 Richard Thomas writes: "I got these headlights at a swapmeeting looking very sad, I was told they were off an American PT boat, but after I cleaned off about six mm of tarry paint, I found a Lucas King of the Road badge and on the underside of the headlight bucket I found the following: RLH 803K. Could I please impinge on your patience and knowledge to ask what year these were made? And what vehicles were they fitted to? I was going to use them to replace the obviously incorrect 1924 Buick headlights that are on "Burt" my 1917 Studebaker, but it looks like I've jumped out of the frying pan, and into the fire! Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! How did I become an old car fanatic? Well, when my mum and dad got married and bougt their first house, dad wanted to restore a veteran, but they couldn't afford a garage. So late one night, when the neighbours weren't watching, they took the bay window out of the master bedroom, and dad restored a 1913 Fiat 52B in the master bedroom! That was back in 1952 and dad is still a member of the V.C.C.A! Tragic isn't it! Editor: Well Richard, if your mum and dad are still together and not in fight with the neighbours we think it was all worthwhile doing. |
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A 'Lucas, King of the Master Bedroom' story
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Ready for winter?
Last Sunday we stumbled over this flagship of Detroiti seventies car art. Nowadays these last of the dinosaurs have become quite rare in this part of the world. Especially with new tax legislation for gasguzzling youngtimers one needs to put these on the side for at least the three dutch winter months. While lacking a decent warm & dry barn many cars have to endure the elements in ways as depicted above. Especially the plastic tarp is a killer blanket making sure that the not so very robust engineered window and door electronics probably will not survive. Not to mention their tin surroundings.
Don't you think these big anaimals should enjoy a well deserved pension in the OPEC heavens?
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Stairway to (Lancia) Heaven
The COYS auction house are holding their ‘True Greats’ sale on 2 December at the Royal Horticultural Society in London’s Westminster . They start at 3pm with nearly 200 lots of film and poster art with some autographs included. Enzo Ferrari is worth £2000 whereas Hamilton & Button together are £100. (I bet it sells for more now Lewis is world champion!) Fangio is £600. The cars and motorcycles start selling at 7pm and lot 432 is a 1937 Ford Model 78 Woody and having owned a 1938 Woody for nearly 30 years, you can understand my enthusiasm. They are wonderful cars to drive and this will be a real workhorse for its new owner. It needs to be filled with friends, Beach Boys loud on the period radio and start putting some patina on that shiny new wood. Of the two Invictas offered I prefer the 1936 4½ Litre S-Type Low Chassis Tourer which is clearly described as a ‘continuation’ car with a new chassis fitted with original engine and gearbox and many other parts. Much better use them in this car than gather dust under a bench. The other model is a 1928 4½ high chassis tourer and if you like patina, this car has it having being stored from 1949 to 2004. Macklin did well to secure the services of Henry Meadows and his powerful, robust 4½ litre engine defines these fine cars with bags of torque and performance.
The Rolls Royce name is found in lots 420 and 431. I chose the LHD 1929 Phantom 1 with Newmarket coachwork. An exceptionally handsome car that exudes quality in every respect and offers the comfort and weather protection of a saloon whilst maintaining the ability to be made into a full convertible, with a very neat and compact folding top. Equally stylish is the 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Series I Ventoux, (with tempting description of impeccable provenance), and the 1930 Aston Martin International 1½ Litre Open Tourer is one of 81 Internationals ever made and has enjoyed a no-expense-spared restoration. Somebody once told me you can tell a true aristocrat by his frayed shirt collar and as you gaze lovingly at the 1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 6C you notice the upholstery has the look of a well-used armchair in a gentleman’s club. Finished in silver grey with a contrasting dark grey top, the upright Drophead Coupé bodywork appears original and is typical of James Young design, representing a unique fusion of pre-war Italian engineering and British design. This well-preserved example has been described by the late Pat Braden, a well-respected Alfa Romeo expert, as a “finely crafted design that was decades ahead of its time.” Remarkably original and well preserved, it may very well be the most original example of its kind remaining today.
