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White BMW 315/1 with white spots in its history
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There's a hole in your piston, dear Heidi, dear Heidi...
We introduced you to Heidi last year (click) when she started her ambitious trip around the world in “Hudo”, her 1930 Hudson Great Eight Saloon. She started in July 2014 following (more or less ) in the footsteps Clärenore Stinnes, who made a similar journey from 1927 to 1929.Heidi’s travels have taken her through Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China, South Asia and Australia and it was in Adelaide that two pistons broke. She has driven about 30,000 km so far and along the way “Hudo” has had a piston and clutch replaced in Uzbekistan.
Wisely, Heidi had bought two Hudsons when preparing for the trip so she had a good source of spares when needed . The second engine was shipped to Melbourne where she met Michael Martin who offered his skills, tools and workshop to fit the motor. She also had a new wheel made after the wood gave way on one of her originals.
Heidi will never be short of helpers with her ready smile and joie de vivre and it’s no surprise that Ray Pank tracked her down. He’s a 98 year old ‘gifted engineer’ who owns a 1934 Hudson Straight Eight and described by Heidi as mentally sharp but has difficulty walking. She then wrote, “aus dem hüftgelenk knochen hat er sich einen schalthebel für den Hudson gemacht”. Does that really mean he made a gear lever from his old hip bone?
The slower pace of the Hudson has taught Heidi patience…” At home I was a race car driver and I always wanted to be first, now I have to learn that everybody passes me,” she said. “Now, in one day, if I pass three cars I go ‘yay!’ and have to write it in my book.”
You can follow the progress of Heidi and Hudo on her blog HERE and you can track her position live on THIS MAP. From New Zealand, she travels to USA in June starting in LA, heads north to Canada, east by way of Chicago to New England, south to Florida and west finally back around Thanksgiving 2015. Then she will drive her Hudson south all the way to Patagonia and cross the southern Atlantic to South Africa (April 2016). Finally back home to Berlin by June 2016 in time for her 80th birthday.
“Then I make the next plan.” She is contemplating planning another trip, taking 10 companions, on a similar journey. “I don’t think this will be the end, no.”
Text by Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Heidi Hetzer (see her blog)
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What is it? Quiz #392
It is a taxi. One of the rarest french cars we have ever seen. To be honest we had never heard about the make before we received this photo of a collector who picked it up at a jumble. Total production over the lifecycle of six years was no more than 50 and probably a lot less. The make produced various types and various bodies and when you hear about the engien they used, you will say 'Ah, sure.
Answers in the comments below (please do not e-mail) and be sure to read The Rules under Read More. This may be your chance to win the infamous PreWarCar T-shirt and wear with with pride at this season’s events! Results and photo source will be published next Saturday.
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An Abadal and Amilcar pedal mystery.
Jean Pascal is a vivid collector of pedal cars ans is asking you to help with some extra information regarding two of his cars: "Who has some information about the above pictured pedalcar that was made to look like a spanish made Abadal? Or regarding this Amilcar made by Medel from Spain? Click here for Jean Pascal's complete collection of pre-war pedalcars.
editor: regarding the Amilcar it is interesting to see that the car comes with the rare Eldridge radiator cowl which as far as we know was an aftermarket option in the UK.
