Deb Tracy

January 25, 2026January 25, 2026

Theodore F. MacManus: An Important Figure in the Drama of the Automobile

At the 1940 special preview of the new 1941 Willys automobile, the fact that Theodore F. MacManus had emerged from retirement to name and introduce the new Willys Americar was “apparently the most significant development of the season.”

Many today have likely never heard of MacManus, but he was a well-known adman in the early days of the American automobile industry. Called both “the dean” and “the father” of national automobile advertising,” he created many of the most iconic tag lines for automobiles used in the first half of the twentieth century. For instance, he was the first to apply the term “dependability” to Dodge Brothers:

He also created the familiar Fisher Bodies Napoleonic coach trademark with the phrase “Body by Fisher.”

MacManus also penned the Pontiac slogan, “the most beautiful thing on wheels.”

The most appreciated and recognizable work created by MacManus was likely the one first used by Cadillac in January of 1915 titled “The Penalty of Leadership.”

Cadillac published this legendary essay again in 1929, at which time it was called “the most widely disseminated piece of business literature ever written.” W. W. Lewis, Cadillac advertising director at that time, said that the re-publication had again brought in requests for copies from nearly every state with those requests varying from one copy to 30,000.

Even Elvis was an enthusiastic fan of not only the Cadillac itself, but also the Penalty of Leadership essay. There even exists a transcription of the essay, made by Elvis from memory on the notepaper of the Las Vegas Hilton during his last stay there in 1976. It has been auctioned several times, and you can see a copy here.

MacManus also authored books including “The Sword-Arm of Business” which was published in 1927 and describes the qualities necessary to make a successful businessperson. He co-authored “Men, Money, and Motors: The Drama of the Automobile,” and I am reading that one right now. It is an excellent book, a witty and not at all stodgy review of the earliest days of the automobile industry. In it, MacManus addresses how some have attempted to put halos about the heads of certain players in the early automobile industry, and how some of those halos have been disturbed in time:

“Some romanticists have attempted to canonize them. That is attempting too much. Business then, as now, was business – not the salvation of the soul nor the saving of the body politic. Those men were frost-bitten, ugly at times, rough-tongued, and heavy-fisted. Age has made them – some of them – philosophical; in youth they were on fire. Hard and heroic they were but human, always. Intensely so.”

The entire book is this well written, and it is available for free from multiple online sources if you are interested.

For all of his involvement in the automobile industry, MacManus famously never learned to drive. He once tried to learn and relayed the following: “The car stopped in traffic, and I tried to start it until my irritation led along the road to profanity. Then I left it in the middle of the street and never tried to drive again.” I don’t know about you, but if I gave up activities that led me along the road to profanity, I would not get much accomplished.

Sources:

“1941 Willys Line Named Americar; Will Bow at N.Y.” Automotive News [Detroit], 30 Sept 1940, p. 1.

Advertisement. Cadillac. Newark Evening Star, 2 Jan. 1915, p. 5.

Advertisement. Dodge Brothers Six. Rochester Times-Union, 20 Feb. 1929, p. 24.

Advertisement. General Motors. Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph, 19 Feb. 1939, p. 70.

Advertisement. Pontiac. Reading Times, 23 Oct. 1937, p. 10.

“Faith and the State of Graceland Enterprises.” The Independent [London], 15 Aug. 1992, p. 33.

MacManus, Theodore F. and Norman Beasley. “The Levee Men Crowded.” Men, Money, and Motors: The Drama of the Automobile, Harper and Brothers, 1929, p.7

“Motorcar Slogan Expert is Dead.” Kansas City Journal, 13 Sept. 1940, p. 33.

“Noted Automobile Promoter is Dead.” The State Journal [Lansing], 13 Sept. 1940, p. 4.

“Publicity of Fourteen Years Ago is Again Sent Out.” Bergen Evening Record, 23 Feb. 1929. p. 18.

January 11, 2026January 11, 2026

Mystery Car Part With an Engine Turned Finish

We were out digging through an old shop the other day when I caught a glimpse of this piece peeking out from a pile of dusty parts:

I don’t know about you, but when I see that distinctive engine turned finish, I can’t move fast enough. I figured the provenance of this panel would be easy enough to determine, but it did take some time because I was looking in the wrong decade. It turns out this part is slightly newer than I first thought; do you recognize it?

