Click Here for photos and article.
Source: boredpanda.com
Friday, January 2, 2015
This Car Collection Is Truly One Of A Kind
Joe Bortz, a retired entrepreneur from Highland Park, Ill., on his 1953 Buick Wildcat I concept car:
The idea of the concept car is generally credited to Harley Earl, head of General Motors design, who came up with it in the 1930's as a tool to lure spectators at auto shows and to try out new styling cues. Most of the time, only one of each model was made. Concept cars were so successful that other Detroit manufacturers made their own. It became a contest, resulting in some of the finest pieces of mobile sculpture that have ever existed.
It was understood that, because these cars weren’t tested for safety, they wouldn’t be sold to the public. Lawyers demanded that they be destroyed. For designers, it was like van Gogh having his finest work ripped up in front of him. As the story goes, executives let some designers take the cars home. They’d say, “Put it in your garage and don’t take it out until after I’m dead.” And so some of these cars are out there today.
The 1953 Buick Wildcat I, designed under Earl’s leadership, was part of GM’s Motorama show—a traveling exhibition that featured concept cars—and it was a wild success. Unlike some concept cars, it was fully operational, with working gauges, radio and power windows. In my opinion, it’s one of the top five concept cars of all time.
As a kid, I ogled concept cars at auto shows. As a collector, I’ve probably owned 40. It feels like a miracle.
Source: thevintagenews.com
We’ve only ever come across one post-Parade mention of the Streamliners, in Fred Crismon’s U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles, which notes that the above Streamliner, photographed in 1941 at Fort Holabird, had been purchased by an unspecified Georgia community and donated to the Army, which converted it into a mobile stage “for use in putting on USO-type shows at Army camps.”
What ultimately happened to it and the other seven Streamliners at this point is anybody’s guess. A lot of metal went into the Streamliners, and they likely racked up plenty of miles in their three-year tour, so it’s conceivable they were all scrapped. However, as we can infer from the Fort Holabird Army Streamliner, GM tried to find buyers for the Streamliners, so it’s also conceivable some were repurposed, perhaps as moving vans or motorhomes, or possibly rebodied with stock GMC cabs. It’s unlikely, but perhaps one or two might still be out there, a half-rusted away reminder of a time when giants rolled the highways.
UPDATE (11.December 2014): Picked up this photo of one of the Streamliners in my online travels.
Shark Nosed Six: 1939 Graham Model 97
We have all heard the names of Henry Ford, Harley Earl, and the Dodge Brothers. All were notable figures in automotive history, but there were three brothers who had an incredible impact on the automobile, yet there names are almost completely forgotten today. The Graham brothers (Joseph, Robert, and Ray to be exact) founded the company originally to provide Model T truck conversions, but quickly saw potential as a car manufacturer. They pioneered a number of innovations and some of the most beautiful cars ever built. This 1939 Model 97 Town and Country showcases both their style and innovative ideas. Have a look at it here on eBay in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
This Graham features the companies most memorable style feature, the Shark-Nose. The unique styling is quite eye catching, especially when you consider that this car is 75 years old. This Town and Country model is lacking one of their other notable features, fender skirts. For those of you own own a classic with skirts, you can thank Graham for that feature! The Model 97 was offered in a number of body styles ranging from coupe to convertible and just about everything in between. As stated earlier, this one is a Town and Country, so the front half of the cab is open to the elements. This style was popular with those who were typically chauffeured around town.
While Graham certainly wasn’t the first company to use superchargers, it was one of the major players in the forced induction world. Unlike most manufacturers of the time, they developed their own crankshaft driven supercharger rather than buying the design from the likes of Cummins or Duesenberg. Until Buick surpassed them in the ’90s, Graham held the record of building more supercharged cars than any other brand. Initially they were only offered on 8-cylinder cars, but eventually they began to offer forced induction on 6-cylinder cars like this one. The seller hasn’t tried to start it, but the previous owner claimed it ran well. These were extremely well built cars, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts right up and runs well with minimal work.
For all the chrome and styling work that went into this car you would think the interior would be more elegant, but instead it is quite simple. I see what appears to be some missing trim, but hopefully the seller has it still. I would assume finding replacement pieces for this car will be extremely difficult and costly. Hopefully I’m wrong and there is still some kind of parts supply available.
Graham is one of those relatively unknown brands that has had a massive impact on automotive design. If it weren’t for Graham or its subsidiary brands, we likely wouldn’t have some of the beautiful designs that came out of the late ’40s and early ’50s. Hopefully someone will save this rare car, even if it’s only to preserve a piece of automotive history. I’d love to hear from any Graham owners, past or present, about parts supply and Graham ownership. So if you’ve ever had the pleasure of owning or driving one of these beautiful machines, please share!
Source: barnfinds.com
1963 Cadillac Vista Cruiser
When was the last time you saw one of these? I bet the answer was never because this seems to be the only one in existence. The seller claims that it is the holy grail of Cadillacs! I’m not so sure about that, but the combination of a Vista Cruiser’s roof line with the plush accommodations of a Cadillac make this one worth a look. You won’t be able to experience it for cheap though. The seller is asking $38k here on eBay in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. That seemed high to me, but Cadillac wagons are always intriguing so I did a little digging…
Turns out that another one of these sold at a big estate sale earlier this year for $24,500. The auction house claimed that it was one 0f four, but I have a sneaky suspicion that there is actually only one and that it is the same car as the one featured here. Cadillac never built a wagon of their own, so a few coachbuilders performed their own conversions. I couldn’t find any proof that this was one of theirs though so I’m guessing that it was someone’s custom creation. That doesn’t make it any less cool, but it probably does effect the collector value.
I want to believe that this was a factory offering, but the main problem with that theory is that Vista Cruiser was not released until 1964. It was known for its unique roof which featured skylights and a raised roof section. Oldsmobile must have been influenced by the futuristic Scenicruiser bus that Greyhound had been using since the fifties. I may be wrong there, but the similarities between the looks and the names of the two do make me wonder. Can anyone confirm or debunk my theory?
There wasn’t much information available about the car when it sold and it seems that the new owner hasn’t uncovered much more about this wagon’s origins. At least they don’t reveal the details in their auction listing. As much as I would love to own something like this, I would need to have a little more information about its pedigree before divvying up that kind of cash. The car has been on the market since September with the bidding not quite reaching $24k the first time around. Since that time it has been relisted a few times with optimistic Buy-It-Nows. So, what do you think it will ultimately sell for?
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