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One Mystery, a Renault, a Citroën and an Opel
 Two weeks ago we showed you a Nash Quad in Holland. From the same man, Tony De Vries, come these pictures, printed from glass negatives - showing in front of De Vletter & Groenendijk in Rotterdam: "I can only identify one of them as an OPEL (last picture below). License plate on the big car is H 14039. Hope you can identify these cars for me." Well we see a nice Edwardian Renault town car. Then a Citroën tourer (1919 Type A?). And then the Opel of course. Yet the big car in the main picture is not clear to us. The picture quality doesn't help with that, but still, it should be not too much of a problem. |
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Two-stroke and four-stroke in Essen
Many of you will be aware of the Techno-Classica being held in Essen this week and COYS are holding their next auction on Saturday 18 April at this event. Before we discuss the cars on offer, have a quick look at this 1922 Anzani motorcycle just because it has survived over 90 years without ever being restored and is described as excellent condition. It won’t take up much room and it’s your chance to own a machine with an engine from this most famous of engine makers – even if it is only 175 c.c. The Riley Imp in Lot 158 was made in 1935 and is described as well known in Riley Circles. Its attractive lines and sporting performance have helped this model become very sought-after as is reflected in its estimate. The older ‘Brooklands’ Riley showed what could be done with a Riley engine and pre-selector gearbox and the Imp became a popular car amongst private and works race teams. A similar close-coupled 2 seater sports car is the 1938 BMW 328 Roadster but carrying three times the estimate. The 328 featured a new crossflow cylinder head with state of the art hemispherical combustion chambers and an ingenious arrangement of horizontal pushrods operating the exhaust valves which gave twin cam performance with less complexity and lower cost. So highly regarded was this engine that the design was obtained by Bristol Cars after the war and with little modification it went on to power cars built by Bristol and AC amongst others with great success into the 1960s.
Let us divert from 4-stroke to 2-stroke in a car famous for its pioneering tranverse engine mounting and front-wheel drive. The 1936 DKW Meisterklasse Luxe Cabriolet has a 2 cylinder engine of just 700 cc and an innovative generator/starter unit connected directly to the crankshaft. This sporty little European tourer came from a private collection of over 100 cars and is in excellent condition with a much lower estimate than the cars above! The name Isotta Fraschini is enough to inspire passion in most hearts and what better than a 1929 Isotta-Fraschini 8A Faux-Cabriolet with coachwork by Cesare Sala and a motor car built by Sala coachwork was always built to the highest standard. This included 13 coats of paint (each interspersed with the sanding pumiced), an engine running in time of 30 days. The build was overseen by four specialists who legend has it worked naked, on a floor lapped by spring water in order in insure of no dust and imperfections in the build of these cars. !!
Let us survey the 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Pall Mall Tourer finished in black with contrasting ivory coach-line pin striping, along with a tan Hartz cloth top, the Rolls-Royce appears as important and regal as it must have when new in 1927. A direct descendant of the Silver Ghost, this model was constructed on the sporting shorter chassis and the old cone clutch was replaced with a single dry plate clutch - more conducive to quieter and smoother operation.The description assures us that the black leather upholstery is…” in good condition overall with no signs of extreme wear.” We call it patina and we like it. The first product of the 1931 Rolls-Royce take-over of Bentley, the 3 ½ Litre was introduced in 1933 and was in essence designed to be a much sporting version of the successful Rolls-Royce 20/25. Here we have a 1934 Bentley 3.5 Litre Oxborrow & Fuller Design by Vanden Plas which was the first to be marketed as 'The Silent Sports Car', such was its considerable almost Rolls-standard refinement. The 3 ½ Litre soon gained a reputation for pace and fine handling combined with the elegance of handbuilt coachwork. This unique vehicle which has been owned, Father and son, since 1949, and has undergone an extensive (and expensive) rebuild and is now ready to give the next owner a life time of happy Bentley motoring.
(Text by Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy COYS)
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1923 Citroen B2 Torpedo, Luxe, Tourism Luxe, Torpedo Sport or...?
Craig Little lives in a citro-dilemma: "In an attempt to clearly define what type of B2 Citroen I own, I have been pouring over the book 'Citroen 10 HP' by Bernard Laurent and Revue Technique Automobile’s Citroen 1919 -1926 in the 'Les archives du Collectionneur'. With minimum ability in French and in far away Australia, the task is not easy. Given many variations in name and details in the original, and add in local Australian content in the form of bodywork and choice of instruments and it all gets very difficult indeed.
What I need is some informed assistance, by which I mean genuine familiarity and knowledge and not that kind that simply comes “Off the top of my head”. which will lead me nowhere. If it helps, the chassis is typical B2 as illustrated in the aforementioned books and original hand book … with the exception that the rear axle carries finned brake drums of almost 300 mm exterior diameter compared with drums of around 230mm diameter on other examples I have seen. The engine has the designation B1184 DB which has been suggested to me is early. But does the DB signify anything? And what about that finely sculptured four bladed fan? I cant find another quite like it. Then there’s the four spoke steering wheel which has the to-date, unique feature of ergonomic lumps in the rim opposite the end of the spokes.