I was looking in the thirties, but this is an under-dash control panel for a 1946-1948 DeSoto. Here is what it looks like installed underneath that gorgeous dash:

The two upper openings are for the starter button and cigar lighter. The lower openings, left to right, are for ignition, map light, headlight, heater temp, heat defroster, and heater fan switches. DeSoto called the knobs for these switches “crystal plastic.”

Here is an up-close look at the heater fan switch knob:

This was not the first time DeSoto had utilized engine turning to create beautiful finishes. In 1937, this brochure described the instrument panel as having “a soft, engine turned finish like the breech of a gun, set off by walnut graining.”

The stunning engine turned, or jeweled, finish had long been in use by the time this brochure was published. Here it is seen famously gracing the nose of The Spirit of St. Louis in this photo of Charles Lindbergh:

Credit: Photograph of Charles Lindbergh and The Spirit of St. Louis after Landing in Paris, National Archives Identifier 7580923.

Prior to its use on airplanes, engine turned finishes were also used on items like jewelry, watches, handheld mirrors, and cigarette cases. That’s all well and good, but those things cannot compare to the gleam of a dash with an engine turned finish:

Vintage Offenhauser sprint car – read about it here

December 14, 2025December 14, 2025

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now . . . Willys?

Credit: *Aerial View of a Christmas Display at Fort Lewis, Washington*. US Army, December 22, 1959. *National Archives Identifier: 348664131*

In December of 1959, the 34th Armor Division at Fort Lewis created this display by placing a Santa figure in an M-48 Patton tank “sleigh” and utilizing six jeeps for reindeer. It appears they even gave the reindeer antlers using tree branches. The jeep in the foreground, decked out as Rudolph, carried a more animated Santa delivering gifts to children. Of all the versions of Santa’s sleigh we’ve ever seen, this is definitely one of our favorites!

November 19, 2025November 19, 2025

1933 Colorado UR License Plate Topper

It is surprising how many of these 1933 Colorado UR license plate tags have survived the passage of years, especially since the program that spawned them was itself around for such a short period of time. What is in short supply, however, is readily available information about the history of these tags.

Colorado began issuing these UR automobile tags on September 1, 1933, as a means of raising “unemployment relief” funds in the midst of the Great Depression. The tags were purchased at the county courthouse, and the cost was based upon the value of the automobile, ranging from $2 for a car valued at less than $50 to a fee of $60 for a car valued at more than $5,000. The money collected was to be credited to a county emergency relief fund and expended by county commissioners for direct relief of the unemployed. When the fee was paid, the taxpayer was given the metal tag with instructions to affix it to the rear license plate of his or her car.

Enforcement was left up to the counties. The plan was for police officers to enforce the tax law in the same manner as regular motor license laws, meaning they could prevent a car from operating on public roads if the metal tag was not present on the rear license plate. The state also had a club to encourage enforcement; unless the law was enforced and the tax collected, other relief funds would be withheld from the county. Many civic organizations also got involved by making collection of the tax a major project, urging fellow citizens to pay it as evidence of “patriotism and good citizenship.” There was only one problem with this approach: the law was unconstitutional, and the Colorado Supreme Court ruled it as such the very next month. In Walker v. Bedford, a decision the American Automobile Association called “truly epochal,” the court ruled that the law violated two sections of the state constitution, one that prohibited the creation of a tax for county purposes, and one that prohibited any tax that was not uniform on all classes of property.

Car owners who had already paid the tax were issued refunds, but they were apparently allowed to keep the tags because there are so many still around. There are currently at least six listed for sale on eBay, and they do not command much of a price, probably because of the less than illustrious history.

Finally, just for fun, this is an excerpt from the January 8, 1933, issue of the Omaha World Herald highlighting some of the new automobiles offered for 1933.

November 7, 2025November 7, 2025

Leatherneck Cruiser

In 1942, a mobile recruiting unit called the “Leatherneck Cruiser” crisscrossed America’s heartland in search of recruits:

This mobile unit was outfitted with everything from office space to sleeping quarters for the four-man crew. Its tour of thirteen central states launched in Chicago on December 8, 1941, the day America declared war in response to the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor.

