Theour Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. Issue 202 January-February 2003

The Duck Motorcycle 7 by john Perala merica's motorcycle industry was barely getting started as the new century began. In 1901 there were two dozen or so motorcycle manufacturers that had www.autohistory.org A either begun production or were attempting to do so. The pioneer American manufacturer, Charles Metz, had been making 01ient motorcycles only since 1898. Oscar Hedstrom put together the first experimental Indian motorcycle for George Hendee in 1901. The Harley-Davidson was still two years off in the future. Out in the far west Abraham W Duck also began experimenting with motorcycles Inside in 1901. Abe Duck was the proprietor of Ducks Cyclery at 1234 Broadway in Oakland, California. He handled the Dayton and Olive lines of bicycles and also manufactured bi­ cycle accessories, notably the patented Duck Brake and Duck Carrier. He started working Editorial Comment 2 on a motorcycle in late 1901 and tinkered with it through 1902 and early 1903 before he was satisfied with his little machine. Around the time that Duck began work on the motorcycle, Mortimer H. Weed joined President's Perspective 3 him as manager of the bicycle shop. In April 1903 they presented the Duck Motorcycle to the public. It was a typical early design; that is, it was a motorized bicycle. Prior to the introduc­ tion of the motorcycle, Duck and Weed had begun making the Duck Flyer bicycle as well. SAH News 4 The Duck motorcycle had a bicycle frame and a single-cylinder engine with belt drive.lt weighed 106 pounds ready to go and was capable of speeds up to 40 miles per hour. It cost $200 at Duck's shop in Oakland. Soon Duck was offering several engine Obituaries 6 sizes, ranging from one and three-quarter horsepower to four horsepower. The two and Leslie R. Henry one-quarter-horsepower version was a two-cycle engine with a three and one-quarter- by Harry Newton three and one-quarter-inch bore and stroke. E.T. "Bob" Cregorie Owners of Duck motorcycles were quick to enter them in local races. In fact, one of the first machines made was a racing motorcycle built to order for a local bicycle racer. Duck himself rode one of his motorcycles to a second-place finish behind a Rambler in a Book Review 10 five-mile handicap race at San jose on September 9, 1903. At San Francisco's Ingleside The Kalamazoo Automobilist track a four-horsepower Duck placed second again to a Rambler in a five-mile handicap 1891-1991 race on November 6, 1903 and came in third the next day in another five miler. On June 12 , 1904 Ducks finished first and second in a three-mile handicap race at Ingleside. The motorcycle business had been successful enough that in March 1905 Abraham Letters 11 Duck incorporated it as the Duck Cycle and Motor Company He was president of the company and Mortimer Weed was its secretary and manager. The other stockholders were Duck's wife, his mother-in-law and an attorney Prior to this time the manufacturer's The Billboard 15 name was given simply as A.W Duck or A.W Duck and Company. The factory and salesroom remained at Duck's bicycle shop, which had been doubled in size in anticipa­ tion of increased motorcycle production. Duck motorcycles continued to be raced locally On August 11, 1907 Frank E. Karslake rode a two and one-quarter-horsepower Duck to victory in the five- and ten­ mile races at Concord. Most of his competition came from other Ducks. However, he barely eked out a victory over a Torpedo in the five-mile handicap race and was just ahead of an Indian at the finish of the ten-mile free-for-all event. At the Emeryville races

continued 011 page 15 Be Like Spike

history and would be of interest to the ers wi.ll continue to take advantage of it. members. And never ever should an SAH As you are reading this it is the end member accomplish something that is of j anuary and, if you're like me, you have not then heralded on these pages. long given up on keeping any resolutions There was also a full mailbox this made on New Year's Day In an attempt to issue, which l personally like to see. It be more successful this year I made only shows some members are reading the one resolution-to be like Spike. Journal , and letters tend to generate In the twelve years that we've been responses which add to the information together 1 have found a lot to like and Thomas S. Jakups, Editor provided by the initial letter writer. appreciate in Spike. Among the things he I thank everyone who has con­ has taught me are elcome to the first journal of tributed to the journal in the past year • Be content wi.th who you are. 2003. As you wi.ll see, it is and I invite more members to send in • You don't have to speak loudly to be W one of the newsiest issues material in 2003. 1 would especially like understood; often you don't have to that we have had in a while-from Board to see more articles for Page l . speak at all. Minutes to obituaries to committee And now a word for our advertis­ • Patience and persistence get results. reports to awards to new books out. All ers. McFarland Publishing has been a • Fully enjoy the here and now. this news made it the easiest journal for loyal sponsor since issue 190 and I am • Take comfort in the routine, but always me to put together. As more and more very happy to include its latest catalog be alert for new adventures. items came in I cheerfully squeezed them in this issue. I also thank Vintage • Allow rain and other unpleasantries to in. News is the lifeblood of any newslet­ Motorphoto for its continued support. roll off your back. ter and the journal is no exception. Be This is the third issue (out of the past As Henry David Thoreau advised, sure to remember that when you come four) that a particular book has been "Live simply and wisely" I wonder what across a vehicle, person, event or pub­ advertised. The journal is a natural forum his dog's name was. lished work that relates to automotive for such ads and I am sure book publish- -Tom]akups QJ.Jrn~,l .._ J Issue 202 January-February 2003 Officers Publications Committee SAH Journal (ISSN 1057-1973) Dale K. Wells President Christopher C. Foster, Chair is published six times a year by the Joseph S. Freeman Vice President Taylor Vinson Society of Automotive Hi storians, Inc. Michael L Berger Secretary Thomas S. Jakups Christopher C. Foster Treasurer Michael Lamm Subscription is by membership Beverly Rae Kimes in the Society. Board of Directors Through October 2003 Membership dues are $40 per year. James J. Schild Robert R. Ebert Past Editors Send dues, membership inquiries Samuel V. Fiorani Richard B. Brigham and changes of address to Through October 2004 Issues 1-29 Sept. 1969-(undated) 1973 Darwyn H. Lumley Paul N. Lashbrook Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. C. Marshall Naul leroy D. Cole 1102 long Cove Road Through October 2005 30-50 july 1973-Dec. 1976 Cales Ferry, CT 06335-1812 USA Susan S. Davis John A. Marino John Peckham ©2003 Arthur W . Jones 51-59 Feb. 1977-july 1978 Walter Cosden The Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. SAH Journal 60-87 Nov. 1978-Dec. 1983 Thomas S. Jakups Find the Society of Automotive Historians Richard B. Brigham Editor, Advertising Manager on the web at www.autohistory.org. 88- 117 Jan.fFeb. 1983-Nov.fDec. 1988 37 Wyndwood Road West Hartford, CT 06107 USA Christopher C. Foster Copy Deadline for Journa/203 860-236-0125 Fax 860-232-0468 118-157 jan.fFeb. 1989-July/Aug. 1995 email : [email protected] Samuel V. Fiorani February 28th [email protected] 158-194 Sept.fOct. 1995-Sept.fOct. 2001

2 SAH Journal No. 202 The Brave New World of Automobiles