And so we come to the pièce de résistance – the 1912 Lancia 20/30 HP Tipo 58 “Epsilon” Corsa. Understood to be the world's oldest functioning Lancia motorcar, it was discovered languishing in the Lancia factory’s storage by the late Oscar Capellano and he quickly proved that it was one of the 1913 Targa Florio team cars. This didn’t help his long patient efforts to buy the car from Lancia, but his reputation as the Lancia historian and author eventually persuaded them to sell the car and Capellano set about a painstaking restoration of the only surviving Lancia racing car of this period of pioneering competition motoring. In his honour, Capellano‘s daughter has decided to part with this car in order to fund a project called “Progetto Gnekko”. It will be a nature park in Chivasso outside of Turin where handicapped children can come to interact with animals and learn to appreciate nature.
(Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy COYS)
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The classic 'no room' story
 Bill Coates writes: "Reading the story about folk overcoming the lack of a garage, but getting round the problem to rebuild a car, I thought you might like to see this photo. My wife & I bought the remains of a 1934 Singer 2 litre sports back in 1970, but didn't have a garage. I figured if I rebuilt it in a back room which only had a 1 meter wide access door, I would soon get it out when it was finished!! And yes we still have the car and yes my wife and I are still together. The second picture shows us on top of the St Gotthard Pass a couple of years ago!" |
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An 'aerial view' on Chateau Impney
H&H hold their Christmas auction on Wednesday 3 December at Chateau Impney in Worcestershire. The Chateau has long been associated with motoring events and last week played host to the annual ERA Club dinner. Balloonist Robin Batchelor takes you out for an 'aerial view' of the sale.
The automobilia section contains a good variety of quality items, including this rare copy of The First Aero Engine by Rolls Royce ( 1914 – 16). A good insight into the thought processes of the great designer being a compilation of memos sent by Royce at the start of WW l covering the inception, design and development of the Eagle engine and mentions the Hawk engine which I found hidden in a corner on a recent Automobile magazine Oily Rag Run !
According to the catalogue, the first open-heart surgery performed in the UK was by Sir William Errington Hume and in 1935 he bought an Armstrong Siddeley saloon which is offered in ‘time warp’ condition. The next lot is another 3 litre saloon but from USA, a 1928 Nash Standard Six in resplendent restored condition and then a smart 1936 Alvis Crested Eagle TF 19.82 saloon ( thought to be 1 of 4 known) and this desirable 1938 Bentley 4.25 litre Sports. There are smaller cheaper saloons available – a ’37 Model Y Ford and another one in traditional black ( you know Henry Ford’s famous quote). Even smaller, but not cheaper, is a pretty 1930 Austin 7 RK Box saloon and a later one here.
The Bullnose Morris Club has a thriving membership who usually advertise their cars in the magazine but here we have a lovely example of the 1925 Morris Bullnose Long Oxford with good provenance and a nice ‘used-but-smart’ appearance. Eminently usable with bigger engine and 4 wheel brakes, let’s see if it reaches its £20,000 high estimate. I think it will. And whilst thinking of prices, the 18th Baron Berkeley bought this magnificent 1931 Lagonda 2 Litre Low Chassis Speed Model Tourer for £200 in 1961 with an Austin 7 thrown in as well. Lord Berkeley prospered after his 1961 student days and subsequently spent nearly £100,000 on a thorough restoration of the car so its high estimate of £75,000 seems a bargain.
Did you see our editor out in his 1931 Talbot recently? There are three different Talbots on offer – The large imposing 1911 Talbot 15hp Type M 'Roi Des Belges' Tourer has had an older restoration, but starts readily on the handle. The 1936 Talbot 110 Speed Tourer was owned by VSCC treasurer for 25 years. “ The Talbot engines were powerful, silent, reliable and smooth, whilst braking was outstanding”. However, the car which gets my vote is the 1916 Talbot 4CY 15/20HP which has been rebodied as a ‘Balloon Car’ as a nod to its likely origins as a tender car for Quantas Airways “ on trips to the Outback as a service and rescue vehicle repairing downed aircraft and collecting crew”. The original and best known Balloon Car was used by Charles Rolls in 1908, or rather his long-suffering chauffeur, to retrieve his balloon after landing at some far flung place miles from anywhere. It's nice to think of this Talbot earning its keep in the harsh conditions of the 1916 Australian Outback - it deserves an easier life with its next owner.
Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy H&H Classic Auctions and author.
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How to stay warm in Austria
With winter approaching it’s about time to get that warm coat from the loft and find a nice place to sip a coffee. Over in Austria, temperatures just manage to keep the water liquid - during the day. These ladies know and come out of the warm cabin of their impressive motor only to show off their impressive fur coats. Nope - It’s not just the Vienna number plate suggesting they were no mere farmer’s daughters.
If that big car really is theirs, they certainly aren’t impoverished. That’s an Austro-Daimler, made in Vienna too. It could well be the ADM with overhead cam six-cylinder engine. Or perhaps even the rare eight-cylinder version? Never mind. Off to Hotel Sacher for a Melange and a piece of that lovely cake they make there...
(Text Jeroen Booij, photo collection Raymond X.)
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What is it? Quiz #384
It is a highly attractive 4 door Coupe. Most people think Rover introduced this concept with the P5 Coupe, and Mercedes reinvented the same with their current CLS. Yet as with many other ideas, it existed much earlier. And we would not be surprised if the one depicted above wasn't the first one either. Anyway, we are still interested to hear from you which oddball we dug out for you today. If it is of any help it is a french car in a british suit that popped up as a one off design at a motorshow in the mid thirties. Unfortunately it was blown away by similar revolutionary designs presented by a more appealing french carmake. The car vanished without leaving a trace except for the rumour that it was seen last in the seventies. Since then nothing was heard or seen again. It's so obscure that according to the sender of the photo a picture of the front is not known. Or do you...?
Tell us all about the exact car depicted, but limit yourself to the max of 100 words. We want the name and model designation of the car with any - trivial - extra information being valued highly. But before writing down your response, be sure to read the Rules under Read More and start looking, looking, looking. This may be your chance to win the coveted PreWarCar T-shirt. Results and source of photo will be published next Saturday, December 6.
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The Raoul Dufy Cab Mystery
A very good friend and artist from the US recently sent us this picture. Not a childs painting, it's a watercolour made in 1923 by the french 'post-impressionist' Raoul Dufy. We were intrigued immediately as cars are a rare thing in paintings. The artist works in a loving but sketchy technique. Colour and light is more important than exact shapes. Still - as a contrast - the radiator surrounding is very clear. We have a theory - only a theory - that Dufy was pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the motorcar. Why we think so? He made the same painting also without the car. The building is the same, the palm tree, the waiting carriage... it's only the car which is missing.
We like to take things yet another step further. We have the fantasy that Dufy really loved cars. Yes we are presumptuous, but check the painting he made at the boulevard of Nice. And this one near the Casino of Nice. Three cars! They all seem to have the same blue over green colour scheme (standard for french taxis of that time?). But check that radiator! Looks like Rolls Royce. After which we return to the painting, and car, and radiator above. What to think of this cool oval?
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The 'long arms' of PreWarCar
Last week we posted the issue regarding an unidentified Delage without any history attached to it. We hoped that at least one reader would remember the car. To our surprise one reader stepped forward and told us the car was built in Argentina by his father in the seventies. We asked him to send a period photo if possible. He sent various photos including the coachbuilders plate of his family which at a later stage was exchanged for a fake 'Letourneur & Marchand' badge.
Luis Penedo writes: "You ´ll find attached some pictures of the Delage still in Argentina and a picture of my Father in a Delage meeting (May 1990) in Palma de Mayorca with Patrick Delage and Antonio Batle. Also is attached a photo of our body plate.
This Delage body was made on request for Count Claudio Zichy Thyssen. He had bought a DI chassis in Argentina and took it to my father to get a new body done. My Father have been related related to classic cars since young and he made several bodies for rolling chassis as well as complete restorations. I work with him formally since the year 2000 although I have been always with antique cars. Nowadays, we still make bodies for rolling chassis. They can be an exact reproduction of the original or a creation, fully repecting the chassis year.
Our last creation is a reproduction of a Renault AK 90 1906 Grand Prix. It is made with a Renault engine (very similar to the original one), as well as many Renault pieces. I take this opportunity to say that your web Page is very interesting and we allway take a look on it. If you have any specific question about the Delage, don´t hesitate to ask. We´ll try our best to help.
