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Cadillac only in Maastricht?

January 5, 2015, 3:00 pm
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The first weekend of January will be a long one. Shows in Birmingham, London and Maastricht to mention a few who like to kick off the new season. Auctions in two places. See for Coys' NECC Birmingham sale our post-war review. Tough choices for Gentlemen. At the same time Coys is doing a one owner collection sale during Maastricht's Interclassics Topmobiel. The Brundza collection is a primarily US car collection from Eastern Europe. There's a wide choice of Caddys. Our personal choice would be the lovely untouched 1922 Type 61 Suburban. Yet you may be one of the veteran Caddy adorers who prefers the one cylinder Cars. The 1904 type B 4S Runabout or a 1905  Model C Touring. Slightly more modern is the 1912 Cadillac Torpedo, a pretty straightforward 1929 type 341-A Fleetwood, ...or if you like your saloon somewhat more extravagant, how about the 1934 V12 Fleetwood Imperial Sedan. Afraid a V12 will not do? In that case one can contemplate the V16 Fleetwood formal Sedan or an only seconds before WWII produced 1942 (!) Series 75 Fleetwood. It's really worthwhile to nose around in the catalogue. And not only for the post-war fintailed Caddys.

Still not exhausted and fully satisfied after this, then catch a plane on Sunday or Monday to arrive timely in Scottsdale, Arizona for the auction circus exploding next week when Barrett Jackson, Bonhams, Gooding, RM, Russo & Steele and Silver Auctions will fight to get the bidders in.

(Photos courtesy Coys)
 
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PreWar Christmas Quiz 2014: The Results!

January 6, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Many thanks for all your well wishes and nice comments. We were pleased to know that you have enjoyed the quiz. It wasn't really too difficult this time and almost all of the competitors had all answers correct. We even received complaints that it was too easy :-) Rest assured, the bi-weekly quiz will be much harder to solve. But back to this quiz. Not so easy was day 1. It was not a Jaguar as mentioned by several, as that name as a marque wasn't introduced until after WW II. Until then it was a model name of the S.S. made by SS Cars Ltd (formerly the Swallow Coachbuilding Company). What we showed was the 1935 S.S. Saloon. Nobody guessed wrong on day 2. It was the 1938 BMW 327/328. Day 3 was a bit more difficult, but most had this one correct, a 1933 Delage D8 S cabriolet Pourtout. The same goes for day 4, a 1937 Packard Twelve Convertible Sedan; day 5 was a 1930 Maserati Tipo 26 M Sport (although sometimes mistaken for an Alfa Romeo) and day 6 showed a 1935 Renault Celtaquatre ZR2.
Many of you gave us also the complete makes and models, but just the make was enough. Just like previous years we have put all answers in the proverbial hat and picked six correct answers. They are from: Ian Sly, Karin Jacob, Robert Giddy, Hendrik Stockman, Mireille Devriendt and Wander van Eck. Well done, you all! To receive your T-shirt, please provide your shirt size and mail address to info%prewarcar.com; exchange % for @. Thanks to all for sending in your answers!

(Quiz idea, photos and text by Rutger Booy)

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Rally car mysteries in Slovenia

January 7, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Peter Skofic writes: "The photo shows the rally of the members of the Automobil Club of the Kingdom of the SHS, section Maribor, which took place in Logarska valley (Slovenia).  I can recognize the two cars in the front of the row - these are two Austro Daimlers 15/35. The first one could be part of the today`s collection of the Technical Museum of Slovenia and the second one could be today in the possession of one of the members of the Austro Daimler Club in Wiener Neustadt (Austria).  But I cannot recognize the rest of the cars in the row. Can anybody of your readers help me with solving this challenge?"

Do you also have pictures that you like to have identified? Let us know by e-mail or upload here.

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A day of Respect

January 8, 2015, 1:41 am
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An attack to the media. An attack to democracy. An attack to freedom.