The body is an original Australian take on the French of the period. Built by Richards & Sons in South Australia, who were responsible for a number of period Citroen bodies here. Their choice of American instruments (Oil and Ammeter) probably relates to a cost savings in the use of instruments common to what was stocked for bodies built for other makes. The Ruby Ricardo head can be ignored in the equation, as I chose to fit that in the process of the engine rebuild. Also the generator. That’s new,Volkswagen. I fitted it with with a partial alloy casing, to take it to the diameter of the original. … to get things going. And it works, just great.
To put it in context, when I got it, the Citroen, it was complete down to the last nut and bolt, but very tired and ripe for restoration. This it emerged, amounted to everything from new body frame to complete engine and transmission rebuild. The story that came with it was that it was believed to have belonged to a professional Kangaroo shooter who had kept it going long beyond the useful period of its contemporaries. A retro fitted dipstick complete with .303 British rifle cartridge as a handle seemed to bear this out. That’s about it unless I have overlooked something I am not aware of. If you actually know more about it than I do, I would be very grateful to find out."
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Dusty treasures in Houston
Worldwide Auctioneers have a treat in store when they offer a long concealed assortment of pre-war, brass era and steam-powered motorcars from the Sawyer's Sandhills Museum during The Houston Classic Auction on April 25th, which runs in conjunction with the Concours d'Elegance of Texas at La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa.
The collection features a fascinating group of rare and venerable motorcars that have been untouched since the mid 1990s, when the Nebraska museum closed its doors for the last time.
Mr. George Sawyer Sr., a retired rancher and motorcar enthusiast, travelled the country during the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s buying significant old automobiles that represented good value because 'no-one knew what they were.'
The 1900 Locomobile Model 2 Runabout has a 3.5 HP twin-cylinder double-acting steam engine, with transverse full-elliptic spring at the front, live rear axle with full-elliptic leaf springs and single chain drive, differential brake, tiller steering. Once you’ve attended to the boiler under the driver’s seat you can enjoy the whisper of a steam engine pulling you along with bags of torque – a truly wonderful experience.
Little is known of the origins of the 1902 Rattler , which is the only example known to exist, and could lead to the most interesting aspect of owning this unique piece of history. The enormous carriage wheels, with equally large wings, probably helped the makers name their car. The water-cooled engine sits under the seat to keep you warm and the chain driven rear axle has an interesting differential. No wonder it has survived so well for over 100 years – it was probably a nightmare to drive with pencil thin cart wheels spinning away in the mud and the boiling engine cooking the driver’s bottom. We expect they pushed it in the shed and left it there.
The 1909 Buick Model F has an interesting layout with its 2.6 litre twin cylinder engine beneath the seats, the carburettor beneath the pedals and the petrol tank fills the space between the radiator and bulkhead. Perhaps this is where Leslie Hounsfield found his inspiration for his Trojan design – even down to the single chain drive, two speeds and planetary gears?
Equally well-preserved is the 1912 Chalmers Model 30 – a true grand tourer offering 5 passengers plenty of comfort and leg room and its 3.7 litre 4 cylinder motor with OHV plus 3-speed gearbox will give you speed to match. Chalmers became one of America’s best cars and the evidence of good quality and design is easy to see.
Another 1912 car is the Imperial Model 34. A large and imposing car with a 40HP 4-cylinder motor to complement its smart style and well-balanced design. The word Imperial implies royalty and the highest order of aristocracy. It’s no wonder that many car companies chose the name Imperial as the namesake for their product. So popular was the name that an Imperial car was built in no less than six different cities in the U.S. Although several cars wore the Imperial name, none lasted longer than the Jackson, Michigan-built Imperial.
The 1916 Paterson Model 6-42 has a wheelbase of 117inches, one more than the Imperial, and is powered by a 40HP Continental in-line six giving ample touring speed to its 7 passengers if you include the two fold-out seats in the back. This old war horse has surely covered more than the 8,647 miles indicated on the speedometer – it certainly looks like it!