Best Regards,
Luis Penedo ,
Jorge & Luis Penedo, Construcores-Carroceros, Jose Marmol - Argentina
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First breakdown in 39 years.
This is what will happens if the blocking ring (which has to keep the axle in place) of the driven rear axle breaks down and not does anymore what it should do: the rearwheel + brakedrum about 30cm next to the car, no propulsion and, worse, hardly no brakes anymore. Nevertheless I managed to stop with the combined help of hand- en footbrake. This did happen last month, when we were on holiday in the South of France with our 1921 Stutz open tourer. It made that we had to continue our holiday and also had to travel home in a rental car, for the first time we started driving classic or vintage cars (1975). In this all we were pleasant and professional assisted bij de Royal Dutch Automobile Club (KNAC).
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Spain's forgotten cyclecar: David
 Regular PreWarCar correspondent Francisco Carrión Cardenas has just had his first full-length feature published in The Automobile magazine. Sticking to a subject close to home, he has told – for the first time in English – the full story of the forgotten David cyclecars from Barcelona. The brainchild of Catalan medical student Jose Maria Armangué and his brothers, the cars came about almost by accident. A keen bobsleigh pilot, they built a wheeled bobsleigh-like contraption for use in the Spanish hills. These downhill racers became immensely popular, and as they grew in sophistication so too they grew in weight. Tired of dragging the cars back to the summit after each run, Armangué fitted a small motor to his vehicle, and thus, the David was born. Production began in 1912 and continued, in much improved form, into the early 1920s. After the cyclecar craze had died out, the David factory built novel electric cars and, after the second World War, three-wheeled microcars. To read the full story of this fascinating and little-known endeavour, pick up the December issue of The Automobile, which is out now. |
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December dreamtime
It seems the flow of edwardian racers popping up from barns and history never ends. Last weekend Duncan Pittaway presented his 28 litre Fiat clearing its throats after 100 years. Now don't be afraid that this was the very last racing car to be discovered or to be recommissioned. Charles Walmsley sent this photo of Mariano de la Fuente with his Lancia Theta (or is it Kappa?) sponsored by Michelin (see bonnet), probably to showcase their new disc wheels in 1913 or shortly after. The same Mariano won the 1924 Argentine open road long distance Gran Premio with a Studebaker. So let's start to the hunt and track down both the Lancia and the Stud. Well er... the Studebaker is still known and was sold by Christies in the time they were still into car auctions. As you may know the motorcar staff moved on to Bonhams USA. You never know, they may know about Lancia as well...
(note: the photo is distorted, no the car...!)
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When is Santa coming to town?
In Holland we're always somewhat early with Santa, that is to say with Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus will come later but has the same background. Saint Nicholas will celebrate his birthday December 5 while giving surprises, sweets and other gifts to all children. In the following weeks he usually will eat like hell in order to return again around Christmas with a fat belly and in slightly different guise, just like the Coca- Cola company had commissioned sometime in the twenties from Michigan illustrator Haddon Sundblom. His inspiration was the St. Nicholas character as known in western Europe. The poet Clement Clarke Moore already cobbled together Saint Nicholas and Christmas in 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'. More about the shift from early December to Christmas is to be found here. Having said all this we must say that Dutch kids just love the two festivals. And look at St. Nicholas and 'Christmas Man' (dutch for Santa...) as two totally different characters... No matter what we were proud to be invited by the staff of the old bishop to he bis chauffeur yesterday and drive him up to school.
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The last summer of Lucy Christalnigg
Not all stories have a happy end. 2013 was a year full of World War I memories. Between all great events it was only recently that our attention was drawn to this booklet. Author Nello Cristiani took the trouble to collect all facts around the death of racing driver Lucy Christalnigg in the early days of war. After Lucy lost her only child a daughter she found peace of mind in car driving and racing. It did not take long or she was known for reckless driving and a long list of speeding penalties was added to her name. And many warned here that she would die at the wheel of a car one day.
