Author: Deb Tracy

I am a reformed attorney who has returned to my first loves, American history and classic cars. Raised in a family of automobile fanatics, my Dad is one of those guys who can look at a set of tail lights and tell you what car they belong to and follow that with a story about one he owned. Forget the “new car” smell, I love the smell of old cars and old garages. My husband (retired law enforcement and former U.S. Marine) and I turned our hobby into a business a few years ago and now happily deal in classic cars and their various parts. We live in rural Nebraska with our amazing teenage daughter and a houseful of border collies.
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Styles In Motorcar Body Types Officially Defined, Circa 1916

From the September 17, 1916, issue of The Butte Miner:

What is the difference between a coupe and coupelet, a touring car and a salon touring car? Here it is with other body types and distinctions officially determined lately by the nomenclature division of the Society of Automobile Engineers.

Roadster-An open car seating two or three. It may have additional seats on running boards or in rear deck.

Coupelet-Seats two or three. It has a folding top and full-height doors with disappearing panels of glass.

Coupe-An inside operated, inclosed car seating two or three. A fourth seat facing backward is sometimes added.

Convertible Coupe—A roadster provided with a detachable coupe top.

Clover Leaf-An open car seating three or four. The rear seat is close to the divided front seat and entrance is only through doors in front of the front seat.

Touring Car-An open car seating four or more with direct entrance to the tonneau.

Salon Touring Car-A touring car with passage between front seats, with or without separate entrance to front seat.

Convertible Touring Car-A touring car with folding top or removable glass sides.

Sedan-A closed car seating four or more all in one compartment.

Convertible Sedan—A salon touring car provided with a detachable top.

Open Sedan-A sedan so constructed that the sides can be removed or stowed so as to leave the space entirely clear from the glass front to the back.

Limousine—A closed car seating three to five inside, with driver’s seat outside, covered with a roof.

Open Limousine—A touring car with permanent standing top and disappearing or removable glass sides.

Berline—A limousine having the driver’s seat entirely inclosed.

Brougham-A limousine with no roof over the driver’s seat. more inside, and driver’s seat outside.

Landaulet-A closed car with folding top, seats for three or more inside and driver’s seat outside.

1932 Ford Roadster
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“Auto State Revolutionizing Coast Passenger Traffic”

This was the title of a story in the November 23, 1919, issue of the Oakland Tribune in which the writer marveled at the fast rise of motorized stage coaches in the state of California. A total of 650 independent companies were operating approximately 3,000 stages. In 1918, a total of 118,000,000 miles were traveled in stages over the highway of the states by 25,000,000 paid fares, and business was expected to double for 1919. These pictures of some of the stages were included with the article:

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The “Passing Eye” Vintage Accessory Mirror

Look what I found collecting dust in an antique store the other day: a vintage “Passing Eye” mirror!

The “Passing Eye” mirror was designed to give the driver a view of the oncoming lane of traffic when his vision was obstructed by another vehicle directly ahead of him. The outside mirror catches the picture of the oncoming lane of traffic and reflects the image to the inner mirror, and this enabled the driver to know if it was safe to pass without swerving into the middle of the road. This is what it looks like on the Dodge:

I found lots of newspaper advertisements for the Passing Eye, and they all date to 1949 and 1950 like this one from the May 24, 1949 Decatur Daily Review:

Note that the ad claims 49% of accidents were caused by “pulling out to go around.” That seems like a bit of an exaggeration, but it is still a neat accessory for any classic car!

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Veterans Day 2021

“Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”

Ronald Reagan

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Some Things Never Change . . . Like Headlight Glare

A New York Times article from earlier this year about the unpleasant intensity of LED headlights contained the following hilarious quote:

“Complaints about headlight glare are not new, and date back at least 20 years.”

Um, yes, complaints about headlight glare do date back at least 20 years. Or over 100 years. Whatever.

Trenton Evening Times, June 26, 1915
Idaho Daily Statesman, August 22, 1915
Harrisburg Courier, October 15, 1916

During the mid-1910s, state legislatures began addressing the problem of headlight glare.  In July of 1917, a new California law took effect that required headlight beams to rise no more than 42 inches at a point measured 75 feet or more in front of the car.   The following year, the New York legislature passed a law that contained the following specific requirements:

Some motorists were trying things like bending the headlight brackets or painting part of the bulbs to lessen glare, but there were other options. In conjunction with New York’s 1918 law, the New York Secretary of State actually named 45 anti-glare devices that had already been developed and that would put a vehicle in compliance. One of the devices appearing on that list was called the Osgood lens, and I recently found a couple of survivors:

Osgood Long Distance Lens, Size 9
Osgood Lens, 8-1/2

The idea behind this lens was the use of 12 horizontal prisms to direct all of the light outward and downward.  The company claimed that the Osgood lens provided 74% more brightness on the road than regular lenses because none of the light was wasted by being thrown into the air.