The six cylinder Continental engine also powers this 1924 Flint Model E with solid wheels but still no front wheel brakes and this 1924 Model T Ford Coupe is also rear wheel brakes only and ready to be dusted down and used as-is.
What better way to honour one's father than to name a car after him. Such were the thoughts of Charles Jeffery, who decided to call his new car the "Jeffery" after his father Thomas, who brought Rambler to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and forever changed the city. When Thomas died in 1910, son Charles honoured him with the new Jeffery in 1914. Business looked good with over 10,000 cars sold in 1914, but an epic event changed the course of the young Jeffery’s life. He was aboard the Lusitania when it was sunk in just 18 minutes after a hit from a German torpedo. Jeffery survived four hours in the icy waters but he was never the same and sold the company to Charles Nash and retired.
In all the cars above, you're talking not just about the car, but its well-earned, century-old layer of dirt, dust, grime, crud, cracks, scratches and other imperfections that are all part of the tapestry of its history, and which all give new meaning to the word patina. If you want a clean well-maintained car ready to use, then this 1919 Buick H45 will please you. Not from the Sandhills collection but nevertheless a fine original car which Mr. George Sawyer would have bought if he’d found it!
(Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Worldwide Auctioneers)
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Hop in, Honey
Fresh from Shorpy’s wonderful archive of images comes this picture of a lady looking happy in a Packard. We think it’s a 1923 Phaeton Sports 126 with custom body by Pullman ( or do you know different?) and there are some interesting details to explore in the excellent quality of the 5 X 7 glass negative. We would expect the Packard to sit on its usual solid wheels, the original wheels stud holes are visible in the brake drums, but this car has Buffalo wire wheels – a conversion available at the time- and is shod with Kent Balloon Tyres. There would have been a motometer sitting on top of the radiator cap, but the owner of this car prefers the fabulous ‘Winged Sea Goddess’ usually found on 1920’s Hudsons.
The comments left on the Shorpy website are an encyclopedia of knowledge ( not always accurate) but one contributor identified the building across Jefferson Square Park in the picture’s background as the McKittrick Hotel which featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Vertigo’ and was demolished two years after filming.
Last, but not least, who is the lovely lady I wonder?
(Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy SHORPY)
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About Quiz #392: 1927 Induco Landaulet
Quite some French cars had this kind of Rolls-Royce like radiator in the 1920s and several of these were mentioned by the participants in this quiz. But no, it is not a Guilick, it is not a Montagnac (an example of this very obscure make was offered for sale recently in France), it is not a Bignan (not really obscure and with a slightly different radiator), it is not a Ravel, it is not a Jean Gras or a Donnet-Zedel (their radiators didn’t have such sharp edges). If you google “taxi Amsterdam 1926” you would have found the very same car: an Induco. Congratulations to João Pedro Gazineu and Robbie Marenzi for your correct answers. But alas, since both of you are already members of the jury we have no winner this time.
The Induco was built by a small French company in the 1920s. The director was a mr. E. Van der Heyden and this Dutch name may give a clue to the remarkable fact that this car was actually imported into The Netherlands for two years. The Induco was shown at the Amsterdam Salon (‘RAI’) in 1926 by a company called ATAX (the name of a well-known taxi company from Amsterdam) which was located in Arnhem. According to the RAI catalogue one could admire seven cars at the stand: one ‘conduite intérieure’, one ‘transformable’, four examples of a ‘torpedo’ (with two, three and four seats) and one small delivery van. The bodies were either Weymann or ‘tout acier’.
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1899 De Dion Bouton by the Motor Manufacturing Company
Derek Magrath: "I am re-building an 1899 De Dion Bouton 2-1/4HP tricycle which has been in the same family from new. What makes it even more unusual is that it was made in England by the Motor Manufacturing Company of Coventry. It uses a combination of genuine De Dion parts and parts made under licence by MMC - the De Dion bade is displayed on the surface carburettor, and the crankcases have the MMC name (in full) cast into them.