Known as a professional and fast driver she was asked for a Red Cross mission. To deliver drugs, aid materials and an ambulance from Klagenfurt (Austria) to Gorizia(Italy). A drive of a bit over 100 miles. At a passage control near the village of Srpenica she did not stop and was shot by a guard along the road. The memorial cross is still there, the end came on August 10, 1914.
This is where you car order the book at less than a handfull of USDollars/Euros.
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'We had no idea what we were about to find! '
When old car specialist Pierre Novikoff took a telephone call one day, little did he know what a discovery he was about to make. He took Matthieu Lamoure, Managing Director at Artcurial Motorcars, with him to a small village in western France . "It was a fairly indescribable feeling. On entering the gates of this property, we had no idea what we would find.” Their eyes fell upon different makeshift structures behind the gardens at the rear of the property. Corrugated iron roof panels were slowly collapsing on to dozens of exotic cars which had been stored here for fifty years.
'Probably much like Lord Carrington and Howard Carter, on being the first person for centuries to enter Tutankhamun's tomb, it really was a case of waking up sleeping beauty.'
Entrepreneur Roger Baillon ran a prosperous transport and truck-manufacturing business in the 1950s and amassed a large collection of cars which he dreamed of restoring for display in a museum. Part of the collection was sold in the 1970s and everyone thought all the cars had gone, but these 60 cars were hidden away on another part of the estate and have lain dormant ever since.
The list of cars includes mouth-watering rarities. A Talbot-Lago T 26 Cabrilolet once owned by ex- King Farouk of Egypt who led an extravagant lifestyle and owned a large collection of prestigious cars. Eight other Talbot-Lagos languish in these sheds, three with Saoutchik coachwork. The 1930 Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet with coachwork by Million-Guilet looks sound and will no doubt be good as new in years to come. There’s a Ballot Eight cylinder limousine tucked in there somewhere, a C 1925 Barré torpedo, a 1920s Citroën Trèflewith a little surface rust and a couple of Mathis cars.
A Delage D6 and a D8 are buried amongst these gems, three Lorraine Dietrich B3/6 models are lurking in the undergrowth, an early Renault AX torpedo and a cyclecar that sits on just 3 wheels – a 1920s Sanford looking complete and eager to run with a little oil and petrol. I hope we see it at Montlhéry next year. Indeed, it is fascinating to imagine all these cars finding new enthusiastic owners who will once again breathe life into them and raise a glass to Roger Baillon for doing his best to preserve them for us.
Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Artcurial.com
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A Damery, Champagne Mystery?
Remi Weber writes that he is quite happy about you - PWC visitors - identifying for him the Gregoire his grandmother was seated in. However he comes up with a new question. My grandmother is now seated in a...? At this point she is a married lady. The photo was shot in Damery, Champagne, France.
Editor: sometimes the surroundings may delure you. Especially a romantic place like the Champagne gives you the wrong mindset to ID a car like this which seems almost trivial in these surroundings. We agree it is not a Gregoire; more than that it looks like a 1922 Dodge Brothers... The only thing which seems wrong is the rather small headlights. Yet as the car has a well used appearance these lights may be a later addition.
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About Quiz #384: has anybody seen the 1935 Lancefield Hotchkiss?
Quiz #384 was both a Quiz & a Mystery. What it is, is quite clear. At least to some of you. With the help of jury member Alan Spencer we decided that Barrie Down came up with the best answer: "The French manufacturer Hotchkiss showed this unique prototype at the 1935 London Motor Show. The London coachbuilder Lancefield demonstrated the most recent of their Art Deco developments after a 1934 Siddeley Special and the 1935 Hudson 8 Transcontinental featuring slab-sided streamlining and built-in headlights. This example, designed by Jock Betteridge, illustrated more three-dimensional streamlining and is credited with being the first car to incorporate doors being carried over into the roof without rain gutters or glass panels for rain protection. In 1935 Hotchkiss produced a variety of 4 and 6 cylinder cars but the identity of this chassis is unknown." Congratulations Barrie!
Having said that, the mystery of the car that was last seen in the senties remains. One of our visitors has assured us that the owner of that era is still with us, so we can only hope he will pop up and tell a bit more.