Even the marketing costs required opment of other options appears undeni­ to sustain a brand are such that we have able. Besides the perfection of suitable seen Plymouth discontinued and have power sources, the need for the develop­ been advised that will soon ment of a new infrastructure to distribute be gone. Many analysts have declared the electricity, fuel cells or whatever will Dale K. Wells, President there are simply too many brands for all be a major undertaking. appy New Year, and welcome to to survive in a global marketplace. Ironic­ As much as we all love our auto­ the first ]oumal of 2003. I am all y, in the face of shtinking numbers of mobile and as much as all the rest of the H starting to get used to the 21st brands, we now hear there are still world would like to have them, there is a century, writing dates as something other attempts to develop and produce super­ distinct possibility that 100 or 200 years than l99x, with those zeroes between the luxury sports coupes and grand touring from now (if civilization survives, and I first and last digits on the calendar. sedans in the quarter- to half-million-dol­ hope it will) the teeming masses of an In the Society of Automotive Histori­ lar price range. In the case of the pro­ overpopulated world may have to be con­ ans we have been mindful that significant posed new half-million dollar Maybach, tent with mass transportation and buses auto marques deserve recognition in the it will have the full resources of the high­ to move around. When we look at our centennial year of their founding. Among ly successful world-, Mercedes, to crowded highways, high-rise parking the marques that achieved success in pro­ support its R&D . Those without a mega ramps and incidents of "road-rage" it ducing quality automobiles over 100 years corporate sponsor will probably go the raises the question, "How long can this go ago, we have already recognized Pierce­ route of the Bricklin, the Delorean and on7" Is there enough room in our cities Arrow, Peerless, Rambler-Nash, and others. Yet hope springs eternaL and suburbs to absorb continued growth Franklin by issuing cenificates of congratu­ Where will it all end7 It is really in the numbers of on the roads7 lation to their respective clubs. anybodys guess. Many predict the global What will we do when every road is eight There were so many hundreds of mergers will result in more abandoned lanes wide and there is a traffic light at attempts to produce automobiles and we names. After all , down underneath those every comer7 We may then be clamoring could not recognize all brands. Most various nameplates, there really isn't for express buses and high speed raiL scholars would agree, however, that the much difference anymore between the In the "Brave New World" there above marques were significant auto­ house brands within each corporation. will still be history to research and write mobiles, widely accepted in the market The basic need is to have something to about, whatever forms of personal auto­ and deserving of recognition by collec­ offer in each price range . In the upper mobile transportation exist. cholars may tors and historians. Regretfully, only the price range, the luxury cars can afford to look back with disbelief that motorists Cadillac is with us in production today. add more electronics and goo-gahs to drove around in 4,000-pound SUVs, one The Great Depression wiped out many please and amuse their owners. But down individual per car, commuting 20, 30, 40 great marques because they did not have at the bottom price range (if there still is or more miles. We are truly living in the a "generous motors" corporate base to one), the mass market still needs simple, golden age of the motorcar, just a few support them through those lean years, utilitarian transportation, especially so in generations removed from the great even though thei r products may have the rising Third World nations. In that Classic cars of the 1920s and 1930s represented quality through and market, a car is a car is a car-they just where it would appear the manufacturers through. Others like the Rambler-Nash­ need wheels to ge t around. THOUGHT they had all the problems Rambler-AMC lineage could probably be As we ponder the question, "where solved and could build the ultimate auto­ considered victims of globalization and is automobile design going?" we wonder mobile-one that would last a lifetime. technological change. Between the high­ about the future of gasoline versus elec­ But then came the quest for "stream­ tech electronics and government regula­ tric or energy cells. We see tremendous lined" designs for greater comfort and tions imposed by our complex world incentives to wean the world from oil as speed, and the race was on and contin­ today, there is simply no way for low fears of scarcity escalate. Perhaps due to ues today for greater comfort and speed. volume manufacturers to absorb the political situations, depleted resources or What else is there? required R&D costs alone. ecological concerns, the need for devel- -Dale Well s January-February 2003 3 Taylor Vinso n noted that Issue #39 of the Automotive History Review had just been published, marking the tenth one that he has edited. Issue #40 will be pub­ lished in May or june of 2003 and will feature authors under 40 years of age , in­ cluding the winner of the Student Paper Award for 200 l. 6. SAH Press Kit Foster stated that the principal activity of the Press this past year had been the resale of two vol­ umes (coachbuilding and A-Z) from the Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile Highlights from voted unanimously to approve the series. A total of 165 copies have been · the October 10, 2002 2002- 03 budget as presented. sold to date, netting $1,146 fo r the SAH Board Meeting Ongoing Activities Society. We only have a handful left. State of the Society 4. Awards Leroy Cole reviewed the Copies of those works we re purchased 1. Membership Total membership list of awards to be presented at the An­ from the publisher, The Stationery Office is 925, down slightly fro m October of nual Meeting and Awards Banquet and (UK), at a discount and the savings then 2001 , hopefully a passing phenomenon indicated the recipient(s) of each. Tay lor were passed on to the SAH membership. attributable to this year's increase in the Vinson noted that the Cugnot Award for a The Board felt that the Society ought to Society's dues. The international nature book published in a language other than continue offering such a perk when of SAH is shown by the fact that 186 English would go to a work published in similar opportunities arise in the future. of these members are from outside the Norwegian. Bob Ebert reported that there It is viewed as a members' service, as United States. Members joining the or­ would be no Student Award this year. opposed to a true publishing venture like ganization for the first time during the There was only one nominated paper and SAH's production of Mr. javelin. past twelve months numbered 111. The that was written by an undergraduate. 7. Website A comprehensive writ­ 2002 edition of the membership directo­ The Board discussed various ways to ten report was received from webmaster ry is scheduled to be published in late increase the number of nominees for the Dave Du ricy, including the number of December. Student Award. A motion by Bob Ebert to "hits" and the duration of the site visits . 2. Board of Directors Elections create separate awards for the best under­ The website (www.autohistory.org) is Leroy Cole, Chair of the Nominating graduate and best graduate paper was now included in the data banks of sever­ Committee, reported that usan S. Davis, approved, with the budgeted financial al major search engines, including Yahoo, Arthu r W jones and john A Marino had prize ($ 1,000) being split between the and they are a source of identification been elected to the Board for three-year two. The Board also decided to advance and recognition for the Society. Dave is terms ending in October of 2005. the deadline for nominated works for all investigating the possibility of establish­ 3. Finances Kit Foster presented awards fro m April 30 to April 15 and ing a set of "members only" benefits on the 2002- 03 SAH operating budget for agreed that that deadline needed to be the website, but this innovation is being consideration , together with a balance advertised early and often in the journal. held up by security concerns. sheet for the past year and a cash fl ow l eroy noted that the Society continued 8. Silent Auction Leroy Cole analysis spreadsheet covering the past the practice this year of granting Centen­ reported that there were 600 items on five years. Reversing the downward trend nial Award certificates to marques that which to bid in this year's auction . The of the last few years, we will have in­ were established 100 years ago and were range and quality of the items continue creased our total assets by approximately still manufactured or had legacy elements to be impressive for this annual "swap" $8,000 at the end of the current fi scal that could be identified today. of materials among members, and there year as compared to FYO l. The improved 5. Periodicals Tom ]akups an­ is every indication that it will once again financial position was attributed to the nounced that, as promised, the journal be a significant source of revenue for the dues increase and validates the wisdom was maintaining a bi-monthly schedule Society. The deadline for the receipt of of that decision . However, unless pro­ of publication. He is continuously work­ bids was November 30. jected revenues turn out to be higher ing on enhancing that SAH publication 9. Automotive History Conferences than expected, the operating budget for and was pleased to report that the quali ty The 4th bi-annual conference held last 2002-03 could run a deficit of $2,000. of the photographs appearing therein has April at the Aubum -Cord-Duesenberg After discussing the causes and possible been increased markedly in response to Museum in Auburn, Indiana, was a great remedies for this si tuation , the Board concerns expressed last April. educational, financial and social success.

