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.
Posted on

Early Marketing With the Master of Endurance

 

1926 Pontiac radiator cap

In the pretelevision decade of the 1920s, companies looked for more imaginative ways of garnering publicity for their products.  New world records and other assorted publicity stunts were common ways of drawing attention, and car dealerships were no exception. When GM introduced the Pontiac in 1926, a “Master of Endurance” by the name of  Rosser J. Newman publicly tested the brand new automobile at dealerships around the country.

You may be wondering how someone earns the title “Master of Endurance”.  Apparently Newman did it by setting records in both marathon dancing (217 hours) and roller skating (72 hours).  Once he was something of a household name, the automobile industry began hiring him.  “Master of Publicity” might have been a more suitable moniker since he was able to draw both sponsors and crowds everywhere he performed his endurance test.

It was the same story in every town.  Newman was a one-man publicity machine and large crowds would gather to watch him get handcuffed to the steering wheel of a car that he would then drive for up to 8 days (100-200 hours) without sleep.  Since he was driving on public roads, surely law enforcement considered that a public safety issue, right?  Wrong.  In most towns it was the police chief himself who joined the festivities by cuffing Newman to the steering wheel. 

It was supposed to be an endurance test for the car, so the car’s engine (a straight-six with 186.5 cubic inches) had to run continuously for the entire length of the test.  It was also set to high gear with the shift lever removed, and the hood (and sometimes the crankcase) was sealed so no oil could be added.

Every advertising avenue was exploited.  The car itself was covered with advertisements:

Whichever food and beverage companies sponsored the event were given credit for getting Newman through the grueling ordeal.  In Springfield, Missouri, it was Banquet Ice Cream and Big Boy Bread.  In Louisiana it was Saints Coffee.  In Oklahoma, Coca Cola got the credit and in Nebraska, those honors went to South Side Milk and Collins Ice Cream.  Even Dutch Masters cigars got in on the act in St. Jo, Missouri.

Gas and oil companies like Karetex, Red Seal and Penreco also sponsored the tests as did tire companies like US Tires, Michelin and The General. 

Other businesses were eager to get in on the action, too.  In Springfield, it was advertised that Newman, the marathon dancer, would be un-handcuffed at the Half-A-Hill Dance Hall so that he could dance with the girls.  Since the car had to remain running and was locked into high gear, I can only assume someone had to be there to hold in the clutch while Newman was off tripping the light fantastic.

Working every angle, the public was even invited to come to the showroom and watch an exhausted Newman sleep at the end of the test:

The Pontiac, of course, became a success.  It was economically priced, and that fact helped it survive the depression that proved the death knell for so many other car companies.  I’m not sure how much credit should go to Newman, but the smart marketing strategies certainly didn’t hurt.  Pontiac offered a V-8 in ’32 and then went with straight-eights for ’33 but, until then, Pontiac was the “Chief of the Sixes”.

Promotional coin given out by Pontiac dealerships.
1926 Pontiac at the Classic Car Collection in Kearney, Nebraska.

Sources:

Bruce Motor Car Company. Advertisement. The Nebraska State Journal, 4 August, 1926, p. 7.

“City Dads Start 100 Hour Driver.” The Lincoln Sunday Star, 1 August 1926, p. 3.

Coca-Cola. Advertisement. The Daily Oklahoman, March 18, 1926, p. 13.

Cuban Coffee Mills. Advertisement. The Shreveport Journal, 9 April 1927, p. 15.

F.S. Edwards Tobacco Co. Advertisement. St. Joseph Gazette, 21 July 1926, p. 9.

F.W. Speed & Son. Advertisement. The Corsicana Daily Sun, 27 February 1926, p. 4.

Half-A-Hill. Advertisement. The Springfield Leader, 9 November 1926, p. 8.

Karchmer Oil. Advertisement. The Springfield Leader, 6 November 1926, p. 12.

McCutcheon Bros. Motor Co. Advertisement. The Springfield Leader, 9 November 1926, p. 8.

“Newman Drives Gamely On To A World’s Endurance Record.” The Springfield Leader, 9 November 1926, p. 1.

“Newman Is Off Today at Noon!” The Daily Oklahoman, March 18, 1926, p. 13.

“Newman on Eighth Day of His World Record Endurance Test.” The Springfield Leader, 12 November, 1926, p. 1.

“Pontiac Establishes Word’s Record.” The Daily Oklahoman, 27 March, 1926, p. 3.

Rudd Motor Co., Inc. Advertisement. The Shreveport Journal, 9 April 1927, p. 15.

Springfield Creamery Co. Advertisement. The Springfield Leader, 6 November 1926, p. 12.

“Turning Back The Pages.” St. Joseph Gazette, 13 July 1966.

“200-Hour Drive Starts Today.” The Springfield Leader, 5 November 1926, p. 1.

 

Posted on

Tail Light Tuesday

Can you name the car that these tail lights belongs to? Scroll down for the answer . . .

KODAK Digital Still Camera

. . . . . . 1965 Chevy!