The trailer portion of the Leatherneck Cruiser was pulled by an International COE Metro delivery truck with distinctive split grille. Very little information is available on this International, or what became of it, but reproducing it, complete with USMC branding, would be a great project idea for someone.

Below is another neat photo related to Marine Corps recruiting efforts during World War II. The four trucks depicted in this 1942 photo operated out of the Kansas City Marine Corps recruiting office. Each truck was manned by a single recruiting officer who toured the smaller towns of Kansas and Northwest Missouri looking for young men who had lived “an outside life” because they “make the best fighting men.”

The article makes no mention of the types of trucks used, but the far two look like Chevrolets. The near two are Fords, and the recruiter standing closest to the camera was really traveling in style behind the wheel of a rare 1942 Ford Woody Station Wagon. This combination of beauty and utility came with either six or eight cylinders and center and rear seats that were removable to increase hauling capacity. Leather seats were also an option!

My husband is a former marine, so Marine Corps Birthday, November 10th, is always recognized in our household. This year is special, however, as 2025 is a milestone for the Corps that marks 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice. Thank you to all who serve, and happy birthday USMC!

September 27, 2025September 27, 2025

The Greatest (Tractor) Show on Earth

A 1916 tractor show hosted by Fremont, Nebraska, was the largest in the world at the time, marked the public debut of the Ford tractor, and was attended by industry giants like J.D. Oliver, Cyrus McCormick, and Henry and Edsel Ford. Ford had long dreamt of applying motor power to agriculture and putting it within reach of the average farmer, just as he had done with the automobile. He had three prototypes available for the show, scheduled for the second week of August, and he was ready to demonstrate them to an eager audience. Tractors were the future of agriculture, and farmers turned out by the tens of thousands, pocketbooks in hand, to see what was available.

They were not disappointed. Fifty different companies supplied around 250 machines, and they plowed hundreds of acres while demonstrating their potential. In addition to McCormick and Oliver, the show was also attended by such luminaries of the automotive industry as Alfred P. Sloan of United Motors (soon to be General Motors), George Holley of carburetor fame, and the great Charles Kettering. The undisputed star of the show, however, was Henry Ford.

Henry and Edsel arrived in Fremont on August 6th, and reporters from the Fremont Evening Tribune were there to record the details. There were around twenty-five people in the Ford party, which included a six-piece orchestra. They had arranged for accommodations at a camp on Fremont Island in the middle of the Platte River. A chef was brought in from Omaha, and guards were positioned to keep out intruders, especially reporters, as Ford was on vacation and not interested in granting any interviews. This photo of George Holley and Henry Ford was taken at the camp on Fremont Island:

https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/card/247318

Ford made a good impression on Nebraskans during the trip, and not just because he directed his orchestra to play for the public at the local high school each evening. A manager of the local Western Union Telegraph office where Ford conducted business described Ford as follows:

“Henry Ford is just a common sort of an individual who likes to associate with people and is fond of wearing overalls and a wide straw hat . . . He impressed me as a good-natured farmer rather than a millionaire.”

One Nebraskan made a particularly good impression on Henry Ford in return, and he was well-rewarded for it. The Fremont Herald reported that a man known locally as Fisherman Carl “attended the gates leading to the cottages occupied by the Ford party.” Carl lived on Fremont Island and earned his livelihood by fishing (hence the nickname). It is not known what Carl did to impress Ford, but the Fremont Herald reported this on September 15, 1916:

“Perhaps Carl’s good disposition and the fact that a steady income is not assured him in his vocation appealed to Mr. Ford. At any rate, Carl received a letter Wednesday from Henry Ford, the chief feature of which was the advice that he had been placed upon his list of private benefactions and that henceforth, for life, he would be paid a monthly pension of $15.”

The paper noted that it had been unable to verify the story, but that Carl’s friends and the other residents of Fremont did believe it to be true.