4 SAH Journal No. 202 The Board approved a motion that one­ racing history, although joe Freeman con­ 17. Finally, Sue Davis suggested third of the unexpected profits from the tinues to be interested in doing so. that rather than accepting an annual op­ conference be returned to the Museum New Initiatives and Proposals erating budget deficit, the Society might as a contribution in lieu of payment for 13. As part of the discussion consider conducting an annual fund services provided. It was noted that while regarding this year's book awards, joe drive or introducing a planned giving the quality of the SAH presentations was Freeman suggested that the Society con­ program to supplement revenue generat­ good, with one exception they were sider designing a template that could be ed by dues and auxiliary enterprises. It given by individuals who had partici­ affixed by the publisher to the outside was decided to return to such potential pated at earlier conferences. A commit­ cover of award-winning books. It was fundraising initiatives in the spring. ment was made to reach out for new pre­ noted that such a practice had been fol­ Submitted by senters for the next conference. lowed at least once in the past and that Michael Berger; SAH Secretary Preliminary discussions regarding its resumption would benefit both the a 5th Automotive History Conference author and SAH. This idea will be more Final Information in 2004 have begun. It is expected that fully considered at the April Board meet­ on SAH in Paris a ~ember of the National Association of ing in Boston, at which time Kit Foster As announced in the last journal, the 8th Automotive Museums will again serve as will present a formal proposal. annual meeting of SAH members and the site of the conference. It is hoped that 14. Several ideas for new awards, guests in Paris is planned for the evening there will be a firm proposal to consider first broached last year, were discussed in of Thursday, February 6, 2003, at the by the time of the Board's spring meeting. more detail. One, an endowed award Automobile Club de France. The Club, The SAH is also considering being part named in honor of the late Richard 6 Place de la Concorde, is easily reached of the 2005 World Automotive Forum, Scharchburg, would recognize archivists from the Concorde Metro stop. We'll which probably will meet in Detroit who make significant contributions to meet for drinks at 6:30P.M., with dinner and take advantage of the Automobile automotive history. Leroy Cole was asked following at 7:15. jacket and tie for men. ational Heritage Area of Michigan. to draft criteria for such an award, to be The price of the dinner is slightly 10. European Meeting Taylor considered at the spring Board meeting. higher than reported earlier due to ad­ Vinson reported that plans are moving Another award, honoring an academic justments by the Club, and is 80 euros ahead for the 8th annual European din­ for advancing the study of automotive or 85 US dollars per person. Our three­ ner/meeting, to be held February 6, 2003 history, was suggested by joe Freeman. course dinner will begin with a fresh at the Automobile Club de France (ACF) 15. The Second Chance Garage swordfish salad with a tapenade of olives, in Paris. As decided at last springs Board is going to expand its operations into continue with duck garnished with citrus meeting, Taylor will present Laurent Friry another medium by creating an on-line fruits and honey and conclude with a with a book as a gift from the SAH in web presence. The Garage is interested in souffle Grand Marnier. Members from appreciation for his assistance over the posting articles written by SAH members. countries other than the United States years as local arrangements chair for the 16. The Board discussed the issue should make reservations with, and ar­ European meeting. Laurent has been of preserving automobilia of a short-lived range payment to, Laurent Friry. His e­ informed of the Society's intention and he nature. One aspect of this issue is the mail address is [email protected] has indicated that he would appreciate desirability of reporting and maintaining and his home address is 22 rue d'Antony, receiving a copy of The Splendid Stutz. files on the recognition and exposure F-91370 Verrieres le Buisson. You may A side trip to the Citroen museum is also that SAH gets in the media. Kit Foster's pay Laurent "at the door" if you prefer. planned. participation in the National Public If you are coming from the United States, 11. Spring Board Meeting Radio discussion of the lOOth anniver­ please contact (and pay) me (1314 The Officers and Board of Directors of sary of the American Automobile Assoc­ Trinity Drive, Alexandria, VA 22314 the SAH will hold their spring meeting in iation (AAA) and the Chicago Tribune (tvinson®nhtsa. dot.gov). Boston in April 2003. The Museum of article concerning SAH were cited as We have also scheduled a visit Transportation will be the host site . examples that need to be preserved. In a to the Conservatoire Citroen in the sub­ 12. Chapter Relations Leroy Cole different vein, Gregg Merksamer noted the urb of Aulnay for Monday the lOth at reported that the United Kingdom Chap­ need to preserve press kit publicity mate­ 2:00 P.M. We'll provide directions at the ter has its highest membership ever and rials that no longer appear in print. Elec­ dinner, where Charles Herval, the direc­ that it has drafted a constitution and by­ tronic media formats, like compact disks, tor of institutional relations, will be a laws. The Leland Chapter is doing well. make it more difficult to access the con­ guest. Not open to the general public, The Pioneer Chapter has experienced re­ tent today and they could be unreadable the Conservatoire houses over 200 Cit­ newed interest, as has the Indiana group. in the future, as has happened to many roen cars and trucks and a sizable collec­ There has been no movement on the cre­ files written in what is now "archaic" tion of documents. ation of a chapter devoted to automotive computer software. -Taylor Vinson January-February 2003 5 Obituaries Harry's journalistic style was devel­ nounced his last name. "It's GREG-RE," oped during the Korean conflict, where he corrected me, "the '0' is silent." He Leslie R. Henry he wrote for Stars & Stripes, the US mili­ was never one to mince words. 1913-2002 tary newspaper. Once back in ew York I met him when he was in his early Leslie R. Henry died October 28 at his after the war, Harry went into the car 80s. l was just starting my research on a home in Dearborn, Michigan. Internation­ business, selling Hudsons, then . biography of Edsel Ford and wanted to all y recognized as an authority on Model Eventually he found his niche in the talk to people who knew Edse l. "You T Fords, he had belonged to some 50 explosively popular imported sports car need to talk to Bob Gregorie," said Dave automobile clubs worldwide, founding market of the 1950s when he joined Cri ppen of the Ford Archives. "Who's many of them. President of the Antique Harry Blanchard's multi-marque dealer­ Bob Gregorie?" I replied, not knowing Automobile Club of America for two ship in Greenwich, Connecticut. Harry that Ford's first design chief and confi­ years, he served 33 years as a director not only specialized in British sports cars; dant of Edsel's was still living. and 28 as technical vice president. he was also involved with the early days I wanted desperately to talk to Instrumental in the organization of of racing and sports car rallying. him, since at this late date most of the • MCPI.s judging system, he authored or In the mid 1960s Harry was people who had known Edsel were long co-authored hundreds of articles and named sales manager and vice president gone. But it wasn't easy. I ca lled him, more than a dozen books. A founding for the legendary j.S. Inskip in New York introduced myself and explained what I member of SAH, he had not been active City, where his sales team sold over 25 was doing. He politely turned me down. in the last dozen years. percent of all the Rolls-Royce cars I kept trying, by phone and by letter. A chemical engineer by training, brought to the US and an even larger Finally, I asked Mike Lamm, who had he developed extreme temperature lubri­ percentage of Aston Martin's U.S . sales. known Bob for many years, to intercede. cants for the military during World War He then went on to Hoffman Motors in He did, and Bob agreed to talk to me. II . In 1960 he was recruited by the 1967, where he served as marketing After talking on the telephone over Henry Ford Museum and he moved his manager during the introduction of the several months, I had finally developed a famil y to Michigan. As part of his job BMW 1600 and 2002. rapport with the old designer and l finding and acquiring vehicles for the His automotive credits include asked him if I could come down to see museum, he traveled worldwide. He posts as sales manager at a number of him. He agreed. He lived in a modest retired from the Ford Museum in 1977. luxury sports and import agencies and as two-bedroom house on St. Augustine's Les Henry had a wry sense of wit. head of Volkswagen in Puerto Rico . More Anastasia Island. (He preferred living on A few years ago a reporter asked him to recently, Harry had been writing for the yacht that he had designed and built what he attributed his reaching the ven­ sports car and vintage racing publications back in the fifties, but old age and con­ erable age of 86. "Well, I was born in and doing research projects for collectors gestion forced him off the waterways.) 1913," he replied. He is survived by his all over the U.S. He was one of the few It was june, and hot, and when he came wife, Audrien, son, Charlie, daughter-in­ American journalists who had been there to the door he was wearing khaki shorts, law and a granddaughter. The family has from the beginning and knew much a short-sleeve shirt and penny loafers. asked that memorial contributions be information from firsthand experience. He was tall , about six feet, and had blue made to the MCA Library and Museum, His son, Brian ewton, said that eyes. He told me that he used to have PO. Box 417, Hershey, PA 17033. contributions to his memory may be red hair, but what little he had left was -Kit Foster made to the ociety of Automotive now white. Historians, 1102 Long Cove Road, Gales l had come prepared. l had a list of Harry Newton Ferry, Connecticut 06335. questions and a pile of black and white 1929-2002 -Rick Feibusch photographs of old Fords, Mercurys and Well-known automotive journalist, histo­ Lincolns. We sat down in the sunroom rian and rare auto collection consultant E.T. "Bob" Gregorie located in the back of his house and I pro­ Harry Newton died of cancer on Novem­ 1908-2002 ceeded to ask him questions as to how he ber 4, 2002. He was 73 years old. The Ford Motor Company's first design chief designed aU of those cars, and more British car hobby and automotive history and the creator of the magnificent Lin­ importantly, what Edsel Ford was like. in general suffered a great loss wi th his coln Continental died on December 1, He liked the fact that I had done passing. 2002 at the age of 94. His real name was my homework, for while he could re­ Harry had become a major fan Eugene Turenne Gregorie, but since he member details of designs and incidences of British sports cars in 1950 when he was a junior his family began calling him that had occurred sixty years earlier, his traded his big sedan for a brand Bob and the name stuck. In fact , he eyes would light up when I asked him a new, bright red MG TD from Perry Fina, hated being called "Eugene" or "Gene." question that would spark his memory. the East Coast Allard importer. And it riled him when people mispro- He was incredibly articulate and his sto- 6 SAH Journal No. 202 rytelling skills would have given Mark be made to JackJuratovic, 819 Abse­ Possible subjects include, but are Twain a run for his money. quami Trail, Lake Orion, MI 48362. not limited to , histori.cal aspects of auto­ We had a number of meetings like The James J. Bradley Award rec­ mobile companies and their leaders, reg­ this. And over the years I got to know ognizes outstanding contri.butions to ulation of the auto industry, financial and Gregori.e about as well as anyone. He had automotive history by an organization. economic aspects of the industry, high­ been retired for over forty years, but I ominations can be made to James way development, environmental matters could tell from my conversations with Wren, 5930 Glen Eagles Drive, West and automotive marketing, design, engi­ him that he was both a talented designer Bloomfield, MI 48323. neeri.ng and safety and a master politician. I could see how The E.P. Ingersoll Award recog­ Submissions will be judged using Edsel took a liking to him. Gregori.e had nizes the best treatment of automotive the cri.teri.a of research, organization, the talent to design cars for Edsel and the history in media other than p1int. Nom­ writing style and documentation. A cover temeri.ty to stand up to Henry Ford's inations can be made to James Wren. letter should be included stating the stu­ henchmen, such as Charlie Sorensen and The Friend of Automotive His­ dent's address, school, program, advisor joe Galamb. He was a man's man and a tory Award recognizes exceptional contri.­ and stage in studies (undergraduate or designers designer, and even if he hadn't butions to the cause of automotive history graduate). Submissions must be post­ had the backing of Edsel, his pri.de and by an individual. ominations can be made marked by May 15, 2003. All papers confidence would have forced him to to David L. Lewis, 2588 Hawthorn submitted will be acknowledged. stand up against these men, regardless of Road, Ann Arbor, Ml48104. Winning papers will be published the consequences. There will be two student wri.ting in the Societys Automotive History Review. Yes, I liked the fact that Gregori.e awards this year. Please read the following Winners will be notified in August, 2003. had known Henry Ford and Edsel Ford, article explaining the change. Each award will consist of a plaque and a and that he designed most of the old cash pri.ze of $500.00. Fords that I enjoy so much. After all , that Expanded Student Paper Chair of the Student Paper Commit­ is why I wanted to meet him in the first Competition for 2003 tee is Sinclair Powell. Other members are place. But take all of that away, and I still In order to encourage research and wri.t­ Charles Blackman, Robert Ebert, David Lewis would have wanted to know him. ing efforts among university students in and Craig Pascoe. Committee members -Henry Dominguez the field of automotive history, the serve as judges of the papers submitted. Society of Automotive Historians for the The Committee acknowledges with April 15th Is Deadline past two years has sponsored a competi­ thanks financial assistance for the 2003 for 2003 Award Nominations tion for the best student paper in the program from Mercedes-Benz USA, a sub­ Nominations are now being accepted for automotive history field. This student sidiary of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. books, magazines, articles, organizations paper program has been expanded for Submissions should be sent to and people worthy of being honored in 2003. Instead of a single award for all Sinclair Powell, Chair 2003. contestants regardless of their level of Student Paper Award Committee, SAH The Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot study, the 2003 program provides for two 8 Ruthven Place Award recognizes the best book in the separate awards. One award will be con­ Ann Arbor, Ml 48104-2612 field of automotive history published in ferred for the top paper submitted by a -Sinclair Powell the pri.or year. Nominations can be made graduate-level student. A second award to Darwyn Lumley, 1911 Goodwin will be given for the top paper submitted Society's Centennial Drive, Vista, CA 92084-2590. by an undergraduate-level student. Recognition Program Nominations for the Cugnot Persons submitting papers must be Expanded in 2002 Award, Language other than English students at educational institutions at the SAHs Centennial Recognition Program can be made to Taylor Vinson, 1314 time of submission. This competition is for vari.ous makes of motorcars expanded Trinity Drive, Alexandria, VA 22314. international in scope, but papers must substantially in 2002. The Carl Benz Award recognizes be in the English language. Papers already The relatively new SAH program got the best article in the field of automotive published or scheduled for publication under way formally in 2001 when centen­ history published in the pri.or year. Nom­ will not be accepted. Manuscri.pts should nial recognition certificates were awarded inations can be made to Don Keefe, not exceed 10,000 words and should be to the Pierce-Arrow Society at its celebra­ 6173 Doe Haven Drive, Farmington, double-spaced. An abstract is requested. tion in Buffalo, New York, and to the NY 14425. Submissions should emphasize in-depth Peerless Owners Club, which commemo­ The Richard and Grace Brig­ research with adequate citation of sources rated the one hundredth anniversary of ham Award recognizes the best overall utilized. Diagrams, graphs or photographs Peerless manufacturing in Cleveland. treatment of automotive history for a may be included. An ori.ginal and four In 2002 no less than four motorcar magazine as a whole. ominations can copies must be submitted. centenari.es were given recognition. The

january- February 2003 7 Rambler and Nash owners' clubs were turing plant and office. SAH members San juan Capistrano, California awarded SAH certificates attesting to the attending all or part of the White pro­ Hans Et.zrodt fact that the first Rambler automobile gram included]ames Neal, Robert Ebert Honolulu, Hawaii (ancestor of ash) was produced in and Robert Scoon. james A Ward 1902. SAH president Dale Wells ar­ In 2003 at least two major firms Chattanooga, Tennessee ranged for presentation of the Rambler currently producing motor vehicles, Ford Fred Reinecke certificate in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and and Buick, will be celebrating centenaries. La Habra, California personally presented the ash certificate Other lesser-known marques will be con­ Evan Pierson Ide in Kalamazoo, Michigan. ducting similar celebrations and I urge Belmont, Massachusetts Recognition by SAH of one hun­ SAH members who know of such events Akira Yamamoto dred years of continuous production of to get in touch with me at 8 Ruthven Tokyo, japan the Cadillac automobile took place in place, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 734-769- Don L Rebtoy Dearborn, Michigan, in early August. 1188; e-mail: [email protected]. litchfield Park, Arizona • Immediate past president of SAH Leroy - Sinclair Powell Peter joffre ye Cole presented certificates to both the Centennial Recognition Committee Chair Arlington, Virginia Cadillac division of and Thomas]. Masciari the Cadillac-laSalle Club, whose mem­ Welcome New Members Derry, ew Hampshire bers displayed some 600 cars at this Bob DeKome, Hagerty Insurance Th omas B. Colbert impressive event. j ohn Grettenberger, Traverse City, Michigan Ithaca, ew York retired general manager of Cadillac Jim Donnelly, Special Interest Autos William Bell Division, received the company's com­ Bennington, Vermont Marcellus, ew York memorative plaque. Other SAH members Colin Bruder William M. Spitler, III who participated in key aspects of the Oxfordshire, England lancaster, Pennsylvania week-long Cadillac centennial celebra­ Adolfo Orsi Monica I. Cooper tion were jeff Godshall and jim Schild. Carpi, Italy Phoenix, Arizona The centenary of the air-cooled james Davis Reinstated Members Franklin automobile was celebrated in Canandaigua, ew York Robert Straub Syracuse and Cazenovia, New York , dur­ Paul Benemelis Baltimore, Maryland ing the week of August 11-17. On Sun­ Watsonville, California D r: Paulo Cesar Sandler day morning, August 11 , the program got Anthony M. Newlove Sao Paulo, Brazil underway in Syracuse with a welcome by Hampshire, England joseph L Parker the mayor of the city Committee chair Eugene Reilly Broomes Island, Maryland and past SAH president Sinclair Powell Connellsville, Pennsylvania Richard Langworth then presented a certificate to Tex Sorrell, Dylan Frautschi Contoocook, ew Hampshire president of the H. H. Franklin Club, Hudson, Wisconsin attesting to the fact that the first Franklin john C. Bittence Classic Car Club Museum automobile was sold in the early summer Hiram, Ohio Receives Judkins Archives of 1902. A crowd of several thousand Patrick Faucompre Constance Judkins Bowman, daughter of persons witnessed the ceremony and Silver Spring, Maryland custom coachbuilder john B. Judkins, has viewed the more than 120 Franklin cars David Bean donated her father's archives to the Classic on display In the afternoon Sinclair Castle Hayne, North Carolina Car Club of America Museum. The Judkins chaired a historical seminar held at the Robin L Berson archives join such other collections of the Onondaga Historical Association auditori­ Beverly Hills, California CCCA Museum as the Derham archives um, which featured talks on Franklin his­ Robert Falcon and the papers of Ray Dietrich, donated by tory plus the introduction of a number of Temple City, California his widow Marion Dietrich. persons whose parents or grandparents S. David Knisley The]. B. Judkins Company opened once worked for the auto finn. Weaverville, North Carolina its doors in Amesbury, Massachusetts, in The fourth SAH certificate was pre­ Lou Metelko 1857 as a carriage builder and built its sented by Sinclair Powell to a representa­ Auburn, Indiana first automobile body exactly forty years tive of the White Owners Club at the Andrew Minney later. By early in the twentieth century, club's annual meet held in the Cleveland Middlesex, England Judkins was providing coachwork for the area on August 30 and 31. The meet also Donald A Bierstock creme de la creme of the American auto­ featured a display of White vehicles and Waterloo, Ontario mobile industry, locomobile, Peerless, a tour of the now-closed White manufac- Roy C. Morris Alco, Stevens-Duryea among others. 8 SAH )ouma1No.202 The single automobile that Judkins considerable documentation of judkinss of the racing and record breaking exploits became most famo us for was Lincoln, carriage-building days with photos, draw­ of the 750cc and 11 OOcc classes that had beginning in 1921 when Henry Martyn ings, payroll and accounting journals and such an important influence on the motor Leland approached the coachbuUder with the blacksmiths book. racing scene in the interwar period. an order for 50 berlines like the one The Judkins archives will officially Backed up by comprehensive in­ ordered by a Boston Lincoln dealer. Fol­ become part of the CCCA Museum during dexes of personalities, marques and cir­ lowing the Lelands' sale of their company The Grand Experience, the annual con­ cuits plus some illustrations, this book to Ford in 1922, the Judkins connection cours d'elegance that will be held at the reveals the wide range of different makes became firmly established with Edsel Ford. Museum during the first weekend of June. of car that competed. Some, like Mas­ Judkins produced nearly six thousand "We are fast becoming the prime erati, MG and Peugeot, are still house­ bodies for Lincoln, which kept the com­ repository for the papers of designers and hold names; others, like Senechal, B. .C. pany healthy but was not the entire story coachbuilders of the 1920s through the and Salmson, may be unknown to the The 1920s were Judkins's glory 1940s," Dale Wells, curator of the Muse­ followers of modem motor sport but were years as its bodies graced not only Lin­ um library, said. "We are the logical place equally important in their day Record coins but such other luxury chassis as for this material because our focus is spe­ breaking was a high-profile activity in the Cadillac, Duesenberg, Packard, Marmon ci fi cally on these vehicles and that era." 1930s and in the smaller capacity classes and Pierce-Arrow. Like all American cus­ The Classic Car Club of America the battles for supremacy between Austin tom builders, the company fell victim to Museum, which was founded in 1982, is and MG are well documented. the Great Depression and the changing located on the grounds of the Gilmore -Andrea Green social scene and closed its doors in Ames­ Museum at Hickory Comers near Kala­ bury in 1941. mazoo, Michigan. Now closed for the Cyclists, Doctors, and Others- The gift of the archives is not the winter, it will reopen in May For further The Int roduction of the Motor Car to first association of Judkins with the Clas­ information, phone 269-353-4672 or Queensland, by D.W Martin. Soft covers, sic Car Club. early four decades ago e-mail [email protected]. 7 x lO inches, 108 pages, many j ohn Judkins himself sat down for a long - Beve rly Rae Kimes illustrations (Xerox, excepting the cover, tape-recorded interview and lent the club but mostly good). Fully indexed. photographs and brochures for a six-part Recently Out $12 US from the author, G.PO. Box 282, history of the company that appeared in Small Car Racing and Record Breaking "A Brisbane, Q'land, Australia 4001. con~ecutive issues of the clubs magazine, Study of the Cyclecar Formulae 1913-1939," ln 1900 Queensland was a British The Classic Car; from the summer of 1964 by Mike Hawke, 204 pages, softcover. colony with an area of over six hundred through the fall of 1965. Magna Press, 28 Allen Road, Great thousand square miles and a population His daughters gift of the archives to Bookham, Nr. Leatherhead, Surrey KT23 of less than half a million. lts only con­ the CCCA brings this association full cir­ 4SL, England. Normally £14.99. Special nections with the world, and the rest of cle. The archives itself is a treasure trove of Early Publication Offer to SAH Members Australia, were by cable or by sea. lt was historical information, including a record £10 plus p&p (£1.50 UK & Europe and a country awaiting a transport revolution, of every car designed and produced by the £3 rest of the world.) but with an economy seriously weakened company, correspondence between john Basing his research on a wide range by drought and low export returns. Judkins and his designer, john Dobbins, of sources, including contemporary ac­ The western hemisphere's motor custom brochures and portfolios, scrap­ counts, race programs and results, Mike manufacturers had little interest in books and expense books. Further, there is Hawke has documented the absorbing story exporting, so Queensland's early mo­ torists bought whatever they could get or tried to build their own. Denis Martin has carefully researched and documented their progress, starting in 1896 when sci­ entist j.C.Brunnich imported a Hilde­ brand & Wolfmuller motorcycle, and running through to 1910 when motor transport had come into its own. Worthwhile, and well handled. Some "social history" studies of early mo­ toring are already appearing, even in Aus­ tralia, but their value is low unless the The often-imitatedjudkins two-passenger coupe, this Lincoln is from 1928. chronological history is put on record first. Plwto: Beverly Rae Kimes -David Manson January-February 2003 9 The Wingrove Collection from the archives of Phyllis and Gerald A. Wingrove MBE, "Model Engineer" Gerald Wingrove refers to the Win­ grove Collection as the "largest collection of detail photos and scale plans of classic cars, elegant and state carriages on the internet." His website, www.WinCol.com, is a thoroughly fascinating look into his plan portfolios, questions and answers Boo I< about model building and links to tool and matetial suppliers. Revie\N Each of his portfolios is made up of a number of A3 sheets of 1/15th scale drawings of the vehicle, up to fifteen A4 pages of detail photographs (with one to The Kalamazoo Automobilist before competent technicians in the four photos per sheet), most in black and 1891-1991 by David 0. Lyon, 2002, small community developed their own white but at least one color illustration, ISBN 0-932826-83-0. Hardcover, 523 vehicles. The Blood brothers, Clarence and brief notes on the color scheme and pages, 300 photos with 32 pages of and Maurice, two unsung heroes of the points of interest. color. ew Issues Press, Western early days of the American automobile, The portfolios represent more Michigan University, 1903 W Michigan soon utilized their bicycle shop for the than 30 years of model making and Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. $39.95 production of light vehicles. This opera­ data collecting by Mr. Wingrove and plus $4.00 shipping. Also available on­ tion was merged into the Michigan his wife, Phyllis. Mr. Wingrove par­ line through Amazon.com. Automobile Company and true motor layed a 1967 commission from Lord car production was now under way in Montagu of Beaulieu to build a series Books on automotive history typically the city. of detailed scale models for the Na­ deal with a single make of automobile, The book goes on to relate the ups tional Motor Museum at Beaulieu, into with multiple marques or with the and downs of a number of motor vehi­ a series of commissions and invitations motor car industry generally and its cle manufacturing firms. Readers inter­ to visit private car collections in Eur­ leaders. Seldom does an author choose ested in the financial and legal aspects ope and the United States. This has as a subject the vehicles produced in a of early automobile companies will resulted in a collection of over 10,000 single city and even less frequently the enjoy the nicely written account of the detail photographs covering more than motor cars identified with a relatively shenanigans of corporate officers of the 200 vehicles. small community. David Lyon, in his Michigan Buggy Company (builders of While plans for earlier portfolios splendid book, The Kalamazoo the "Mighty Michigan" car) and the were mostly drafted in ink they are now Automobilist 1891-1991 , fills this gap punishment ultimately meted out to done on a computer running Micro­ admirably with his in-depth study of the them! Classic car enthusiasts will find Station ™ CAD software. history of the automobile over a 100- interesting the history of the Barley I sampled the Portfolio 166-D, year period in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Motor Company and its splendid 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50 London-Edin­ a community with a current population Roamer car. Other readers will find such burgh Tourer, "The Mystery" along with of 80,000 located in the western part of companies as the Handley-Knight firm a supplementary portfolio of data pho­ the Wolverine State. and the Checker Motors Corporation tos. The portfolio contained a brief his­ The book initially describes the covered in detail. tory of the vehicle, excellent detailed first self-propelled vehicle seen on the Leading citizens of Kalamazoo photographs of the chassis, interior and streets of Kalamazoo in 1891, a huge such as the Upjohns and their descen­ engine compartment and the scale steam wagon which "ran out of breath dants were (and still are) vitally interest­ drawings. about every three blocks" and was soon ed in promotion of the automobile, and The combination of this type of abandoned for road use. The author then the author deals with this subject very documentation along with a highly in­ details the first true motor car used well . formative and interactive website make locally, a Locomobile runabout delivered All in all this is a fascinating WinCol.com a must for any serious by rail in January, 1900. However, while book, and one which should appeal to model builder. several such vehicles were brought into a broad range of readers. l highly recom­ -Tom]ahups the city from outside shortly after the mend it! continued on page 14 turn of the century, it was not long -Sinclair Powell 10 SAH Journal No. 202 an industry was launched. The govern­ ment made it happen, not the consumer, although, as with SUVs of today, the consumer refused to go along. Thank­ fully, the market had a reply. We historians mustn't let our con­ temporaries forget that politics do matter. -Michael Bromley

Curtiss Was Right Nelson Bolan makes an interesting obser­ vation about the Hudson coupe on the back cover of SAH journal 200: indeed, it appears to be riding mighty low. I have to chuckle, though, at his sugges­ Letters tion that Glenn Curtiss would have Politics Do Matter Thankfully, American genius, or known better. I enjoyed the reprint of the Roy Chapin angst if you will, and greed are not easily Automobile Quarterly, Volume 32, article on the 1922 Paris Solon (Journal kept down. Automobile makers were o. 3 Qanuary 1994) carries an exten­ 201). Mr. Chapin was struck by the pre­ never really interested in alcohol, and sive article on Curtiss and his "Land ponderance of smaller cars and engines. even the Department of Agriculture Yachts." Indeed, Curtiss used aircraft He wrote, "Of course the high cost of dropped the matter by 1907. Not even technology in his Aerocar trailers; author gasoline, plus excessive taxation on big, bad Standard Oil could be turned Roger White describes it as the time­ horsepower, are accountable for a great out, anti-trust suits, corn dogs and all, honored "wood and wire," with a fabric deal of this great small-car demand . for its heating oil, kerosene and gasoline covering. Surviving photos show Politics has molded automotive his­ products were too damned useful, and Aerocars in the tow of many makes of tory as much as any other single factor. nobody could touch their price. automobiles, not coincidentall y many of Tax policy isn't the most pleasant subject, The legacy of that 1906 law sur­ them Hudsons and Essexes. but we ignore it at the danger of repeating vives only in Brazil, which ruined its This, apparently, was the doing of previous mistakes. Mr. Chapin's observa­ automobile industry with forced conver­ Carl G. Fisher, renowned of the Indian­ tion of "excessive taxation" was an under­ sion to alcohol fue l, and in the minds apolis Motor Speedway, Dixie Highway statement (he might have noted that the and legislative dreams of ADM lobbyists. and developer of Miami Beach. Fisher "high cost of gasoline" was due to taxes). In our study of limousines, became enamored of Curtiss$ trailer The great French automobile industry that Stretching It: The Story of the Limousine, design, which was not, at first , a com­ helped salvage the nation from the Ger­ co-authors Tom Mazza and I explored mercial enterprise. Fisher wrote to man invasion was entirely rebuilt around politics and limousines. Hudson president Roy Chapin, "Glenn tax policy. What would Europes great One example we studied was the Curtiss has the greatest trailer that was automakers of today do were American misguided energy policy of the 1970s ever made in America ..." and went on taxes as high as those of Europe in 1922? that led directly to the creation of the to propose a business arrangement. Todays luxury automobile market thrives modern stretch limousine. Sketches had Arrange they did, and the Aerocar despite taxes. It could be different. been around since the earliest days (we Corporation was subsequently formed, In 1906 Congress passed a law to found one from 1907, a six-wheeled with stockholders including Curtiss, exempt denatured alcohol from vice taxes. monster limousine from France) and Chapin, Hudson engineer Howard Cof­ A sensible thing to do, surely, except that there was a small, constant market for fin, Fisher and WO. Briggs of the body the idea behind the law was to replace them starting with the Lehmann-Peterson company that bore his name. On a trade petroleum wi th com. Chicken-killing, conversions of the Lincoln Continental in demonstration run a Hudson coupe left farmer-abusing automobiles were powered the 1960s. Come the "oil crisis" and Miami on August 6, 1928, pulling an by gasoline, you see. Most importantly, Detroit's capitulation to the EPA and Aerocar, and reached New York 39 hours public enemy number one of the day was CAFE rules, the stretch limousine sud­ later, presumably with its clutch intact. none other than j ohn D. Rockefeller. Ac­ denly became not an alternative to the In fact, I think the trailer in journal companied by a vigorous tax on gasoline Cadillac limousine but its replacement. 