We like to pay our respect to the victims in Paris and will remain silent until Saturday morning.

 
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Chasing classics Uruguayan style

January 9, 2015, 3:00 pm
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We have fond recollections of chasing classic cars in our younger days - literally we mean - as these were the days of running hard and long only to get a glimpse of a rare four-wheeler before it disappeared, on its way to adventures we dreamt of. Jorge Virdo knows the feeling. He has a camera in his pocket, though, a device not a single boy could afford in our days. Jorge writes: "These photos were taken by night with my cellphone. Sorry for the quality, but I was after this car for some time. It is an Opel. I don't know if it is pre-war or post-war."

We think it's a 1938 Opel Kapitan. An unrestored one, or so it seems. What's more: this one appears to be still very much in active use, despite it being almost 80 years of age. Isn't that just fantastic? This definitely is the two-door version, with fastback styling and that lovely double rear window. We think the car used the same doors as its four-door sister, although they don't look silly on it - other then some post war cars using the same principal. Thanks for sharing your pictures Jorge!
     
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A Milestone on the Greasy Road to Pre-war Joys

January 10, 2015, 3:00 pm
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It all started with an 1928 Amilcar CGSs we found on the website of Dan Mooney, classic Jaguar specialist in Austin, Texas. It appeared this was the car of the late Irving Silverman. YW77 is known with the UK Amilcar Salmson register since the mid fifties and club founder Desmond Peacock was glad to hear she came back to Europe.  That was in 1999, and it was then when the idea came up to build a community with a special appetite for pre-1940 cars. A category of classics that had the interest of very few people back then. Just check back most classic car magazines of those years and you will see ( The Automobile always was and is the exception).

Anyway, it took us three months to think up the simple web address www.prewarcar.com (Dutch people are quite lazy as long their feet are dry...). It was on or around July 9 that we sort of went online and the earliest stories still known (we lost some material over the length of time) still can be found here in the Wayback Machine. Subtitle of the online magazine & marketplace was : The Greasy Road to Pre-War Joys. No idea why we left that one. The rest is history. 5000 stories down the road we can only make a very deep bow and thank you for all the support you gave. All the stories, the ideas, the photos, the mysteries and more!  

To celebrate this milestone we invite you to send in one or more photos plus some wording. A nice memory. A (driving) report about your own car. An anecdote. The best sender is rewarded with 5000 Euro cents or 5000 US$ cents. All stories that come with a photo will be published. In order to have a chance winning the US$/Euro 50 please upload your story preferably within 50 hours from now!  ( comp5000 )




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Dial M for Mystery (update: 1923-25 Maxwell)

January 11, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Sure, a good design makes a car, but badges and logos give it that little more distinction, too. Oh, how lovely can it be to find that one little piece of brass you have been looking for so long! The sheer weight of it, those lovely enamel colours, even the stone chips in it! But the sign of a certain breeding can also prove to be an utter mystery.

Our Swedish friend Stig Fransson in fact has bumped into one such mystery. Stig will be able to tell you anything about french Talbots. Or about Edwardian Renaults. But a set of axles have now completely stumped him. These axles have centres showing an 'M', and like Stig you will know that this leaves us with several hundreds of options. Still, we have a feeling that this material could be US made. Moon perhaps? Stig presumes they are of 1910-1920-vintage. What do you think? If you like to discuss this matter with Stig, go here. But of course you can drop us a line in a comment, too.

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Vintage Adventure Tours, no Weddings!