There have probably been more 'unknown' cars through the years than successful ones. There are many reasons why some cars fall into the cracks of history, but, if we are being honest, most of the forgotten designs have been lost to time because they simply weren't very good. That can't be said of this glamorous Hotchkiss 686 Super Sports, bodied by English coachbuilder Lancefield in 1935. A rakish sporting saloon, the car featured doors dramatically cut into the low roofline to afford more access, low-set concealed Marchal headlamps and a sumptuous interior with built-in cigarette cases. The coachwork was finished in stylish grey with red coach lines.
So why has this exotic concoction been all but forgotten? Well, the car's debut, at the 1935 Olympia motor show, was also the first public airing of the Bugatti Aerolithe. One of the most beautiful and desirable cars of all time, it easily upstaged everything else in sight, and the poor Hotchkiss was left in the shadows, failing to find a buyer. It wasn't registered until 1938, by which time fashion had moved on and it was simply another old car, albeit a particularly dramatic one. The only known photograph of the car was published at the time by Automobile Engineer magazine, and is shown here. So who can show us an image of the front-end, so we can discover the secret of those concealed headlamps? Were they mounted behind the grille à la Peugeot 302? Last seen in the 1970s, the car would surely make a huge splash on the concours circuit today if it were discovered and restored – though it would still, no doubt, be upstaged by the newly recreated Aerolithe.
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Modern road side assistance?
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Henk Nooteboom is experienced rally driver - amongst other palmares also winner of The 100 Miles of Amsterdam 2012. He reports about a recent holiday in France with his 1921 Stutz Open Tourer. Our jaws dropped when we came to the end of the story... This happened last month, when we were on holiday in the South of France with our 1921 Stutz open tourer. It made that we had to continue our holiday and travel home in a rental car! This was the very first time since we started driving classic or vintage cars in 1975. During all this we were professional assisted bij de Royal Dutch Automobile Club (KNAC)."
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The 2015 calendar is out!
We're never early with our new calendar. For the simple reason we like to be very complete. And complete it is with 110 photos and 123 junior pilots from 18 countries in it with a wide variety of US and European built cars, yet we must say, there is an abundacy of young Bugatti owners this year ! We were swamped in photos, even more than with the previous Proper Cars True Ladies calendars. We got the impression that most of the vintage car world wanted to see the photos in of their offspring printed in the 2015 set-up "A New Generation Taking The Wheel" . So it was a tough job to select which photos would come in, and which not. We're quite happy with the result and hope you like it as much as we do. Here a preview of one month starring Adele with a Wander and a second with young Richard at the wheel of a Model T Speedster.
For those who want to order, it is simple. Everybody who sent a photo which is showing up in the calendar will get it home. For further orders the Cost are US$ 10 or Euro 10 depending on the mailing address you are using. You can use Paypal or Creditcard. See under Read More for full information.
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We’re stuck!
This time it's not the automobile we are talking about. It's us who are stuck! You may remember the East-Indies Mercedes Mystery we wrote about in 2011. The Mercedes was owned by a Mr. Tan Tjoan Keng from the Dutch East Indies, who had this Mercedes made by a special department of Mercedes under the management of Hermann Ahrens, who was in charge of the design department for the development of "Spezialbau" and "Stromliniën" (coachbuilding and aerodynamics). Our article fueled the interest of the grandson of Mr. Tan Tjoan Keng and prompted him to start a thorough research on the car. So far, original drawings and photos from the Ahrens archive have come to light and it is now known that Mr. Tan Tjoan Keng and his Mercedes went from Stuttgart via Spain, North Africa, Turkey to Eastern Europe. In 1938 the Mercedes was shipped to Indonesia. After the war, Mr. Tan -and presumably his car- returned by ship back to the Netherlands. From there the history of the Mercedes becomes unclear. It was last seen in 1949 when offered for sale in a Dutch magazine, and again in another advert dating from 1951. This is the last trace of the car and now we're stuck. It is unlikely that the Mercedes still exists, but not entirely impossible. Who knows, it could linger in a collection like the one recently unearthed by Artcurial. Mr. Tan's grandson -and we of course- would very much like to know more. Can you help?
(Text Rutger Booy)
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