A p r i l 2 0 1 7 The Brass Lamp

This Murphy Convertible Sedan on a 1931 chassis was one of the excitingly sporty offerings that tempted wealthy car buyers.

Classic Customs— The mark of such afflu- the seats, if that's what the ence in the 1930s usually was buyer wanted. Gold plating the Duesenberg clearly exhibited in the cus- was not out of the ordinary Gerald Perschbacher (LL.D) tom body design and body for such a costly car as All rights reserved maker's label affixed to fash- Duesenberg. People didn't commonly ionable locations on the car The buyer began by mak- walk into a dealership and body. ing contact with the factory or buy a new Duesenberg More than that, buyers a dealership. Usually the buy- Model J. They contacted were infatuated with "extras" er sent a retainer such as a the factory, ordered a chas- in an age when accessories chauffeur to pave the way or sis, and nurtured its bodily were coming into vogue. By had a secretary draft a letter development to suit their 1930 cars were being or- of inquiry. whims and preferences. dered with bars, writing ta- Eventually, most special or- Every Duesenberg buyer bles, special compartments, dered Duesenberg bodies worth their salt didn't rear seat radios, even were designed with the help "need" the car -- they chose matched apparel for the buy- it, often having a secondary ers. The person placing the Continued on Page 4 >>> car (or more) in reserve. order could have every whim fulfilled as long as they met the price tag and the materi- al was available. Interiors were covered in various up- holstery types from plain to silk to quality leather to em- broidery. Rain gear and coats were made to match

Joseph F Yochim Top Three Reasons The “Good Old (314) 602-9498 President Days” Weren’t Necessarily Always

Mark Goldfeder So Good For Car Owners (314) 878-2786 1st Vice President/Programs Remember when you had to pay extra to have seat belts installed in a new car? How about 90-days warranties, new car “break- Al Mercer in” periods and 30,000-mile tires? It wasn’t so long ago that (636) 928-8672 2nd Vice President/Membership buying and maintaining a daily driver was really a chore. Her- e’re a few, fun little reminders of what went into buying and Louis Allen maintaining a new car 50-odd years ago when times were slower (314) 741-4158 and our attention spans longer. —Historic Vehicle Association Treasurer

Martin L. Hassel Everything Was An Option floors were covered with rubber (314-232-5934) Recording Secretary Remember when safety equip- mats unless you ordered car- ment in new vehicles amount- pet. Whitewalls, fancy trim and Dr. Gerald Perschbacher ed to a couple of seat belts— full-wheel covers (instead of (314) 849-5249 barebones lap belts that cost dog-dish hubcaps) were all extra Corresponding Secretary extra to install—on the driver cost. Even backup lights cost Directors and passenger side? Forget extra on many cars. John Clark (2017) any seat belts in the back, un- Typically, luxuries like pow- Ron Nelson(2017) less you wanted to pay extra. er steering, power brakes, power Jackie Allen (2018) David Stephens (2018) One of the big reasons why door locks, power seats, power Kevin Williams(2019) base prices on cars from the windows, push-button radio Sharon Mercer(2019) 1950s and 1960s seem so ri- (instead of twirling a dial) were

Ron Nelson diculously low is because pret- only purchased by the wealthy. 9826 Affton View Ct. ty much EVERYTHING back And air-conditioning? Forget St. Louis, MO 63123 then was optional. about that. Even and (314) 638-7131 Basic car prices didn’t in- Lincoln didn’t start offering air Brass Lamp Editor clude a heater, cigarette lighter conditioning as standard equip- Kevin Williams (even though 50-percent of ment until the 1970s. (314) 481-9111 adults smoked in the 1960s), Webmaster seat belts (nobody bought or A Whole Lot of Work Neal McIntyre wore them anyway), rearview Today, we enjoy working on (314) 494-0346 mirror, and certainly not a ra- our old cars because—let’s be Special Events Coordinator dio (which would have been honest—we don’t have to rely AM only when purchased). Except for more luxurious brands like Cadillac, upper- end and Mercurys,

www.hccmo.com (314) 991-HONK

Celebrating 73 Years In St. Louis!

2 on them for daily transporta- new engine you likely will their modern counter parts, tion but instead only memo- not find it in the owner’s Hemmings Daily provided an ries and fun. manual for your new car and excellent reality check that Old car enthusiasts love to if you do, the prescriptions shows modern cars are actu- get all nostalgic about old- are certainly more lax than ally cheaper to buy and run timey gas stations where those set for the cars of the today than ever before. young, strapping men in cov- 1960s. “In 1965,” writes Kurt eralls used to cheerily pop the And on top of all of this, Ernst, “the sticker price of a hood to give the engine a once remember those 90-day car new V-8 powered Ford Mus- -over while they filled the warranties? That’s right, 90 tang coupe was $2,734.00 tank and squeegeed the wind- days! Now compare that to (the equivalent of $19,900 shield. But there was a really your 10 year/100,000 miles… today), and the average pro- good reason why everything duction worker made $3.00 under the hood needed check- About Those Back-In-The- per hour; to purchase a new ing at almost every gas stop— Day New Car Prices Mustang coupe with a V-8 old engines demanded it. Those old showroom prices, engine, therefore, required The pushrod engines we weren’t they great? Back in 911 hours of work, or about love so much required much the day, if you wanted a bare- 23 weeks. By 1985, the cost more frequent maintenance bones model with absolutely of an eight-cylinder Mustang and attention than our current had risen to daily drivers. Tighter manu- $9,885.00 (today’s facturing tolerances, the in- $21,100), while corporation of sophisticated production wages electronics, and a market had risen to $12.50 frankly averse to mechanical per hour, meaning maintenance has rendered the that one needed to typical tune-up obsolete. No toil for just 791 longer do car owners worry hours (120 hours about burned up points, greas- less than in 1965) ing fittings, and topping off to buy one.” batteries. While your typical Old cars re- 1960s steel-laden steed re- quired more quired constant attention to maintenance, more keep in running condition, often. And, when today’s drivers are lucky to you adjust for in- change the windshield wipers, flation, even gas or maybe replace a timing belt was more expen- at about the time the vintage sive. Ernst com- pushrod engine would have pares pump prices, needed a top-end. Think too, showing how about the maintenance sched- a Saturday- ule for a 1967 Thunderbird no add-ons, a few thousand evening cruise is actually eas- and compare to that of the one dollars could buy you just ier on the pocketbook these for the car you drive to work about any car on any lot. But days. Go here to check out every day. the idea that cars used to be the numbers and read Ernst’s Strikingly, many of today’s cheaper relative to buyers’ entire breakdown: new cars offer no advice for income is somewhat skewed. engine break-in. While it may Running the numbers on https://www.hemmings.com/ still be a good idea to take 1965-era Mustang, Porsche blog/?p=197881 certain precautions on a brand and Corvette compared to

3 <<< from Front Page der $18,000. Still, this was knowledge of how long a not the most expensive car company had existed by of who made in America. The Rolls 1930. The better gauge is drew sketches according to -Royce constructed in probably reflected in quali- the desires of the buyer. By Springfield, Mass., easily ty workmanship, overall ex- the time sketches were ap- ranged to nearly $20,000 in ecution of design on paper, proved and details ironed comparison, although ex- and the way in which com- out, the body builder was tras touches to a Model J pany officials carried them- anticipating the job. Duesenberg could elevate a selves through meetings The unit to that stratosphere. with buyers or their repre- Company in Auburn, Indi- By the way, the first catalog sentatives. ana, had humble roots in for the Model J was offered At Murphy, a new direc- the carriage trade before in the Spring of 1929 and tion was taken when it being taken over in the quickly became a cherished came to final design. The 1920s by former Moon car collector's item. A lesser operation was among the super-salesman E. L in sized 18-pager was pro- pioneers of full-size draw- his bid to become a car duced for general distribu- ings submitted to the buyer maker of renown. Soon tion and even that has be- for approval. This provided Cord jumped at the oppor- come a valuable asset to a sense of the car's impact tunity to add the Duesen- literature collectors. without leaving a scaled berg name to the firm on If you count up the total down version to carry the October 26, 1926. The run of with load of interest. While Duesenberg brothers (Fred custom bodies, you will tal- many buyers were forward and August) had begun their initial car company in 1913 as an Iowa company. Shifts in management eventually brought produc- tion to -- which was a fine location with a reputation for fast cars. At the Speedway of the the Duesenberg brothers en- joyed being amid the com- petition. The Cord auto- mobile, named after you- know-who, rounded out ly more than a baker's doz- thinking, some were not the classic threesome. en of different body mak- completely capable of un- In the early 1930s a raft ers. Willoughby Company derstanding spatial rela- of custom body builders of Utica, New York, was tionships in line, form, and lined up to place their fin- among the well-established function even with a large ished products on the makers. Walter M. Murphy two-dimensional drawing. Duesenberg chassis. These Company in Pasadena, Ca- That's when "salesmanship" included Murphy, Derham, lif., was among the newer walked buyers through the LeBaron, , Judkins, operations. It's hard to say beauty of the drawing. Willoughby, and LaGrande. whether buyers tended to Murphy products Catalogued prices (FOB In- lean toward one body com- smacked of "old school" dianapolis) ranged from pany or the other by sheer design with sparing yet $13,500 to just a shade un-

4 tasteful use of outer adornment such as fancy trim. This made offerings seem modern and sophisticated, accentuating the dips, curves, and sweeps of body lines. Doors were wide. Roof support pillars appeared thinner. This allowed more daylight inside and made the owner more readily seen as a person of means, unless privacy was de- manded in sketches. The Murphy magic seemed youthful and enticing, fit for the era that was emerging from the Roaring Twenties and ready to face the unknowns of what became known as the Great Depression. Key magicians for Murphy's success were Franklin Q. Hershey, George McQuarry, and Frank Spring. Frank Hershey gained a great reputation. Born in 1907, he was in his twenties when he joined Murphy. Guided by Spring, he was a fast learner and was entrusted with the design of the Peerless X-D prototype -- a 16-cylinder job for 1932. When he moved away from Murphy, Hershey went on to design the iconic Cadillac tail fins for 1948-49 which started a craze in the car world that reached its epitome of size on of 1959. He also took credit for the 1955 Thunderbird. Harley Earl of was partially responsible for his rise and wanted him dearly to stick with GM, but Hershey struck out on his own to include design work for and Ford. The Model J Duesenberg with custom carriage was a milestone in its era and contin- ues to generate high interest among collectors today. -

5 Packard's Competition in 1903 by Gerald Perschbacher (LL.D.) all rights reserved

These numbers seem rounded, but have been ac- claimed as relatively accu- rate. I will trust that for what it is, realizing that several sources were tapped by Wik- ipedia to compile the list. Even if it isn't accurate, at least it provides an idea of the competition, which is the na- ture of this article. In 1903, as auto shows sprang up like crocus in the spring, it was not impossible to order parts to build your own car. Brecht's running gears were offered from St. When Packard cranked much about cars, he should Louis. You may think this up production in 1903, it build his own. Mr. Packard was no threat to Packard, but would only reach 179 units did. Winton lived to regret I have to emphasize that and stretch from 1902 into it, we can suppose, since Packard was quite active in 1903 as a "series" designa- Packard trumped him royal- the St. Louis market in that tion. If this number sounds ly on race tracks and overall year. ANY competitor small, reach back farther. For production in a matter of threatened to cut into profits 1899-1901 there were 49 years. when totals were thin. made. For 1901 For 1901, Locomobile The Cleveland, made in there were 81. Look ahead to headed the list with 1,500. the city of that name, was 1904 and you can see a pat- Winton was second with typical of the design of cars tern of increased production 700. was third which were attracting first- with 250. with 425. Then came White time owners. There was not Packard fared well for (193), Autocar (140), Knox self-staring in that 1899-1901, ranking fourth (100) and Packard slid in at year. That's right--it took among American car mak- seventh place. arm power to crank 'er up! ers. Ahead of it, in descend- For 1902 it was Loco- A.L. Dyke of St. Louis ing order, were Columbia mobile (2,750), Oldsmobile also was a potential competi- (1,500), Locomobile (750), (2,500), Rambler (1,500), tor. His substantial catalogue and Winton (100). Little White (385), Knox (250), was well over 100 pages for wonder that the Packard was and Packard (179). Stanley that year, which was a phe- meant to over shadow the steamers were next with nomenal series of parts, chas- Winton, since it was its near- 170, a pretty close call! sis options, motors, and relat- est competitor in production Packard dropped out of ed paraphernalia to enhance total. Then there was the feud the top eight makers in the joy and success of per- that boiled when old Alexan- 1903, but was eighth for sonal transportation in a mo- der Winton told James Ward 1904 just behind Franklin torcar. Dyke's sales of cars- Packard that if he knew so (400). by-kit were based on unas-

6 sembled St. Louis automo- in town (1900). By 1903 Hal- biles. A notation in his own sey carried several makes, May 1, 1904 Post-Dispatch handwriting says that George Packard among them. There Two-column advertisements P. Dorris sold the St. Louis as is reference to William Doud under the classification an assembled unit; Dyke sold Packard coming through St. “Horses and Vehicles” it in parts ready for assembly. Louis on a trip to set up a dis- Dyke provided drawings tribution network. My re- of the car and optional plans search indicates that Halsey for building your own car may very well have been body, also! among the first dozen or so The Friedman of operations to be connected was close enough as a supply with Packard anywhere in the source to hit the St. Louis car world! market. A variety of cities Mr. Lewis struck out on had their own local brands, his own as a Chandler distrib- which avoided costs for ship- uter and eventually taught a ping by train or boat once an young man how to drive and order was placed, sell cars. That's man's name The greatest challenge was Irwin Albrecht, Sr., who wasn't delivery but it was had a connection with our maintenance plus upkeep Packard club in his twilight since there were VERY few years of the late 1970s. repair facilities and dealer- It was Halsey who had ships with mechanics who the Packard building con- were able to keep a car on the structed at 2201 Locust road. Hence, the popular Street, which in the early song directed at the car buyer, 1920s was taken over by "He'd have to get under, get George M. Berry. out and get under," to fix his Interestingly, remember automobile. that high number of Locomo- Jackson, Michigan, was a biles that were sold in 1899- modest-sized town with sev- 1902? That success was not eral brands that were home- only due to their construction spun. One was the Jax- but also was reliant upon the on. Few survive, and few promotional expertise of Mr. were probably built. Most Berry who wrote nearly every would have served owners in sales catalog, ad, and promo- about a 50-mile radius of tional reference for Locomo- town. bile in those dawning years of Neustadt-Perry was an- the car industry in America! other St. Louis supplier, par- Competitors. We can be tially operated by J.D. Perry glad Packard had them, since Lewis, respected as the first each innovation of a competi- man to build a car in St. Louis tor had to be countered by our in 1893. His inspiration was favorite brand in order to of- a foreign car he saw on a trip fer "a bit more" to the car to Europe in 1902. public! Mr. Lewis worked for the Halsey distributorship in St. Louis, which was the first one

7 Easter Concours Features

Concours d’Elegance Club Registrations

MG Club of St. Louis 16 cars Many consider the 1963 Kit Cars 14 cars Turbine Car the most valuable automobile in the Museum of Model T Ford Club 15 cars Transportation's collection. Of Show Me Corvair Club 15 cars the fifty-five that were built, only Bi-State Binders, Int’l 10 cars nine remain and of those nine, Gateway GTO//Oakland 15 cars only three still run. The Museum is proud to own the only opera- Triumph/Austin-Healey/ Morgan 30 cars tional Chrysler Turbine Car on MAA Military 10 vehicles public exhibit. Model A Ford Club 11 cars The MOT Chrysler Turbine Car will National Corvette Restorers 10 cars be on exhibit and started on a Show Me Car Club 15 cars regular basis at the 56th Annual Archway Olds 11 cars Easter Concours d' Elegance Show Moon/St. Louis-built 15 cars presented by the Horseless Car- riage Club of Missouri on Sunday, Other potential club participants April 16th, from 11:30 am - 4:30 Gateway Club pm, in Forest Park. Mississippi Valley Packard Club Mike Eberhardt, Turbine Car Ex- AMC Club pert, will start this rare engine for Gateway Camaro Club guests. Mike will be available to answer questions about the Tur- bine Car.

Jay Leno stopped by the Museum of Transportation to see the Chrysler Turbine Car. We hope you do too!

8 9 FOR SALE

Submitted by Pat Kuehner for Art Monning, Fenton. 1977 Lincoln Continental Photo: 1967 Chevy Impala Super Sport Convertible, 327 V- 8 automatic, 4-barrel carburetor, factory a/c, bucket seats, Town Car. power steering and brakes, exterior red with white top and 106652 miles. white interior. Engine and drive train rebuilt. $29,500 or Rebuilt trans- best offer. mission. $7000. 1957 Chrysler South Hampton, 4-door hardtop. Full pow- Call Art at 636 er, no a/c white body, blue top. $25,000 or best offer. -349-1493

Finders fee for each. For additional information call: Bill Albertin, (314) 270-7330.

Automotive Pioneers Hall of Fame Trivia

Answers from last month

Pioneer #27: Childe Wills Went from production manager and chief engineer at Ford to building the car that bore his name, Wills-St. Claire. Was instrumental in making steel the primary materials used in auto production.

Pioneer #28: John After having sold 94,500 cars skies darkened at Willys-Overland. Walter P. Chrysler managed to avoid an Overland bankruptcy and Willys Company recovered. John sold his shares for 21 million dollars.

Pioneer #29 1872 – 1962 All three brothers worked in their father’s sewing machine company. Experimented with steam cars. Produced first automobile in 1900. They sold their first gasoline car in 1909 and their first truck in 1910.

Who was this great man? Answer next month

***********

Pioneer #30 1870-1967

With his brother, they road tested their first car in 1883 on the streets of Springfield, Mass. They went on to win a road race from Chicago to Evanston, Ill., in 1895. Their motor wagon averaged 7½ miles per hour.

Who was this great man? Answer next month 10 The Brass Lamp

The Publication of the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri, Inc. April 2017

Activities Calendar

Information in this calendar is summarized. See flyers for 2017 Club Events Calendar events —go to www.midwestswapmeets.com April 14 7:30 General Meeting, Logan April 16 Easter Concours d’Elegance 2017 SWAP MEETS CAR SHOWS, ETC. May 19 6:30 Strawberry festival— Intro new members, Logan JanuaryApril 16 19 - 22 StConcours Louis Auto d’Elegance, Show Muny Lot June 16 6:30 Mtng + Ice Cream Cruise AprilMay 7 16 ModelConcours T Club d’Elegance, STL, Madison Muny LotIL June 18 Father’s Day Car Show JuneMay 1218 - 13 FatherNostalgia’s Day Rendezvous Show, Mus. Gateway of Transport MSP July 14 7:30 General meeting, Logan SeptemberJune 18 17 HCCMFather’ sShow Day Show,& Swap Mus. Meet, of TransportHlywd Casino August 20 Picnic—11 AM Location TBA OctoberAugust 18 8 - 20 Brass Ozark & Annual Nickel Swap, Show, Springfield Mus. Of Transport MO September 15 7:30 General Meeting, Logan September 17 HCCM Show & Swap Meet, Hlywd Casino October 1 Brass and Nickel show, MOT October 1 Brass & Nickel Show, Mus. Of Transport October 20 6:30 White Elephants, Logan November 17 6:30 Chili Cook-off, Logan

Items Available One of our ""senior" members has some household items Alert! Please check the club web site monthly at available for "offers." He may have tools, etc., later, but he HCCMO.com for notices of club event cancellations wants to move a few furniture items before the tools. His or changes in time or location due to weather or other wife is in feeble health and he asked if I could help monitor the requests. The items include circumstances. • a "pie safe" (like a high cupboard with perforated holes for air circulation). Circa 1900. Restored. • Ice Box (wooden, restored; excellent shape!) • Antique pitcher and basin on stand (near-perfect condi- tion). • More items may surface soon.

Contact Gerry Perschbacher (314-849-5249) if there is an interest. He will provide more details.

Reminder for Volunteers Volunteering to work at the Easter show and/or the September Swap Meet events held by the club earns credit toward free admission to the annual Christmas dinner and party. Your next opportunity is working at the Easter Concours d’Elegance

The Brass Lamp is a monthly publication of The Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri ©2017 All Rights Reserved. Material from this 11 newsletter may be reprinted or shared by our club members with proper citation and written consent from the editor. 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I all-weather coach by Windovers of Hendon, England. The 2017 Easter Concours d’Elegance poster car,

a 40-year restoration project by Wendell Smith.

The Brass The Lamp A Publication of the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri, Inc. Carriage Missouri, of Club Horseless the of Publication A www.hccmo.com (314) 991-HONK