP water cooled Woods Mobilette engine. The Mobilette engines were foundered by several foundries over the course of production. The Model No&#8217;s. 4 &#8211; 4A&#8217;s consisted mostly of specialty small trucks both pickup and panel truck types.

</td> <td valign="middle" width="31%">

Francis A. Woods​

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top" height="168">The Model No. 5 went into production in 1916 with the 1917 Model 5A&#8217;s to follow. These 5A&#8217;s were the last models of the Woods Mobilette vehicles and the most expensive models. One 1917 Woods Mobilette Model No. 5A staggered seat (Sociable) roadster is known to still exist and is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. Being a Model No. 5A, those Woods Mobilettes are powered by a 22 HP water-cooled four cylinder Perkins engine with a 3 speed floor shifted transmission mounted to the rear of the engine. These 5A models were unlike all previous Woods Mobilette production models which had a 2 speed real axle as their transmission. The 1917 5A Woods Mobilette roadster at the Henry Ford Museum carries serial number 2444.

​

</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top" height="168"><table border="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td rowspan="2" width="29%">

W. M. Sheridan​

</td> <td width="71%">Since W. M. Sheridan, an investment banker from Chicago, had supported Francis A. Woods in his business venture; the most expensive Woods Mobilette at $540.00 was designated &#8220;Sheridan Light Delivery&#8221;. This model was also powered by the 22 HP Perkins engine cast under license by Massnick and Phipps a foundry in Detroit Michigan.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td>

​

</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top" height="168">
Two of these 1917 Woods Mobilette Sheridan Light Delivery trucks are known to exist. One was featured in Automobile Quarterly&#8217;s first quarter issue in 2005, authored by the late Beverly Rae Kime, arguably the overall foremost expert in antique automobiles and world renown automobile historian and author of countless articles and volumes. The second is the Sheridan Light Delivery featured here. This vehicle, previously owned by the late William R. Kahl of Reiserstown, MD, was attained in 1998 with the restoration then taking over ten years to complete. Restoration was completed in December of 2008.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

I'd love to see it in person. I was familiar with the story and thought it should be shared with those who might not be

 

The Woods Mobilette is not totally extinct as there seems to be a couple in museums and there is one here in town. Can't be many left though.

http://woodsmobilette.com/

 

Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio


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1914 Woods Mobilette Roadster ​

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Yes, most automakers didn't amount to a tempest in a teapot.
But some of the greats could have gone the same way if circumstances had been slightly different. And some of the small makes could have achieved greatness as well with the proper financial backing and a little luck and a good economy.
One of the reasons I always contribute what I know about the Buffalo Auto Industry (and I'm still learning) is the simple fact that buffalo could have just as easily been the auto giant that Detroit became. Pierce Arrow, and Thomas may have been our big ones that most people recognize, but we still have the GM Powertrain facility, American Axle, Delphi(Harrison Radiator) A Ford Stamping plant, and several other parts suppliers still going as well as those who have gone the wayside.
We also had great proximity with our international border crossings, back in the day, great rail coverage, cheap electrical power from Niagara Falls, and huge steel mills.

Then again, Detroit has fallen on hard times. Even the Big 3 have taken a hit due to the economy. Plants closing regularly, and a need for a government bailout. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw, and nothing stays the same.

And yes, you first have to "exist" to become extinct, but we will never know how many "one off" automakers there were who never even were documented either. Plus "one off" variants.........all fascinating info all the same.

 

Spaulding built in Buffalo.
My eencyclopedia of Automobiles only lists the Spaulding in Iowa, not the one in Buffalo.
So it really must be obscure as there are plenty of rare cars in there.

 

The Victress S1-A


Before the Second World War, the American public considered plastic-bodied automobiles about as feasible as spaceships.
Things changed drastically due to the postwar shortage of steel when the use of plastics in automobile manufacturing expanded and, almost overnight, glass fibre was accepted as an ideal medium for the bodies of lightweight sports cars.
The Victress manufacturing company located in North Hollywood, Calif., was owned by Boyce "Doc" Smith.
With very little financial backing, he decided to follow in the footsteps of the Kaiser Darrin and Chevrolet Corvette and by 1952, according to the Victress catalogue, Smith was offering "America's fastest and most beautiful sports car bodies."
That claim of America's fastest body for the early 1950s was accurate. A Victress S1 was recorded at a speed of 327 km/h at Bonneville. The style was good looking for the era. The windshield frame and some of the body style looks very Jaguar XK120-ish.
Victress cars were sold exclusively by the Hellings Co. in North Hollywood. The S1-A bodies were designed to fit any 2.5-metre wheelbase chassis, and were available for $595 US, plus tax and shipping. The Victress S-4 body would fit any Chevrolet, Ford or Plymouth chassis, a bit more expensive at $695. A Road and Track advertisement offered a copy of the Victress catalogue and construction details of the models available for 25 cents.
The dream of wealthy Hollywood stars driving Victress cars failed, with less than 40 bodies manufactured before production ceased. The Victress Co. was purchased by LaDawri.

 

Jimi Shemi,

This is definitely a great thread.

Just to clarify. It wasn't me that mentioned the Graham. I bet it may have been Alsancle. Just want to make sure the correct individual gets the credit.

Vintageride

I have to borrow on a sentiment expressed by VintageRide, considering that we've been seeking to find and discuss EXTINCT and near-EXTINCT cars. He referred to the Graham Spirit of Motion 3W-coupe, which DID NOT MAKE IT OFF THE DRAWING BOARDS. He said that probably counts more as a NEVER WAS. You have, first, to EXIST, before you can be EXTINCT.