200 probably is an Aerocar. There seem to and government incentives for alcohol The downsized Cadillac of 1977 was have been many variations on the theme, fuel, gasoline might just have been re­ inadequate as a proper limousine. In­ but the whole rig is remarkably similar to placed as the fuel of the new industry. novators took hacksaws to Lincolns and one shown in Don Butlers History of January-February 2003 11 Old Automobiles, Billy Durant, Creater of General Motors, by Lawrence Gustin, and [Adventure Louis Chevrolet, by Pierre Barras, which together manage to identify many of the people in the 1912 Chevrolet photo. They are from left to right, Al Brush, an engineer; unidentified; Louis Chevrolet; unidentified; William H. Little, who manufac­ tured the Little car which was acquired by Chevrolet; unidentified; Etienne Planche, who worked with Chevrolet on the car; john Trumbull , an engineer who worked on the Little car; Frank Monroe, a Pontiac, Michi­ gan, body builder; A. B. C. Hardy, general manager of Ltttle Motor Car Company who later became general manager of Chevrolet at The above partial photograph, taken from Otevmlet, a History from 1911, published by Flint; William Durant. Can anyone name the Automobile Quarterly, shows the complete set of characters standing behind the inaugural three men still unidentified as well as the gen­ Classic Six, some of whom were cropped out of the photo that appeared injoumal 201. tleman in the back seat of the car? Hudson, top of page 124. Hudsons no two men together I have to admit that the good for pulling' Well, lets not tell jack balding one looks more like Hercule Poirot. The Teaching of Auto History Smith of Manitoba. He used to attend all -Kit Foster at McPherson College the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club meets Editor's Note: Kit is not the only one with Editor's Note: In his President's Perspective with a 20-foot travel trailer, towed by his egg on his face, and as a "Chevy man" I feel in j ournal 200 Dale Wells mentioned the 1929 Super Six. particularly embarrassed that I let this one auto restoration course at McPherson College -Kit Foster slip through. By the way, Don Siegla sent me in Kansas and made the point that although photocopies of pages from Floyd Clymer's the instruction may touch on various historical Louis, Louis I certainly can't recognize "any of the other faces" in the photo of the '12 Now at a new low price--- Chevrolet (]oumal 201, back page), but The Olympian Cars Second Edition there is one I definitely don't recognize as By Richard Burns Carson Louis Chevrolet, and thats the guy stand­ Now $49.95 for SAH members! ing next to Willy Durant. Kit 's photo looks like it was taken Still the definitive work on the great about a film holder flip before or after an American Luxury cars of the Twenties and almost-identical shot published in Lang­ Thirties, the author describes with rare worth and Norbye's Chevrolet, 1911-1985 erudition the most elegant automobiles the U.S. industry has ever produced and the (1984), except the latter hasn't been society that inspired their creation. Carson cropped to leave out a guy in a white coat charts the rise and decline of these great on the far left. He's the one Langworth cars with unusual perception and insight and Norbye identify as Louis Chevrolet­ and gives us histories of the principal marques with wit and color. and they're convincing, because White Coat really does look like the man. Louis Entirely illustrated with rich photographs taken when the cars were new. For the Second Chevrolet, for example, was probably Edition, photos were digitally rescanned, photo format was improved, 60 photos were never caught without a mustache in his replaced with improved images, and a section of 16 full color automobile advertisements of the period added. All this plus a new foreword by Beverly Rae Kimes! adult life, and White Coat definitely has the correct face hair. Hardcover 12 x 9: 286 pages plus 8 page color section. 400 photos. Indexed . -Bill Millard No SAH library should be without the Second Edition! Order now at $49.95 plus $6.00 shipping and handling from : And so I am reminded the hard way not to Upper Midwest Region-CCCA trust captions from manufacturers' PR de­ Box 583294, Minneapolis, MN 55458-3294 panments, though I suspect the error was Cash, check or Visa. Questions? Email to: [email protected] abetted by successive croppings. With the

12 SAH journal No. 202 details in the course of a vehicles restoration it would not make one a historian. In a response to this column Dr. Gary R. Entz, assistant professor of history at McPh erson College, wrote a letter explaining that the col­ lege had recently begu n offering a Jour-year Bachelor of Arts degree in Historic Automo­ tive Technology. This is an interdisciplinary degree between the Automotive Restoration Department and the History Department. The following is a report on this program from one of its students. The McPherson College two-year auto restoration program is well known arnong the car collecting community One-of-a-kind Traub Photo: Wheels Througl• Time Vi11tage Photo Museum However, those involved in automotive his­ tory may be interested in a new addition to Currently in the works are a 1910 Max­ ext. 1243, or Robert Vaughn at the same the colleges catalog of majors. ln 2001, well and various Ford Model IS and 1\s. phone number, ext. 1265. McPherson College added to its catalog a As one of the first Historic Automo­ -Luke Chennell Historic Automotive Technology program. tive Technology students and a graduating The degree had been independently senior, 1 have completed a number of inter­ One-of-a-Kind Motorcycle mapped out and completed by students in esting projects in my time here. 1 did a sig­ As a member of SAH and Hershey past years. With growing campus interest nificant amount of research on the 1910 Region, MCA, 1 heard a plea for more in automotive history, it was added to the Maxwell, recreating much of the car from information on the Traub motorcycle catalog. Graduates earn a bachelors degree diagrams and examining production details (shown above) . A one-of-a-kind original after four years of study of antique auto­ and running changes that the company built in Chicago, it was found bricked up motive technology and automotive history made. ln the process of researching that in a wall in 1972 and restored by Dale Traditional restoration classes that vehicle, I learned much about Alice Ram­ Walksler, owner of Wheels Through Time teach hands-on practical experience with sey's pioneering cross-country drive in a Museum of Vintage Transportation, in cars and their restoration are integrated similar Maxwell and shortly thereafter wrote Maggie Valley, onh Carolina. The Traub with liberal arts classes that lay the back­ a short piece on her journey. is believed to have been built in 1916 ground for automotive history and give I have researched and written sever­ and has rare inner and outer rear brakes. the student perspectives in methodology a! other pieces on automotive history, in­ The museum is meaningfully and different schools of historical thought. cluding a study of the early Vanderbilt designed and Mr. Walksler and his guides One course, the History of the Cup races, a biographical treatise on highly document and restore the displays American Automobile, devotes time to Rudolph Caracciola and a project on only as needed. Many SAH members the social impact of the automobile London taxis. Other students have done could sow and reap information through through the twentieth century, giving the pieces on the history of automotive safety, Mr. Walksler, but a word of caution­ basic outlines of automotive