Posted on

Studebaker Trucks on the Auction Block

My husband and I took a drive to hit an estate sale the other day. We were hoping to find some cool old stuff, but we were not expecting to find cool old car and truck stuff. Imagine our joy when we pulled into the yard and found it full of Studebaker trucks. The bunch included a couple of 1949-53 2R-series trucks which could look like this one if restored. There were also a couple of the older M-series trucks and what looks to me like a 1954. They were not part of the estate sale that day and will instead be part of an auction in April. I know where we’ll be on April 11th!

Posted on

Tail Light Tuesday

Haven’t done Tail Light Tuesday in awhile. Do you recognize this one? Scroll down for the answer . . . .

. . . .1952 Studebaker!

This particular car is a ’52 Commander State Starliner Hardtop Coupe and it’s part of the new Studebaker exhibit at the Classic Car Collection in Kearney, Nebraska.

Posted on

Hill Holder Did Just That

This 1963 Studebaker Avanti was part of a car show we attended last summer:

It was a gorgeous car with original paint, and it had this sticker in its window:

“Hill Holder” was a solution to the problem of stopping on an incline in a car with a manual transmission.  One Studebaker dealer described the “nerve-tingling experience of being obliged to come to a full stop on a sharp upgrade . . . the necessity for more or less simultaneous manipulation of emergency brake, foot brake, accelerator, clutch pedal and gear shift lever when restarting the car.”  Hill Holder did just that; it held the car stationary when stopped on a hill.  It engaged automatically by depressing the clutch pedal while the brakes were on.  A valve held the brake pressure until the clutch was released, leaving the driver’s right foot free to step on the gas.

The mechanism was introduced by Studebaker in 1936:

Hill Holder and Avanti . . . two more examples of Studebaker being ahead of its time.

Sources:

Studebaker. Advertisement. Arizona Republic, 12 May 1936, p. 1.

Studebaker. Advertisement. St. Joseph Gazette, 19 Dec. 1935, p. 3.

“Demonstrate Hill Holding Studebakers.” The Capital Journal [Salem, Oregon] , 8 February 1936, p. 5.

“Studebaker Offers ‘Hill Holder’ As Exclusive Feature.” The Coos Bay Times, 13 March 1936, p. 5.

Posted on

The First Stock Vehicle to Cross the Sahara

“Across the great Sahara that has been through the ages the universal synonym of thirst and of death-the Sahara that is strewn with the bleached bones of man and beast entrapped in its vast treacheries.”

This is the dramatic way the Dayton Daily News described the challenges of the first stock vehicle to cross the Sahara Desert.  The vehicle was a ¾-ton International Harvester Truck, and it performed that feat in 1928.  The Sahara had been crossed earlier by modified vehicles, some with half-tracks and some 6-wheeled vehicles with 12 tires on three axles, but this mighty stock IH Special Delivery Truck made the excruciating 2818-mile trip in 125-degree heat in 16 days.

The drivers were explorers Sir Charles Markham, a British soldier and diplomat, and Baron von Blixen-Finecke, a Swedish nobleman. When asked why they decided to take on this life-threatening challenge, Markham responded simply that they decided to do it because they had been told it was impossible.

Not impossible in the IH truck, apparently, but still very difficult.  They drove an average of 20 hours per day over tracks and “roads” that consisted of small piles of stones heaped together every 100 yards.  They carried iron sheets to place under the wheels when the truck became stuck in the sand.  The iron sheets enabled them to go forward four feet at a time for hundreds of yards at a time through deep drifts of loose sand. 

The explorers carried extra tires (although they stated that the tires gave them no serious trouble), fuel and water, and were able to get more fuel and water along the way at places like Reggan and the Adrah military outpost in southern Algeria.  Running out of water was a constant fear, however:

“At 3:30 we run into a deep valley where the sand was even deeper than we encountered before.  The truck sinks in and stops, this time up to the axle.  Only a quart of water left.  For whom?  The engine or ourselves? . . . We compromise by taking a mouthful each.  The car drinks the rest and asks for more.  We jack up the truck and again place the sheets under the wheels.  Progress is terribly slow, the car shuddering under the terrific strain from the resistance of the sand.  Clouds of steam emerging from under the bonnet, but our International comes through as usual with flying colors.  . . .The International is driven to the utmost.  She herself seems anxious to know if she is to remain for all time a monument over two dead white men.”

When they arrived at Laghouat, their entrance to the hotel caused a sensation because their dirty clothing was in rags and they looked little better than tramps.  The hotel did agree to feed them and, not wanting them as guests, sold them gas to help them on their way. 

This advertisement shows the route taken. The trip actually began at Nairobi and the total distance driven was 6618 miles.

They chose this exact truck because it had already proven itself once.  An American businessman who worked for International Harvester, C. N. King, had driven the same truck across Africa at the equator.  That trip of 3800 miles was made in 19 days. When Markham and von Blixen-Finecke took possession of the truck, it had virtually no tools or spare parts.  Markham observed, “I should not have been surprised at the shortage of tools as Americans place implicit trust in their cars and trucks.” In this case, that trust was not misplaced.  The dependable truck was able to average 15.05 mpg and the engine gave them “no trouble whatsoever” and “made not a sound of complaint”.

The pair loaded the truck on a boat bound for Marseilles and, once there, drove that truck back to London.  International Harvester bought the hard-working truck back, and it toured America so that crowds of people at state fairs and IH dealerships could see for themselves the dependable International Harvester truck that was able to do the “impossible”, cross the Sahara Desert. 

1929 International Harvester Six-Speed Special Pickup at the Classic Car Collection in Kearney, Nebraska.

Sources:

“Celebrated International Harvester Trust Excites Attention of Many Thousand People During Its Three Days Stay in This City.” The Dayton Daily News, 16 May 1929, p. M-17.

“Famous International Truck Inspected Here.” The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram, 23 May 1929, p. 10.

“International Harvester Truck, Which Crossed Sahara Desert Without Mechanical Mishap, Will Be On Exhibition in Dayton Saturday.” The Dayton Daily News, 17 May 1929, p. M-18.

“International Truck Which Crossed Sahara to Be Shown.” The Binghamton Press, 25 March 1929, p. 13.

“Kiwanians Hear Story of How International Harvester Truck Made Trip Across Sahara Desert.” The Eau Claire Leader, 2 August 1929, p. 3.

Tells of Experiences of Men Who Drive Truck Over Sahara Desert and Equatorial Africa.” Elmira Star-Gazette, 1 April 1929, p. 15.

“The Truck That Crossed the Sahara Desert Now Crossing the United States.” The Dayton Daily News, 15 May 1929, p. M-16.

“Trans-Sahara Truck Shown.” The Baltimore Sun, 27 January 1929, p. 11.

Posted on

First love

Like the 1968 Mustang featured in the Steve McQueen flick “Bullitt”, my very first car was a ’68 Mustang. Unfortunately, it was a coupe, not a fastback, and sadly had a straight-6, not a 390. It was also full of Bondo, but I loved it and do wish I had it back!

Posted on

Bullitt Mustang

It was all over the news this week that the Mustang featured in the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” sold for a whopping $3.74 million at Mecum Kissimmee.

The Highland Green 1968 Mustang GT has a 390 under the hood and roared beautifully during the famous chase scene that reached speeds of 110 to 114 mph. Car-guy Steve McQueen was actually driving while running down the black Dodge Charger. Director Peter Yates was sitting in the back seat.

This 1969 ad for the movie says “McQueen embodies his special king of aware, existential cool”. I’m not sure what “existential cool” is, but McQueen is definitely just plain old cool. The car chase is described as a “terrifying, deafening shocker”.

Abe Battat, pianist and band leader, had a small part in the movie, but apparently his Austin-Healey did not fare well during filming. This funny blurb appeared in a 1968 newspaper story:

Screenstar Steve McQueen, here shooting a film called “Bullitt”, smashed his Mustang into the side of Pianist Abe Battat’s Austin-Healey, parked at Taylor and Clay during a scene. Steve to Abe: “Warner Brothers will take care of it.” Abe, playing a bit part in the flick: “I’ll take care of it if you give me a few more lines.” Sorry.

Posted on

A Very Rare Hubcap

On the subject of hubcaps, I was beyond elated to find this rare hubcap for sale in an antique store the other day.

It was shoved to the back of a bottom shelf with other (different) caps stacked in front of it, but I am so glad I kept digging to see what was back there. It is an accessory hubcap, sold by GM dealers, for a 1939 Chevrolet.

This is how it appeared in the ’39 accessory brochure. Notice that it was called a “wheel disc”, and only cost $9.90 for a set of four!

You can still read the stamp on the back of my hubcap that contains the name of the manufacturer, Lyon Inc.

Lyon was headquartered in Detroit and was a large producer of hubcaps. One newspaper story from 1957 even said that Lyon was “the world’s largest user of stainless steel”. The company made both official versions, like mine, and aftermarket caps like this one:

This is an advertisement for Lyon that appeared in 1953:

I have no idea how many “wheel discs” like my ’39 Chevy were sold, but I do know that you almost never see them. Mine has some shallow dents but is in great shape overall. What an exciting find!

Posted on

Imposters!

Old, aftermarket hub caps keep finding me lately, and some of them are just hilarious. Inexpensive replacement caps were sold by companies like Western Auto and J.C. Whitney, but the logos had to be altered enough to avoid pesky trademark infringement laws. Some of them are pretty good facsimiles thereof, like this Cadillac replacement cap. It is heavy duty and looks like the Caddy emblem, but has lines instead of ducks:

This one has stars instead of ducks.

Frankly, they both look better than the modern Cadillac version that has been sanitized of its history and personality. For Chevy replacements, a dash was commonly used in place of the bowtie:

This one is for a 1954 Chevy, and it is a pretty good copy, too. You have to look hard to see that it is a dash and all one piece (the real ones have a separate center insert).

The really entertaining versions are the ones with altered spelling. I have seen dog dishes that say “Dodoe” instead of Dodge, for instance. The Chrysler replacement cap pictured below says something like “Clrrfrlir, although the “i” is mysteriously undotted.

This is one of the famous “Bool” caps made for a Model A Ford:

I have heard that they also made a “Fool” version. I’m not sure who would want to drive around with those on their car (but I know of a few people who should).