January 12, 2015, 3:00 pm
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One of the first visitors who reacted to our invitation to send in a little story is Steven White:
"2014 saw the start of my Best Job Ever! After considerable negotiation with the Local Authority I obtained a Private Hire licence for my 1929 Model A Ford to run tours of the Peak District National Park in the UK. It is the perfect car for the job - seats 5 people, open top, good brakes, availability of spares, low cost and plenty of horses for the hills. There have been plenty of hurdles along the way but it now gives a lot of pleasure to holiday makers and for celebrations plus I get paid for my "Old Car Fix". And if you're wondering - I don't do weddings!"   ( comp5000)
 
   
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5000

January 13, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Jos Cox writes us: "Joris, it is like yesterday that I advised you to buy that Amilcar as soon as possible! (and an hour later you were on the plane) It is like yesterday that you became a prominent member of  'Les Amis d'Amilcar des Pays Bas'. And it is also like yesterday that we saw your new black T-shirts on our first rally. Time goes as fast as an Amilcar. Use it well!!"   comp5000



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The New Delhi Mystery.

January 14, 2015, 3:00 pm
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barn finds

Dave White sends this photo from India: "Recent  appearance of a long lost car in the back streets of New Delhi. The owner intends to restore it.  I know what it is, now you tell me."

editor: Dave, to be honest, we haven't the slightest of what it may be but we love it! What a wonderful car and especially in this appearance, extra attractive. You don't tell us too much about the (hi)story that comes with the car and its re-appearance. Maybe you want to tell us a bit more about that? Then there is this other issue that we need to explain. It's about Mystery Cars and about Quiz Cars. 
Mystery Cars are photos that show unidentified cars and we ask you to jump in to help.
Quiz Cars are photos that show cars of which we in general perfectly know what they are. And you are invited to say what it is.
Dave White who sent us the above photo didn't tell us what car it is. In the case he would have done so, we could have made a quiz out of this photo. But now it is a little mystery. Be it a beautiful mystery (one of the senders in our 5000m edition competition).    ( comp5000 )

Do you also have a story or photo that you want to share? Here you can upload.
 
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Is there life after the museum?

January 15, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Edition 5000

We can't tell you how happily surpised we are with the avalanche of stories that's been coming our wayover the last few days. We even consider making this an ongoing affair getting you in the driver's seat.. er writer's seat. Well give us your thoughts.

Anyway the above moody midwinter picture comes from Mike Costigan. As we are a bit short in winter lady shots we decided to let this old saxy spinster prevail...
Mike  added: " My Saxon celebrated its 100th birthday in 2014. Having spent exactly half its life in American museums and collections without ever turning a wheel, it is now re-learning how to travel under its own power, and enjoyed the period roads of the Beamish Living Museum." 
Congratulations with your healthy museum motor Mike. A few years ago we were attracted to an early identical Saxon while visiting Hershey and we can only say that they are very attractive light cars. The great thing with this highly experienced sexy Saxon is that she will probably bring you to museums without you touching the steering wheel.

( comp5000  ) 
   
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What is it? Quiz #386

January 16, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Wow, that's a nice arrogant V-radiator Torpedo. Solid teutonic design. We've had several of similar cars posted as mystery cars before, yet most of those had what we call the 'bathtub' torpedo design well known in Germany. This specific motorcar is from a famous brand, known since one of the most challenging international races. That first fame was never repeated but in edwardian circles it's still highly desirable. The end of car production came in the mid twenties, yet the mother company is still active and going strong. Up to you to explain which car is showing. Which Make, which Year, Which Type. And any relevant, or even better, trivial details. Preferably details which are not readily available with a simple google-click.

But before writing down your response, be sure to read the Rules under Read More. This may be your chance to win the coveted PreWarCar T-shirt. Results and source of photo will be published next Saturday, January 24.

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1907 Cyklonette, Frame nr 235, Engine nr 282

January 17, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Long time visitor Harry Pyle from Australia sends this very nice pics of his four cylinder front wheel drive:
Here our 1907 Cyklonette restoration project..before, during and after. It is now almost complete, except for a little work on the 2 x cooling towers on top of the engine, and a LOT of work on the 2 speed transmission. (it was completely missing..I have reproduced all the change levers and shaft already, and have a 2nd gear epicyclic hub from a 1940s car which I intend to adapt to give me the 1/2 speed low gear and clutch to give me the 1:1 high gear.)
 