I am not sure who deserves the credit for these innovative lenses. According to the patent number embossed on one of them, they were invented by a man named Emerson Clark. Newspaper stories and ads at the time variously said the lenses were “perfected by,” “designed by” or “invented by” this handsome man, James R. Cravath:

1918 Advertisement

Cravath was described as “one of America’s foremost authorities on illumination,” and that appears to be an accurate depiction. The Illuminating Engineering Society still lists one of his 1908 papers on its list of 100 Significant Papers. A 1918 issue of Electrical Review described Cravath as a consulting engineer and executive in the electrical industry as well as the editor of publications such as Electrical World.

1919 Advertisement

This story illustrates why I love this era of American history. There was a problem (headlight glare), at least 45 people had already developed devices to solve the problem and those devices were made right here in America. Also, men’s hairstyles were better.

1918 Advertisement

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How To Turn A Studebaker Into The Most Expensive Car Ever Made: Dip It In 24KGold

Awhile back, I wrote about the extravagant 1917 St. Louis auto show and some of the fine automobiles on display such as offerings from the Ben Hur Motor Company.  That auto show included another noteworthy and opulent entry, a gold-plated car that was, at that point in time, the most expensive ever built. 

The car was a Studebaker Series 18 seven passenger touring car with a Victoria top and a 6-cylinder engine, and it must have been an absolute vision in gold and white.  The chassis was gold plated as were the other metal parts including the radiator, springs, lamps, wheel hubs, door handles and running boards.  The body was gold and glistening white enamel.  The Victoria top was made of the finest white leather with gold brackets.  The upholstery was also white leather.  The steering column, clutch, accelerator, emergency brake and other metal parts inside the car were also coated in gold.  Even the speedometer was white with gold numbers.

 In total, 400 ounces of 24-karat gold were used to gild the stunning Studebaker, and that much gold was valued at more than $30,000 in 1917.   The Detroit News-Tribune effused, “That Croesus chariot – the golden car –  gleams its prosperous presence behind a gold railing,”  and it did draw a crowd.  The floor of the display was covered with a rich velour, and on top of that sat on a huge French plate mirror. The Studebaker was parked on the mirror which reflected the chassis construction.

After touring the United States, the gold car went overseas, heavily guarded and even more heavily insured. After traversing the globe, the car was delivered back to South Bend, Indiana, via Pacific Mail steamer in 1919.  It was reported that, “For the benefit of all posterity it will henceforth repose in all its golden splendor in the famous museum maintained by the Studebaker corporation at South Bend.” So is it still there? Perhaps someone from the museum can weigh in . . . .

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An Early Defense of Automobile Travel

Gosh, car dealers used to be downright poetic. From 1918:

1917 Dodge at Pioneer Village
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Packard Hood Ornaments by Year – the 1950s

I hear from many people seeking help with the identification of Packard hood ornaments, so I have started putting together a guide. I have begun with the Packards of the 1950s, which you will find below. If you are looking for the 1940s or earlier, either check back here later or heed Packard’s slogan and “ask the man who owns one.”

1950

Packard Super Series and Packard Custom Series

Packard Eight Series
Optional Golden Anniversary “Egyptian” hood ornament

1951

400 and 300 series
200 Series

1952

Patrician 400, 300, Mayfair, Convertible
200 Series

1953

Mayfair, Convertible, Cavalier, Patrician, Custom
Clipper

1954

Cavalier, Convertible, Pacific
Clipper

1955

Patrician, 400
Clipper

1956

1957

1958

Packard Hood Ornaments by Year – 1940s

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1918 Republic Truck

This fantastic old truck is a 1918 Republic, and it was part of the annual Old Trusty Antique & Collectors Show in Clay Center, Nebraska:

By the time 1918 rolled around, the Republic plant in Alma, Michigan, was the largest in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of motor trucks. With a thousand distributors in the United States and representatives in other countries as well, Republic had already sold 25,000 trucks throughout the United States and beyond. The company was continuing to expand and set an ambitious goal of 40,000 new trucks to be manufactured in 1918.

The Republic line included seven models of trucks in varying capacities to suit every business, and for every conceivable kind of hauling. This ad has pictures of those seven models, the Dispatch, 3/4-Ton, 1-Ton, 1-1/2 Ton, 2-Ton, 3-1/2 Ton and 5-Ton.

In addition to the dependability of the Republic-Torbensen Internal Gear Drive, Republic also advertised that their truck frames were built stronger, in proportion to size, than a railroad bridge:

Republic struggled in the years after the war and eventually merged with American LaFrance in 1929, so this well-preserved 1918 model is really representative of the company’s heyday.

Sources:

Jaquith Motor Co. Advertisement. The Daily Argus Leader [Sioux Falls], 8 Mar 1918, p. 7.

Prough Bros. Advertisement. Bakersfield Morning Echo, 8 Sept 1918, p. 4.

“Republic Motor Truck Company Give Alma World Wide Fame.” Lansing State Journal, 15 Oct 1917, p. 13.

“Truck Firms Unite.” The Pittsburgh Press, 21 April 1929, p.5.