One day of the tractor show, Wednesday, August 9th, was designated “Ford Owners’ Day,” with the goal of getting as many Ford automobiles as possible to Fremont. It was Henry Ford that designated it as such, not the event organizers, and Ford owners in Nebraska and the surrounding states were invited through their local Ford dealers. There was a good response with an estimated 1,500 Fords in attendance. This panoramic photo found on the Library of Congress website was taken that day:

[Automobiles at Fremont Tractor Show, Aug. 9, 1916] | Library of Congress

Many of those Ford-driving spectators wanted to purchase one of Ford’s tractors after the demonstrations, but they were not yet for sale. After further development, the tractor, called the Fordson, was first exported to Britain to help with the war effort and finally made available to American farmers in 1918.

Some events of the tractor show were filmed. The Fremont Evening Tribune reported that “a moving picture operator” was present when Ford arrived in Fremont via train and had his equipment set up for “a shot at the famous manufacturer,” but that Ford had spotted him and ducked his head as he hurried to a waiting automobile. Additionally, it was reported the following January that the State Board of Agriculture was showing a film of the power farming demonstrations held at Fremont which featured twenty types of tractors, including the Ford. If that film still exists, it would be a fascinating piece of history to view.

One newspaper tried to give credit for the enormous success of the show to the pretty girls driving the tractors:

That surely did not hurt, but most of the credit undoubtedly goes to the star power of the man that made car ownership achievable for the average American.

Attribution: GPS 56 from New Zealand, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

Advertisement. Chase Motor Sales Company. Springfield Daily Republican, 15 Sept 1918, p. 20.

Advertisement. Fordson Tractors. Baltimore Sun, 23 June 1918, p. 29.

“Atchison Man Knows H. Ford.” Atchison Champion, 23 Jan 1917, p. 6.

“Bars Picture Men from City Park: Ford Entertainment Delayed by Board’s Attitude.” Fremont Tri-Weekly Tribune, 10 Aug. 1916, p. 1.

“Biggest Crowd Ever in Fremont Assembles to Get Line on Iron Horses.” Omaha Daily Bee, 10 Aug. 1916, p. 3.

“Enormous Crowds at Tractor Show.” Fremont Herald, 11 Aug. 1916, p. 1.

“Free Movie Show Offered.” Lincoln Journal Star, 15 Jan. 1917, p. 2.

“Gives Details of New Ford Tractor.” Jackson Citizen Patriot, 28 Aug. 1917, p. 5.

“Henry Ford Comes for Week’s Visit.” Fremont Tribune, 7 Aug. 1916, p. 2.

“Henry Ford Coming to Tractor Meet.” Fremont Tri-Weekly Tribune, 1 July 1916, p. 6.

“Henry Ford Makes Carl Volstedt Life Pensioner.” Fremont Herald, 15 Sept. 1916, p. 2.

“Henry Ford Will Arrive Tomorrow.” Fremont Tribune, 5 Aug. 1916, p. 8.

“New Ford Tractor of Original Design.” Sunday Oregonian, 9 Sept 1917, p. 59.

“Novel Auto Application: Ford to Furnish Iron Horse for Farm Purposes.” Detroit Free Press, 5 Jun. 1906, p. 10.

“Prominent Auto Men Go to Fremont to the Tractor Show.” Omaha Evening Bee, 9 August 1916, p. 4.

“This the Supreme Show Says Legge.” Fremont Tri-Weekly Tribune, 10 Aug. 1916, p. 4.

“Tractor Magnates See the Big Show.” Omaha Evening Bee, 9 August 1916, p. 4.

September 5, 2025September 5, 2025

Fun Finds from Out on the Trail

Fall is sale season where we live, and we look forward to those events that stretch for miles across the plains, like the Nebraska Junk Jaunt and the Highway 36 Treasure Hunt in Kansas. We did not make it to the Sparks Flea Market over Labor Day weekend, but we did hit Gatherings on the Blue near Milford as well as “Bargains For You on 92,” a collection of antique, estate, and yards sales along Highway 92 in Nebraska. We did not fill the truck, but we did find a few things worth mentioning. The first is an early license plate bracket, and by “early,” I mean it has a 1911 patent date:

The embossed lettering seen above reads as follows:

NEVEROUT PHILA

MODEL 7

PAT MAY 16 1911

OTHER PATS PENDG

Neverout made one bracket that was installed around the top of a lantern-type automobile light, but the one we found was meant to hang in front of the car with the clamp installed around the radiator neck (our bracket is missing one-half of this clamp). This ad from 1912 illustrates both types:

“Neverout” may seem like a strange name for a line of license plate brackets, but the manufacturer, Rose Manufacturing of Philadelphia, started out making bicycle lights and then moved on to making a whole range of accessories for automobiles including lights, radiator heaters, and even an electric hand warmer that fit over the steering wheel as seen in this ad published in 1920:

Another neat find was this vintage oil display cart. The wheels are not original, but they are old, so they do not detract from the retro look. This cart would have contained stacked cans of oil to be wheeled around at a service garage, and it would have had brand signage attached to the top bar. We only had the one pitiful can to demonstrate, so this one definitely needs to go to someone with a collection to show off.

Finally, it is hard to believe these paper cut-outs depicting 1932 Chevrolets are in such good condition considering they are nearly one hundred years old. They were part of a set of fourteen that GM mailed out in a box labeled “Style Packet” as part of that year’s advertising campaign.

On the back of each paper car is printed price and other information about that model.

The Style Packet also contained a booklet entitled, “71 Days of Work. ” Chevrolet, along with the rest of the automobile industry, was suffering losses amid the Great Depression, and it chose that title to encourage members of the public to purchase a new Chevrolet. According to the company, each purchase of a new Chevy Six supplied “a total of 71 days of gainful employment – the equivalent of three months’ working time for one man on the basis of a 5-day week.”

And it was not just workers in the automobile industry that were affected. H. J. Klinger, VP and general sales manager of Chevrolet Motor Co. said in an interview at the time that the automobile industry consumed more than 15 percent of all steel produced, 53 percent of all malleable iron, 68 percent of all plate glass, 18 percent of all hardwood lumber, 14 percent of all cotton, 26 percent of all lead, 30 percent of all nickel, and 83 percent of all rubber. The business of building and selling automobiles was the country’s biggest industry in 1932, and buying a new automobile did supply work and wages for Americans across many industries at a time when work was desperately needed.

1932 Chevrolet
Attribution: Valder137, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We will hopefully find more notable car parts, accessories, and advertising pieces as we hit the sales over the next six weeks, and if you are also out searching for treasure, we will see you on the trail!

August 21, 2025August 21, 2025

It Is a Comfort to Know That You’ll Never Have to Eat Anybody’s Dust

This may be one of the greatest approaches to advertising ever used in the history of automobiles:

This persuasive argument was part of a 1911 advertisement for the National automobile. Many companies utilized the term “National” in their titles, but this ad was for the National Motor Vehicle Co. of Indianapolis. The company had begun as National Automobile & Electric in 1900, a builder of electric automobiles, then reorganized as National Vehicle. The company underwent another reorganization and was calling itself the National Motor Vehicle Co. by the beginning of 1903. They offered an electric vehicle as late as 1905, but those were soon phased out. Arthur Newby, one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was a director of the company and later became president.

National called itself “King of the Speedway” and “Monarch of the Road,” and it did seem deserving of those titles based on the impressive number of wins the National 40 racked up beginning in 1909. This list detailing some of those achievements was published in a 1911 National advertisement.:

The wins continued into 1912, and then the automobile became the undisputed “King of the Speedway” when Joe Dawson won that year’s Indy race behind the wheel of a National. The #8 stock National averaged 78.72 mph and was powered by a 4-cylinder T-head engine with a whopping 490.8ci displacement (a record for Indy winners).

The following photo of the National team was published in May of 1912, just before the victory at Indy. The caption identifies them, left to right, as Joe Dawson, pilot; Willard Rader, relief driver; David Bruce-Brown, pilot; Howard Wilcox, pilot; Frank Farver, mechanician; William Kepner, mechanician; Dan Herr, relief driver; Tony Scudellari, mechanician; and Harry Martin, mechanician. Sadly, David Bruce-Brown and Tony Scudellari were killed a few months later while on a practice run in Milwaukee before the 1912 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

The famous #8 National toured the country after the Indy win. When it got to Dallas, the police chief refused to allow it to be driven within city limits due to the amount of noise it made. In protest, National reps hired a team of mules to pull it through the city’s business district.