The car was on “display only” at the recent Australian National Veteran CarRally held in Kalgoorlie Western Australia. My wife Deidre and I did all the work ourselves except the nickel plating of large parts, the new rims and spoking thereof, and the sandblasting of frame. I have 100's of photos which she took during the restoration period and would love to share them with other Cyklonette owners around the world. I also have a large collection of early Cyklonette photos and advertising literature.

I have started a Cyklon Register and so far I have photos and some details of;
motorcycle 1900 believed to be in Germany
car 42      1904 in the Munich Transport Museum
car 69      1904 recently sold from England to Germany , no contact details
car 133    1906 sold from Denmark to Germany 2 in 1912, no contact details
car 235    1907 in my posession in Perth West Australia. 
car ??       1912 in Louwman Museum Holland.
car 2492   1912 in South Australia, confidential contact.
car 2657   1913 in Essen Museum ? Germany, no contact details
car ??       1913 in Tecnik Museum Bad OyenHausen ? Germany, no contact details
car ??       1908-1915 auctioned car in USA 2013 with early body + later engine and front forks/suspension. No contact details.

I am always pleased to share any information I have collected and also receive from other people/owners any information that they may have. I am particularly interested in any documentation that can be used for accurate dating purposes, eg. factory records, original receipts, photos etc. Also I am looking for an original Cyklonette 2 speed transmission so that I can complete my project much sooner.

Harry Pyle 

editor: fabulous result Harry! When you are really on the road we would love to get a driving report. We find it nearly impossible to get people to tell us about the driving experience of their vehicle is. Regarding the parts you are looking for, I am sure you tried a Wanted Advert, did you?  

(edition  comp5000 ) 
  
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Riley abuse?

January 18, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Riley abuse?

Mike Long: "About 17 years ago, as my neighborhood (in Franklin, Tennessee) expanded, I noticed that builders were creating "burn pits" of perfectly good wood. Lacking a truck, I removed the front passenger seat from my 1937 Riley Lynx, tossed-in a ladder with some rope, and started excavating treasures that were then transported home in the Lynx. Sadly, my wife took an in-process picture! Even though it was a small distance and relatively light loading, I'd guess my day's work would have apalled many of my Riley Register fellow members and my local car club ... which has named the car  'Queen Mum'."

editor:
Now we only want to hear from Mike why his car was called 'Queen Mum' . We never saw here going round with bundles of wood, did we?  ( comp5000 )

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A Paris-Madrid, Paris-Vienna, Paris- Rouen Mystery? (update: Peugeot and Mors)

January 19, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Peter Langmaid is an avid collector of old racing photos. Attached you'll find two presumably amateur pics he recently sent :
"A couple of photos of old 'chain driven' racing cars. I have no idea as to make or date but location could be France." We must admit that our first thought was Paris-Madrid, yet we have the feeling these photos are older. More like round the turn of the century. Is it Paris-Vienna, or Paris-Rouen perhaps? No too modern for Paris Rouen ( 1894). Our guess -  a gutfeel strictly based on car design is 1899  Tour de France. Be sure to check also the spectacular second photo. That car also has different size front and rear wheel. Perhaps you can ID cars #62 and #75 or tell us who the drivers are.

(edition comp5000 )
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Childhood memories or how I caught the PWC bug...

January 20, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Attached 2 photos, the first which shows me (the young chap in the middle) at 5 or 6 years with my younger sister and my mother. This must have been about 1965 or 66 and the car is an Austin 12 tourer (I believe).

My dad, a mechanical engineer, frequently worked on prewar car projects, getting the cars roadworthy and ready for spring and summer rides in Hampshire and Sussex where we lived at that time. Come Autumn he'd be itching for a new project and I can remember reading out the adverts in the "Exchange & Mart" on the way to school and being instructed to mark the most interesting adverts so my dad could beat any other punters to it and pick up a bargain. In January 1973 our family emigrated to Switzerland with (among other household articles) 3 old cars: a prewar Morris Minor, an early Austin Chummy and - in driveable condition - a 1936 Singer Le Mans 2 seater sports.

Since Britain had only just joined the EU, we were held up at the  border in Calais by the French customs. It took my dad, his brother and his brother-in-law 2 days to sort out the paper work and to convince the custom officers we weren't trying to dispose of "old english bangers" in France. Mind you, it didn't bother us kids as we could play on the beach and watch the hovercrafts come in from Folkstone at regular intervals with my mother making tea in the caravan. The wintery crossing through France (no motorways...) with the family dog and multiple blankets to keep me warm left a lasting impression -> I had caught the old car bug. I've been an enthusiast  ever since - in particular for the 1930's english makes & models. Two years ago, I finally bought my own PWC (see 2nd picture) - a 1936 Riley Merlin Airline coupe - which I tinker with and tour around Switzerland (avoiding France for obvious reasons...)  

Simon Kernahan

(edition 5000 competition / comp5000 ) 

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La Salle Moxie Horsemobile

January 21, 2015, 3:00 pm
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La Salle Horsemobile

Last week this remarkable La Salle was offered by a the Dutch auction house BVA. On top of the open car you see a full-size plaster horse with steering wheel (!) with which the car could really be conducted. This 1929 La Salle is a ‘recreation’ of one of the original so-called Horsemobiles that were built for the Moxie company. Moxie started in the 1880s producing soda water and from about 1905 they started using cars to advertise their drinks, which became quite popular in the prewar period all over the United States. Today the popularity of Moxie has declined but it is still for sale (check the most refreshing freshdrink website in the world)

It is unclear why Moxie decided to use a horse on a car to promote its products. It seems that the company liked to create an image of courage and adventure around its brand name and maybe the PR people of Moxie thought that riding a horse would show more courage than riding a car. At least these cars must have drawn much more attention than many other publicity vehicles. The first Horsemobile appeared in 1916 and the last ones were used in the 1950s. One original La Salle Horsemobile and an earlier Buick seem to have survived. At least one Springfield Rolls-Royce was converted to a Horsemobile in the 1930s. Check this Moxie line up...

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Mlle. Bertani wears Chanel

January 22, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Mlle. Bertani wears Chanel.

As the temperature drops to freezing outside ( again) , this writer has chosen a lady with a fur to grace your screen. She is Mlle. Bertani and her car is a 1937 Hispano-Suiza K6 4 door pillarless saloon bodywork with Conduite Intérieure from the workshops of Saoutchik Coachbuilders.

When the 3 volume magnum opus about Jacques Saoutchik dropped through PreWarCar’s mail box, we downed tools and wallowed in luxury for a while. Peter Larsen and Ben Erickson have produced a masterpiece of research about a fascinating man who fled from Belarus to Paris in 1898 and using his experience as a cabinet maker, rose to fame as ( arguably) France’s greatest coachbuilder.

Mlle. Bertani’s stylish outfit and accessories are by Chanel which leads us into the world in which Saoutchik moved. (This chic ensemble won the Grand Prix d'Honneur.) He understood the importance of moving in the right circles in order to sell extraordinary cars to extraordinary people.

Volume 1-‘The life of a jeweller in steel’ - is the fascinating story of how Iakov Savtchuk left his Jewish family home in Belarus and, after changing his name to Jacques Saoutchik, navigated his way through Russian pogroms, France during the Dreyfus affair and ultimately to the German occupation of France. We learn about a fascinating story in a fascinating era.

Author Larsen was lucky to have free access to the massive Saoutchik dossier found buy restorer David Cooper found at Rétromobile – invaluable since the factory archives were tragically destroyed by fire in the ‘50s. Another essential catalyst was his unprecedented access to the family files after meeting Saoutchik’s daughter Jacquemine Guilloux (whose mother was Saoutchik’s mistress).

