The fascinating history of American cars . . .one story at a time.
Check out this mind-blowing truck auction: Rob Van Vleet’s Nebraska Truck Hoard
There are 820 lots of trucks including brands like Reo, Federal, Studebaker, Osh Kosh, and so many Diamond Ts. Truly, it will take you all day just to look at the photos. Many COEs are also part of this auction, including a couple of highly sought-after ’39 Fords:
I found a story in a 1953 newspaper about a general contractor and architect named Hal B. Hayes who turned a Cadillac into a rolling office in the 1950s. The article describes the convertible Caddy as being built three feet longer than usual, with no explanation of how that was accomplished, in order to accommodate equipment like a typewriter, telephone and Dictaphone, not to mention a living, breathing secretary. Ten folding chairs were carried in case Hayes wanted to stop the car and entertain business associates at the curb, and built into the trunk compartment? A full stocked bar, of course.
I had never heard of Hayes, so I did a little research, and it turns out that he was one crazy cat. He built a mansion that Popular Mechanics termed “a house for the atomic age.” Hayes billed himself as something of an expert on the subject, and the home was supposed to be atom bomb-proof. The details are pretty hilarious. The house, perched on a Hollywood hilltop, included an underground bomb shelter that was accessed by swimming through a tunnel in the indoor/outdoor pool. Hayes reasoned that any radioactive contamination would be washed off people’s bodies as they swam to the sanctuary. At the push of a button, the living room carpet, a lovely green shag, would creep up the glass wall to act as a blackout curtain. The home featured five dance floors, and kitchen faucets served up not just champagne, but also the George Thorogood trifecta of bourbon, scotch and beer. It would appear that the mansion was as much swinging bachelor pad as atomic bomb shelter. If you are dying to know more, additional details and pictures are available in the 1953 Popular Mechanics.
Hayes rubbed elbows with movie stars like Peter Lawford and was even engaged to Zsa Zsa Gabor at one point. Then a military housing project he was developing became a tangle of bribery charges, lawsuits and countersuits between Hayes, the federal government, subcontractors and bond companies. After the dust settled, Hayes vamoosed to Mexico in the early 1960s and lived there for the last three decades of his life.
I was unable to find much more information about the mobile office. The Cadillac apparently won a trophy at a 1957 car show, but the photo in the paper is disappointing as it only shows the door of the car, Hayes, and some woman in a fur coat:
In order to save space at the mansion, Hayes created a parking space using steel beams that stretch into thin air over a retaining wall. Photos do exist of this innovative parking arrangement; the first photo features a Buick, but the second photo might just be of that Caddy:
I don’t know about you, but I would rather park a mile away and walk. I usually do that anyway to avoid getting door dings.
Sources:
“Builder Hits FHA, Military For $55 Million Shutdown.” Evening Journal [Wilmington], 21 Mar. 1961, p. 34.
“Finale of the Style Show.” The Desert Sun, 10 Apr. 1957, p.
“Hal Hayes Cleared of Bribery Charges.” News and Observer [Raleigh], 17 Mar. 1962, p. 15.
“Hal Hayes Switches Roles, Files $2,787,059 Suit.” El Paso Times, 29 Jul. 1961, p. 1.
“Hollywood Agape At Tarheel’s Mansion.” News and Observer [Raleigh], 25 Jul. 1954, p. IV-3.
“House For the Atomic Age.” Popular Mechanics, Aug. 1953, pp. 108-111.
“Latest Creation – Car With Built-In Office.” Ogden Standard Examiner, 6 Aug. 1953, p. 4B.
Mosby, Aline. “A-Bomb Proof Home in Hollywood Hills Would Make Air Alert Welcome.” The Knoxville News, 12 Apr. 1953, p. C3.
Watters, Sam. “That Was One Boss Bachelor Pad.” LA Times, 6 Nov 2010, p. E4.
Wilson, Liza. “America’s Most Amazing House.” San Francisco Examiner, 24 Jan. 1954, p. 12.
I don’t know exactly what I have here, but I do recognize awesome when I see it:
This incredible brass gas pump handle has a number of markings that provide some information. It is a Buckeye, manufactured by McGraw-Pennell, and it has a 1926 patent date. What is up with that woven, flexible nozzle, though?
I have not been able to find any information on that flexible nozzle, or even another one that looks like it. If you can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate a message sent to americancarhistorian@gmail.com.
Many an old-timer will reminisce about the glorious autumns in years past when the nation waited with bated breath for the unveiling of the new car models. Excitement built as people anticipated what Detroit would be offering in the way of powerful engines and dramatic lines. It was a celebratory time, often complete with donuts, live music and beauty queens.
Long before the 1950s, however, there was a time when the interest surrounding a new car design reached something of a fever pitch. The year was 1927, and Ford had just announced it would no longer be building the Model T.
By 1927, 15,000,000 Model Ts had been produced with two-thirds of those tin lizzies still on the road. Edsel had finally succeeded in convincing Henry that it was time for a change, so in May of that year Ford Motor Company made the official announcement that it would begin production of an entirely new Ford car. Details were withheld with the company promising more information in the coming weeks, and that was when the wild speculation began.
Newspapers reported that a person could get a bet, an argument or a fight on virtually any street corner just by starting a discussion of the forthcoming model. Some people were sure it would be a two-cylinder car involving “some entirely new principle,” while others speculated it would be a baby Lincoln that would sell for $1000 and be named after Edsel or Edison.
With the rumor mill in overdrive, Edsel Ford was forced to issue a statement in July denying rumors purporting to give details about the new Ford. He explained that specifications were not even complete, and it would therefore be impossible for anyone in the Ford organization to discuss them with any accuracy or authority. In the meantime, the whole industry was in limbo. Automobile dealers complained that the public was not buying while they waited to see what Ford was going to do, and manufacturers also waited, alert to meet the new competition but with nothing but the wildest rumors on which to base their plans.
There were approximately 10,000 Ford dealers in the United States and, in August, some of those dealers began dropping tantalizing hints about their trips to the Ford plant in Michigan to test drive the new model. They reported that the new car would be a handsome one, available in a variety of colors, as well as fast, smooth and rugged. It could travel 65 mph and would be heavier and sturdier than the Model T. It was leaked that it would be known as the Model A, and that it would have a radiator shell that was highly nickeled. At the end of August, there were rumors that the new Ford would make an appearance at a dealership in Decatur, and hundreds of people showed up hoping to see it. The rumors were false, and they left disappointed.
By mid-September, orders for the new Fords were being placed all over the country even though the car had not been released. Dealers were put in the unenviable position of having nothing to exhibit at the fall auto shows.
By mid-October, it was estimated that more than 100,000 people, nearly one for every thousand in US population, had placed orders for the new Ford, sight unseen. Ford reported that another quarter of a million had placed orders without making a cash down payment. And the question on everyone’s lips was still, “When will the new Ford come out?’
Time drug on. Finally, on Wednesday, November 30, it was announced that the new Ford would be unveiled the following Friday, December 2, 1927. Some details were also released:
That same day, the new Model A was also demonstrated to journalists. The newspapermen were surprised that it was much simpler to operate, but the surprise was nothing compared to the thrill of the ride. The driver hurtled 70 mph down a dirt road made treacherous by slushy snow and made the car careen by jerking the wheel from side to side. One terrified correspondent covered his eyes. The Ford stayed upright, and Edsel explained after that the occupants had been perfectly safe as the car was very difficult to overturn with a low center of gravity and also featured shatterproof glass.
When the big day arrived, the public clamored to see the successor to the Model T. Lines stretched for blocks as thousands waited for the chance to see the new Ford. Streets around dealerships were jammed. In New York, people were searching out the showrooms as early as three o’clock in the morning. Mounted police had to be called in for crowd control in Cleveland, while in Detroit it was more of a party with two bands playing live music. In Kansas City, the new Fords were on display in Convention Hall, and 3,000 people crowded into the hall to view them during the first 30 minutes.
It is hard to imagine this type of excitement being generated by anything created by the predictable and homogeneous automobile industry of today. Cars are aerodynamic (but certainly not dynamic), artless creations that lack distinction and are offered in the same bland colors. Now it seems that fall is all about football and pumpkin spice, but it used to herald the arrival of exciting and individualistic new car models.
Sources:
Advertisement. Ford. Antlers American, 4 August 1927, p. 4.
Advertisement. Ford. Daily Deadwood Pioneer Times, 1 December 1927, p. 3.
Advertisement. Ford. Des Moines Register, 2 December 1927, p. 5.
Advertisement. Ford. Lincoln Star, 5 December 1927, p. 2.
Advertisement. Ford. Winona Republican Herald, 23 August 1927, p. 6.
“Detroit’s Real Interest.” Daily Argus Leader [Sioux Falls], 28 March 1927, p. 6.
Elliot, Harry. “Companies May Reveal New Auto Models Soon.” Bakersfield Californian, 8 August 1953, p. 7.
“Ford Announces Company Will Build New Car.” Minneapolis Daily Star, 26 May 1927, p. 1.
“Ford Makes Statement Regarding the New Ford.” Colfax County Press and Clarkson Herald Consolidated, 28 July 1927, p. 3.
“Ford To Produce Entirely New Car.” The Progressive Age [Scottsboro], 26 May 1927, p. 1.
“Glamor Enhances Car’s Beauty in Big Show’s Revue.” Chicago Tribune, 17 February 1952, p. 18, part 6.
“Huffman Waits for New Ford.” Ventura County Star, 14 September 1927, p. 4, sec. 2.
“Hundreds Visit Starr’s Hoping to See New Ford.” Decatur Herald, 28 August 1927, p. 11.
“New Ford Car Demonstrated Before Press.” St. Joseph Herald-Press, 30 November 1927, p. 1.
“Over One Hundred Thousand Have Ordered New Ford Car.” Tennessean Sun, 16 October 1927, p. 1.
“Ryan Delighted with New Ford He Has Driven.” Miami Daily News, 17 August 1927, p. 14.
“Simplicity Is Keynote of Model A Ford.” Cincinnati Post, 1 December 1927, p. 13.
“The Public Is Eagerly Waiting for the New Ford Car.” Tuskegee News, 29 September 1927, p. 1.
“World Beats Path to Ford.” Monrovia Daily News, 2 December 1927, p. 1.
It is getting unusual to see old workhorses still in service, even in my part of the world, but I recently spotted this big truck in an Orscheln’s parking lot and promptly fell in love with its vintage good looks. This turquoise classic is a 1961 Chevy C-60 Viking and would have been powered, originally, by either a 261 I6 or 283 V8. Kudos to Wildwood Mill for keeping it on the road!
There aren’t many differences between the Mercury cars of 1946, 1947 and 1948. This coupe looks like a ’46 based on the grille surround, which is the same color as the body and has chrome embellishments, as well as the chrome strip and lack of a Mercury emblem on the side of the hood. It sits just north of the highway at McCoun Truck Parts in Wood River, Nebraska, and I sure hope someone takes an interest in this old survivor and gets it back on the road.
During the Fourth of July celebration in Seward, Nebraska, this remarkable vehicle was parked outside the Nebraska National Guard Museum.
It is an M-792 “Gama Goat” 6×6 amphibious ambulance. This one was built in 1971, and less than 15,000 of them were made. They were manufactured by Consolidated Diesel Electric Company for use in the US Army and Marine Corps and could transport three patients on litters with one medic. The power plant in this one is a Detroit diesel 3-53 two stroke, and the vehicle is articulated in the center to enhance its off-road ability. The nickname was derived by combining part of designer Roger Gamaunt’s last name with the vehicle’s goat-like mobility when traversing rough terrain. It has a top speed of around 55 mph on land and 2 mph in water using only its wheels for propulsion. This thing is a beast and looks like an absolute blast to drive as seen in YouTube videos like this one.
The Gama Goat wasn’t in production very long, 1969-1973, and was seen, at the time, as a symbol of the military’s wastefulness and incompetence. It was years behind schedule, went through drastic design changes and ballooned in cost. Senator William Proxmire, known for his “Golden Fleece” awards that highlighted government waste, summed it up this way while addressing the Army’s procurement deputy, Brig. Gen. Vincent Ellis, during a Congressional hearing:
“I do not want to be unfair to you, but I am astonished that you were pleased with the Gama Goat progress. You have got a program that is three years late, and you have a truck that is three times heavier than it was supposed to be, and it does not have any bigger payload, and one that is twice as expensive as the original estimate. It seems to me that you are an easy man to please.”
We spent Independence Day in Seward, Nebraska’s Official Fourth of July City. This town takes America’s birthday very seriously and has hosted a celebration virtually every year since the town was established in 1868. The town is located in Seward County, and both were named for William H. Seward, a Republican and strong opponent of slavery who served as President Lincoln’s Secretary of State during the Civil War.
Seward has less than 7,000 residents, but the number of attendees at this annual festival is estimated at an incredible 40,000. This year it included everything an American could want for the country’s birthday celebration such as an anvil firing; flag raising complete with reveille and the firing of an historic cannon; parades and fireworks; an apple pie eating contest; a craft show with vendors covering the entire courthouse square; live music and blocks of food trucks; Revolutionary and Civil War era soldier encampments; actors portraying Presidents Lincoln and Grant mingling with folks at the Nebraska National Guard Museum, and so much more. Happily for me, there was also a car show, so here are a few pictures of some of the entries. Note that the ’54 Willys Jeep is for sale, priced at $19,995 obo!
“Educators indict the speed-craft of academic youth principally on the charge that it is a time-waster, a peril to safety and a menace to morals, and generally they are unable to see that it possibly can have any particular utility anywhere near the halls of education.”
Here is the entire article:
I am guessing school administrators underwent a change of heart once they realized the funds they could generate by overselling parking permits.
Kearney Cruise Nite is coming! The live auction (with live internet bidding) will be held Friday, July 15th at 7PM. You can check it out at Rhynalds Auction.