One thing that is unique to the MMC is the badge or logo on the battery box. It's a rather fancy design and on this trike is incomplete. There are only a handful of MMC trikes in existence and few of the other owners or De Dion enthusiasts I have contacted have ever seen the design and none have a complete example. Can any of PreWarcar's readers help with a complete image of the badge so that I can have some waterslide transfers made? Assuming, of course, that none of them have a bundle of new old stock transfers on the shelf."
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A delightful Dilambda
Participants of the 2013 100 Miles of Amsterdam rally may remember this beautifully mellow Lancia Dilambda from its valiant performance in the 2013 event. Although driver Guido Gast didn't manage to hustle the big tourer to the top of the results table, he did walk away with the coveted prize for Most Original Car – not surprising, as the Viotti-bodied beauty is untouched right down to the original paint. Only the seats have been re-trimmed, after the original leather was used to make shoes during the dark days of the second World War. The Gast family are only the second owners of this fine motor car, Guido's father and uncle having purchased it in 1960 from its original owner, Mr Bootz, founder of the eponymous Dutch rum company. Bootz had, in fact, acquired the car by accident, after the Saoutchik-bodied Hispano he had ordered proved to be cursed with incurable wheel shimmy. The Lancia was offered by the concessionaire as an alternative, and it proved so capable that it stayed with him for a further 29 years. The low ownership and beautiful patina make this one of the most charming prewar cars we've seen for some time, and luckily the Gast family aren't afraid to use it, so if you're lucky you may catch a glimpse of it yourself driving near Amsterdam this summer. In the meantime, you can read the full story of the Dilambda in the latest issue of The Automobile, which is out now. |
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A Feuerbach Radiator Mystery
Bruce Woolley from South Africa: "I was wondering if any of your readers may be able to help with this mystery radiator. I'm hoping to find out from what car it is. I've made a close-up from the plate and took a picture from the top side. The mounting holes are 585 mm 23" and 640 mm 23" high."
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Reincarnation of a GP Lorraine Dietrich
If you had been at Silverstone last Saturday, you would have had to work your way through a crowd to get a close view of the car causing such a stir. Photographer Stuart Matthews had to wait 30 minutes before being able to take this picture. The focus of attention was a 1909 Lorraine Dietrich – the result of a heroic ten year rebuild by car restorer extraordinaire Richard Scaldwell.
Scaldwell told us that ‘his favourite car on the whole planet’ is the 1912 Grand Prix Lorraine Dietrich ‘Vieux Charles Trois’ and its history makes fascinating reading, but his car comes from the time immediately after de Dietrich had entered cars in the 1907/8 French Grand Prix and Arthur Duray won the 1906 Circuit de Ardennes. Duray was not only a racing driver but also built experimental racing cars (remember he featured recently in the story of the 1911 FIAT S76?). Scaldwell is from the same mould and his other tour de force is the 5 Litre 1919 V8 J.A.P GN.
Photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue was just 11 years old when he drew this picture of his hero Duray in 1907, with another picture here, and in 1905 captured this image of Duray and his mechanic Franville at the Circuit d’Auvergne.
Having discovered the bare bones of his ’09 De Dietrich, Scaldwell spent ten years searching for and making additional parts, and his methodical research was an essential element in achieving the magnificent result we see today. Geared to do 110 mph at 1500 rpm, the 16½ Litre OHV Colossus is entered for its debut competition at Chateau Impney Hill Climb where it will be up against The Beast of Turin with its 28 Litre OHC engine – also hardly run-in.
(Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Richard Scaldwell, Dave Biggins, Stefan Marjoram and Stuart Matthews)
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A 1910 'Lobster' SZ Mystery
Well, well, that's not the car you would expect in strong reformed Holland of the early 20th century. It's one of the sporty one cylinder Sizaire Naudin of course (listen to that) and contrary to our expectations the Dutch had an official SZ importer in those years. Ed van de Beek spent his Easter holiday sorting out the photo files of his wife's family and stumbled upon this little gem. Details are unknown, apart from a few facts. First there is the driver who can be identified as a brother of Ed's grandfather-in-law. Then there's the registration; the number was issued in the province of Utrecht, "which coincides with the family history", says Ed. Furthermore there is a mysterious name written on the back, saying 'Lobster 1910'. We do not know of any Lobster cars other than this one, but can see why this car was named thus. Just have a look at the side of the car here. We wonder if our 'Lobster' is a one-off coachwork or if this variety is more or less wellknown in the small but worldwide Sizaire Naudin community.
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Students of Amsterdam (UPDATE: 1931 Model A Convertible Sedan 400-A)
Our student days can sometimes be the best days of our lives and when we see nine young ladies crammed into a Model A Ford with ‘mortar boards’ on their heads it tells us they have just graduated and are off to celebrate in the traditional way by throwing them into the air.
The building behind is typical Amsterdam School architecture and possibly in the Rivierenbuurt area - can you identify it? The students probably studied at The University of Amsterdam and the car's sidelights suggest a date not before 1930 but if it had been 1928 then we could have expected the ladies to have a little more jollity because the Summer Olympics were celebrated in their city.
The traditional student car used to be the Austin 7 - cheap and readily available - so it is understandable that it was occasionally used in pranks. One famously ended up on the roof of Cambridge University. The Model A Ford is heavier than the Austin 7 and these ladies don't look as though they are about to do such a thing - plus the car is probably borrowed because it's too clean and tidy for student transport. The older generation in the background don't look interested, and perhaps we will never know just what mischief these ladies got up to? So, readers, see if you can identify someone in the picture and ask her for the whole story?
(Text by Robin Batchelor)
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What is it? Quiz #393
It's will be the first truly sunny & warm weekend, so we decided to give you an easy one. A very nice havana shaped racing car with not too much engineering efforts on the front part. For those who hate the use of white wall tires (or tyres) this early 1920s racing photo must be an unpleasant revelation... In fact the history of white wall tires is going back to 1914. Anyway don't expect any more clues form us. What you see what you get. Tell us what you know about the car. Marque. Year. Model and maybe what you know about this specific photo. Adding trivial knowledge which is not readily available onm the web, may give you an edge to other competitors.
Answers in the comments below (please do not e-mail) and be sure to read The Rules under Read More. This may be your chance to win the infamous PreWarCar T-shirt and wear with with pride at this season’s events! Results and photo source will be published next Saturday.
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A great day at Beamish Steam fair
 James sends his report on the recent steam fair: "I have enclosed a selection of pictures taken at the Great North Festival of Transport at Beamish Open Air Museum which took place over the weekend 9th – 12th April, a thoroughly enjoyable weekend will a great selection of vehicles on display. These ranged from my 1925 Morris Oxford through to a 1912 Silver Ghost once owned by Harland & Wolf the famous ship builder from Belfast which constructed the Titanic. Many other vehicles were on display these included a 1905 Star, A First World War Battle Bus which had been brought up from the London Transport Museum for the weekend. Also at the event all the way from Aberdeen was a spectacular Dennis Fire Engine." |
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A Bentley-London 'Muppet' Mystery?
Louise Browne sends this picture and adds: "This has been sitting on our heart for the last fifty years or so. My father was an engineer and in the past he was a racer and stuntman. I have no idea what this is. I had thought it must be a radiator blanking cap, but I can't seem to find any brass ones. Is this the real McCoy and did it come from a very early model? It's probably really easy so sorry if I'm a muppet but I would love to know."
Editor: Well if you're a muppet, we are the same. We have no idea how to place this Bentley-London cap, no matter if it's a radiator blank of a hubcap, this one being the closest example we found. So like usual the truth should come from our loyal readers who basically know everything!
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Wanted: the right tires for fabulous HPOF 1910 Reo
David Coco, a long time Hershey friend is asking your help for this incredibly original REO : "The size Michelin we're looking for (and what's on the car now but worn out) are as close to original size as he can get (editor: we wonder which make of tires and which exat size was used originally..?). Car runs and drives great, all original, never restored. The tires on it now were installed by owner and me about 15 years ago, took 8 hours, lots of curse word, and a little blood. The fact we're still best of friends after that ordeal says a lot!"
Editor: to contact David Coco, go here.
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