This is another neat ad celebrating the win, published by the Iowa state distributor for the National:

One would think the National’s many triumphs would easily translate into a winning strategy for marketing the automobiles, but, inexplicably, the company moved away from motor sports and began focusing on luxury as seen in this 1914 advertisement.

In November of 1916, it was reported that the assets of the Indianapolis company were being taken over by the National Motor Car & Vehicle Corporation of New York. Newby resigned the following month. National later combined with the Jackson and Dixie Flyer companies, but financial difficulties forced them into receivership in 1924, and that was the end of the National.

The below photo can be found on Wikimedia where it is identified as “1910 National 40 Indianapolis;” it does not identify the event this car was taking part in. It seems to be one of the Nationals sold at auction and seen on Gooding Christie’s site here and here.

Attribution: Brian Snelson, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

“500-Mile Contest for Next Thursday.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 26 May 1912, p. 47, 52.

Advertisement. Eaton & Harper. The Pittsburgh Press, 27 Sept 1915, p. 25.

Advertisement. Iowa Automobile & Supply Co. Des Moines Tribune, 31 May 1912, p. 11.

Advertisement. National Motor Vehicle Co. The Indianapolis Star, 26 Feb 1911, p. 80.

Advertisement. T. I. Wilson & Son. The Chattanooga News, 4 Mar 1911, p. 2.

“Dawson Wins When De Palma Falters.” The Daily Times [Indianapolis], 31 May 1912, p. 15.

“Motor Racers Smash Records.” Elmira Star Gazette, 21 Aug 1909, p. 1.

“Mules Pull Racer When Dallas Police Chief Orders It Off Business Streets.” Fort Worth Star Telegram, 21 Dec 1913, p. 34.

“National Motor Car.” The Wall Street Journal, 10 Nov 1916, p. 7.

“National Motor Car Plant Sold.” The Indianapolis Star, 24 Oct 1916, p. 1.

“National’s Great 1911 Racing Season.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 Nov 1911, p. 18.

“Racing Team That Keeps Railbirds Guessing.” The Indianapolis News, 25 May 1912, p. 12.

“Success of Indianapolis Speedway Rests on These Shoulders.” The Indianapolis Star, 27 Jun 1909, p. 12.

“Tony Scudellari Yields to Death.” Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct 1912, p. 25.

“Transfer Receivership Suits.” The Indianapolis Star, 31 October 1923, p. 16.

July 18, 2025July 18, 2025

Cruise Nite 2025

Cruise Nite 2025 is in full swing in Kearney, Nebraska. This six-day event is sponsored by the Central Nebraska Auto Club and features a number of Show & Shines with food and music, drag races, a burnout competition, and a classic and collectible car auction (which takes place tonight)! I love that the participants also take a tour of the town’s assisted living and nursing homes; there are fifteen such places on the route, including the Central Nebraska Veterans’ Home. That tour took place Wednesday night, and here are some action photos of just a few of the cars and trucks (and their owners) spreading the happiness that only a classic can bring:

July 7, 2025July 7, 2025

An Automobile Word Association Game

Do you have any idea what all of these words have in common?

Gopher

Gambit

Ghoul

Ambush

Amuck

Viking

Vintage

This is a tough one, so here’s a hint: they all have something to do with the Ford Model T.

Give up? I recently picked up a 1919 Ford Price List booklet for Model T parts and accessories and found all of the above words and many more under the column titled “Code Word.”

These code words were used when ordering parts by telegraph, a primary means of communication in 1919. When sending a telegram, the sender was charged by the word, so code words were developed as a more economical way of communicating entire phrases or sentences. Existing words were used because telegraph companies and regulatory bodies were restricting the length of code words that weren’t “ordinary” words due to the additional time it took telegraph operators to correctly send the specified combination of letters.

You do have to wonder at the choice of some of the code words, however. For instance, if I was in need of a starting crank handle bolt for my 1909-1919 Ford, I would have telegraphed that I needed a “starting crank handle bolt,” no matter the cost:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: