Its a weird car man, good to hear that it's going to be rescued ! That Merc is a Lulu too, I saw it in the flesh once, a couple of years ago at a historic race event at the famous Nurburgring. I love it when some guy swims across the current and ends up building something completely outrageous, no matter what other people think or say about it. I think that is what Hotrodding is all about
The article said something about a professor at SIU, was that Southern Illinois University in Carbondale? googled Buckminster Fulle and found that it was
Yep. His house is being restored there. My Father-in-law hung out with Bucky at a garage sale at Bucky's house back in the 60s! A Bucky dome/Dymaxian house is on display in the Ford Museum i Detroit http://www.hfmgv.org/dymaxion/index.html
Well, when you consider that the Dimaxion had already debuted and the Chrysler Airflow was cruising the highways, this little gem was very contemporary. I like it. Keep us posted man.
Over the years, me and Geoff have exanged Emails & Phonecalls about cars like the Shark, Cycolac, Rear engined Renaults, Abarths, etc. And American Road Race Specials... He is the right guy to own this car. He'll do right by it. Congrats with a great find.
Remarkable find, the craftsmanship is amazing. Best of luck Geoff. I went to an R. Buckminster Fuller exhibition down in Miami many years ago, all I can say is that his concepts were beyond such a feeble mind as my own. I was befuddled, but I was awed. He was a socialist, you know?
looks like a picture someone posted a while back of a car he found sitting in someones driveway, never figured out what it was... nevermind i just looked at it again and the only similarity is the sharkfin on the back.
Same here. To my eyes, not the most beautiful car. But to be fair, let's wait until the resto is done. What was the concept, racer, cruiser?
Yah, I guess that guy and his buddies have awhole bunch of cool stuff. Tons of 32's including an origanal B400, Duesenburgs and a bunch more one-off stuff.
Patrick... Thanks for your encouragement. The words on the door of the Tear Drop Car say "Donchoe's Parts For All Kinds of Cars". What a statement given it's on this car... Geoff
The gentleman who built the car was Ronald B. Gougeon of Bay City Michigan. His relatives later created West Systems Epoxy - for those of you familiar with the company. I'm told he finished the body between 1936-1939. After the war, he added/modified the car a bit such as bumpers. Ronald passed away in the early 1960's, and friends and family owned it until very recently. Still working on the research..the family has a photo album on the car and the person which I should be getting copies of later this year. Thanks for your interest
It was cool to see the mention of Bucky Fuller, the Dymaxion, and SIU-Carbondale! I work and go to school at SIU, and the rest of the world knows of his work, but he's relatively unknown in Carbondale... Looks like this car is going to be a lot of fun!!
That is a great find! Were they offered as kit cars, rather than production vehicles? Any idea as to how many ever hit the road, how many kits were sold, or how many still exist??? Good luck with the restoration. We'll all be watching.
I don't mean any disrespect, but I personally won't believe that car was built to that shape in 1935. That would mean they hit on a windshield and A-pillar design that wouldn't come into being for 20 years, and the basic flat/wide body shape that wouldn't come into being until 1958. And quarter panels that are 1949-50ish. Two or three exact predictions of what all cars would evolve into by the major auto makers some 20 to 25 years early is way too much of a coincidence. I can believe it was done in 1959. If that's the case, then it would follow that GM and Ford seen this car and shelved it's ideas for 20-25 years, then said "hey, let's start shaping cars, specifically the doors and windshields like that one from 20-25 years ago". For it to hit so close, they either had to have a time machine or get the first glance of GM's wraparounds and the short-wide body evolution. Too much of a coincidence to guess what all cars would become in 55-58. Just my opinion.
SC, I just went back and looked at the pics of the car again myself. I noticed a few things. first off, it appears to be a modded mid 30's ford chassis. so, it's POST 1935 right there. the pictures of the car on the road has one with a car in the background that appears to be late 40's early 50's. with the mid mounting of the flathead, there would be absolutely no way to shift the 35 ford toploader tranny. the only way it would work is with a side shift box. I would have to say that based on the transmission location it would have to be at the very earliest 1940, to get a sideshift transmission. my estimate would be post WWII
Where are there other cars in the other photos? It doesn't have wide five wheels, so that is post '39.
everything else looks like early mid 30's so that would be before wide 5. image 9 of 11 has a car behind it
RevKev6, isn't that a top shift trans in the picture with the tab/pivot (not sure which) on the shifter? I'll admit the linkage would be horrendous but isn't that the general bane of a mid (behind the driver anyways) engine car? Where is the engine in the car (all the way in the back, or mid mounted under a 'scooby do' van cover)? Which way is it headed (ie is it in backwards with the trans going forwards to drive the front wheels)? I can't tell from the pics (but then I'm looking at them or a fairly crappy monitor right now).
it appears that there is some sort of tab welded onto that shift lever. having shifted the early ford top shift trans I can't imagine a way to utilize a tab to be able to shift it remotely. the engine appears to be set behind the "rear seat" area as the ball for the front wishbone is in front of the motor. so that would put the crank pully a little less than 3 ft behind the center line of the front axle. the rear must have been shortened as well. the motor is situated normally in the car driving the rear wheels. the difference is it has been moved back, the front axle moved forward and the driver moved even farther forward in front of the front tires.
Thanks, as I said, I couldn't tell fom here. I am unsure of how the tab figures into the shifter, but I have been involved in setting up a few mid engine shift setups and they are always a pain. I have yet to see a top shift adapted to a remote shifter though, so . It's why I asked. I like the chain linkage on the clutch too.
another thing I've noticed is the rear radius arms. you can see that they have been split (looks like they bent them out) but not shortened like the torque tube. shows how much they shortened the torque tube. looks like more than 50%
Are there more pics than Ryan posted in the beginning, or are you guy's eyes just that much better than mine?
Thats a weird one. I wonder how he got the old photos and no story on the history. My guess is that it was built as a parade car or something to attract people to a car dealership. Proabbly took two people to drive it with one shifting the gears.
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