The book is richly illustrated with photographs and the frequent anecdotes make the story all the more enjoyable. These were the beginnings of Concours d'Elegance for automobiles and 1907 to 1913 was a euphoric time for the wealthy. ‘While socialism was on the rise, France was the shimmering queen of a great Europe-wide festivity of opulent luxury…’

Volume 2 – ‘The language of design’- is a celebration of Saoutchik design where Larsen has assembled a collection of rare brochures and reproduced them in a high quality which makes it an enjoyable experience to settle down with the book and immerse yourself in the subject which is impossible to do via a computer screen.

Volume 3 – ‘Heavenly Bodies. The Music of The Spheres in Steel’ – will satisfy those with an appetite for the products, designs, serial numbers of the known Saoutchik cars along with what is known of their fate. 448 pages profusely illustrated with high quality images.

We shall re-visit this fabulous work in days to come – there is so much to enjoy - and because it is a limited edition we encourage you to act quickly before it is sold out. Inevitably, more material has come to light since publication date, including the Baillon collection, and a fourth addendum volume will be published in time for Rétromobile where the authors and publishers have arranged book signings.

Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Dalton Watson Fine Books.

 
 
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About Quiz #386: Protos-Siemens-Schuckert

January 23, 2015, 3:00 pm
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Sorry it is no Steyer, no Puch and no Alfa Romeo. The famous international rally to which we referred was of course the New-York to Paris of 1908 (see the car). No less than seven competitors produced the Make Protos. When you click the photo you'll that the idea behind quiz 386 was an advert of the Moll company (motorcars & motor-cycles) in Holland.  

No less than seven competitors and jurymembers identified the car as a Protos C type. Martin Reichmayr,  Moritz, Bernard Correge,  Fedor, Hugo Modderman  and jury members Ingo Jost, Fritz Hegeman and Ronnie Marenzi.  Only jurymember Robbie had the guts to add a single year to this car: 1919 and he must be pretty close as the advert apeared in December 1922.  The coachwork is a T4 as mentioned by Hugo Modderman, while at the same time is it intersting to learn that Heinzgerd Schott claims that the body is presumably made by Karl Weinberger from Munich who did many Protos cars. In the end we decided to honour Mr. Moritz who came up withe the right answer, plus the fact that the V-shape radiator is an hommage to Protos designer Ernst Valentin who before Protos also worked for Gobron-Brillié, Nagant,  Rex-Simplex and the Berliner Motorwagen Fabrik. Congratulations Moritz. We love to learn!

(quiz idea Gerard Brands)
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My 1910 saw-bench Delage

January 24, 2015, 3:00 pm
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My 1910 Delage

David Barker tells about the remarkable history of his Delage:
"The engine is a 1500c.c. side-valve Ballot 4G3 with a fixed head. It has a four-speed gearbox and because it has is no starter-motor, dynamo or battery and now carries a ‘voiturette de course’ type body, it is quite light and remarkably fast. It was exported to New Zealand as a new car in 1910 and was owned for the first ten years by the night watchman at Ballantynes Department Store in Christchurch. In about 1920 he sold it to a man called Ian Foster who took it to Cheviot in N.Z. where an engineer called McArthur cut it in half so that the front half could be used to power a saw-bench.

This it did for many years until it was bought in 1960 from Ian Foster’s son Don, by an enthusiast called Graham Pluck who spent the next forty years collecting as much of the rest as he could find. Unfortunately he did not live long enough to start putting it together, and never found the gearbox or steering and quite a few other bits. In 2007 his widow sold it to me, I shipped it back to England, found most of the missing parts and finally got it all restored in time to take it to the Gaillon Hillclimb near Paris in September 2009. I now use it regularly for competing in hill climbs, sprints and driving tests in England, the Isle of Man and France."

(edition 5000 competition , comp5000 )
 
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