history in a history of Pierce-Arrow and monographs visitors may need ear plugs when Dale the process. Independent study can be of several other cars and car companies. fires up his two-wheelers! More informa­ arranged if the student wishes to further As a small school of 400 students, tion about the museum can be found at research some piece of automotive histo­ sixty-five of which are restoration stu­ www.wheelsthroughtime.com or by call­ ry. At the conclusion of the student's sen­ dents, McPherson offers a tight-knit com­ ing 828-926-6266. io r year, a thirty-page thesis must be munity of automotive enthusiasts who -Warren E. Steele completed and presented. appreciate many different marques and Technical restoration courses in­ many different aspects of automotive his­ And More on Fawick clude sections on technical history in tory. Restoration students include many 1 am responding to Nelson Bolan 's letter areas including mechanical, body and non-traditional age students who often in SAH journal 200 asking for and giv­ trim. Sections are devoted to properly have a wide variety of interests, from ing information on the rare Fawick researching automobiles, their prove­ Duesenbergs to DAFs. Flyer. I have enclosed a photo of a nance and their correct restoration. ln the Those interested in the Historic restored 1910 Fa wick Flyer. These past, the restoration program has com­ Automotive Technology program should were well-built, handsome cars. They pleted cars that have included Pierce­ contact Dr. Gary Entz, Box 1402, Mc­ were built on a 124-inch wheelbase Arrows, Rolls-Royces and a 1907 jewel. Pherson, KS 67460, 620-241-0742, and were powered by a 40-horsepower

January-February 2003 13 four-cylinder Waukesha engine. Faw­ uffield at the bnkruptcy auction" in built at Piquette. For updates contact ick Flyers were expensive cars, selling 1936. jan writes that Lord Nuffield Prof Trent Boggess at 603-726- 3202 in the $3,000 range. bought no part of the automaker that or visit the website www.tplex.org. year, actually ridding himself of some of -Fred Summers -Jerald Mitchell his investments in other automakers, sell­ ing MG and Wolseley to Morris Motors, Heroes of Harley-Davidson Ltd. and donating his personal fortune to The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in education and charity Pickerington, Ohio, has announced plans These errors are all the more egre­ for "Heroes of Harley-Davidson, present­ gious when one realizes that most of them ed by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance," originated with distinguished members of an expansive new exhibit scheduled to SAH. "Physician, heal thyself' comes to open February 2003. The 8100 square­ mind as an apt admonition. foot installation, the largest ever in the -Taylor Vinson museums 12-year history, will chronicle a century of Harley-Davidson people, SAH News continued from page 10 personalities and products that trans­ This 1910 Fawick Flyer touring car is on display in the auto museum in Sioux T-Plex Celebration formed the company from an experiment Falls, South Dakota. Photo: Fred Summers The Model T Automotive Heritage Com­ in a backyard shed into today's billion­ plex, Inc. (T-Plex) will celebrate the cen­ dollar success story Setting the Record Straight tennial of the Ford Motor Company on Twenty-two exhibit sections will (Cont'd) Saturday, june 14, 2003. Take a tour of utilize unique photographs, in-depth jan P Norbye is unflagging in his crusade the historic Ford Piquette Avenue plant, biographies and rare artifacts. to set the record straight, calling errors the birthplace of the Model T and the "Heroes of Harley-Davidson" will in automotive history to the attention of first building built and owned by the be open through December 2004. For authors and publishers when he sees Ford Motor Company See exhibits from more information visit the museums web them. (See journal 200.) Copies of recent the 1904-1910 Piquette era of the com­ site, www.motorcyclemuseum.org or ca ll chastisements are related below. pany and enjoy a premier display of cars 614-856-2222. Did you know that the aluminum piston, initially designed by WO. Bentley in England, was born in the rotary air­ craft engine? Thats what Automobile Quarterly says (Vol. 41, No. 3, p. 58). SPECIAL USE Tain't so, says jan. Basse & elve of Altena in Westfalen was advertising alu­ minum pistons in 1906 and, in 1910, An Special made the first experimental aircraft Illustrated Use Vehicles engine using them. Aquila ltaliana put aluminum pistons in all its four- and six­ History of An Illustrated History of Unconventional Cars cylinder water-cooled motorcar engines Unconventional from 1907 to 1914. WO. had nothing to and Trucks Worldwide do with any of these developments. Cars and George W. Green jan takes Wheels to task, as well. 248 pages $35 hardcover (7 x 10) Tnicks Page 4 of the Fall 2002 issue related that 153 photographs, appendix, glossary the three Buick 8s were "the work of Worldwide index, ISB 0-7864-1245-3 2003 F Beyond the traditional purposes of A. Bower." Not exactly Bower gave the movmg people, goods, raw materials assignment to john Dolza, a young engi­ and mail from place to place lies a world of unconventional uses of motor neering graduate from Turin Polytechnic vehicles. From the early years of automobiles, this lively history gives who had some design experience from a fascinating overview of the many Fiat. All three engines were the work of special purposes vehicles have served. Dolza; Bower just had to approve the drawings. Turning to page 6 of Wheels , jan I McFarland was intrigued to learn that Austin Motor Box 61 I Jefferson C 28640 • Orders 800-253-2187 • FAX 336-246-4403 • www. mcfarlandpub.com Company, Ltd., "lost control to Lord

14 SAH Journal No. 202 Duck continued from page 1 on july 5, 1909 the four Ducks entered in two five-mile races did not fare as well. Indians finished first and second in both races. By 1909 the Duck Cycle and Motor Company had been reorganized as the Duck Manufacturing Company and had relocated to 427-429 15th Street. Abraham Duck was its president and Mortimer Weed was secretary. The new company continued to advertise itself as a dealer of bicycles and motorcycles, but production of the Duck motorcycle may Information Wanted I'm doing an Road, Green Bay, WI 54313-7565, have ended about this time. The compa­ article on Tony Pompeo, '50s importer of 920-865-4004, [email protected] ny ceased operations in 1911. Siata, Bandini, Lotus, etc. and I need or [email protected] Abraham Duck's name disappeared leads on business associates, customers, from the Oakland directories after 191 4, photos, racing stories. Carl Goodwin, Information Wanted Regarding the but Mortimer Weed remained in Oak­ [email protected], 970-464-4925, present whereabouts of the car below. lt land, becoming a tire dealer. Palisade, Colorado was last seen in 1970 in the vicinity of Although Duck was briefly suc­ Sandusky, Ohio. Ridtard Adatto, 1314 cessful as a home industry manufactur­ Information Wanted Specifications, Denny Way, # 103, Seattle, WA 98109, er, he lacked the resources to develop photos, drawings, plans, anything on 206-652-5300, 206-652-5255 (Fax) and produce the new models that were circa 1913 delivery bodies that fit a [email protected] necessary to stay competitive with the Model T Ford chassis, most large eastern motorcycle manufac turers. specifically those used by The Duck motorcycle quickly faded United Parcel Service. UPS was from memory and is all but forgotten founded in Seattle, Washing­ today • ton, in 1907 and their first Editor's note: A web search brought me to "delivery car" was a 1913 a site run by Leon Mitchell who claims the Model T It appears the body Duck name came from the Duck Motor may be unique to UPS. We are Cycle Brake, which was manufactured in hoping to finish building a Saoutchik body designed for a French Talbot graces this New York City. Can anyone make the con­ replica in time for their 100 custom car owned by WL. Burghard, of Mansfield, Ohio. nection between the motorcycle in Califor­ year anniversary. Ken Nim­ Mercury chassis holds Uncoln V-8 overhead valve engine nia and the brake in New York City? oclts, 3765 Spring Green with hydramatic transmission.

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January-Fe bruary 2003 15 FIRST CLASS PRESORT U.S . Postage g~~l1~,1 PAID J Issue 202 January-February 2003 Hartford, CT The Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. Permit #751 37 Wyndwood Road West Hartford, CT 06107

TAKE A LETTER, MR. JONES: "Six adults can ride in comfort . .. in the new Aero Willys," says the press release touting its 61-inch wide seats. "No other passenger car has greater rear seating width." Can anyone confirm or deny? K.T. Keller take note: there's plenty of room for his hat, too. Photo: Kit Foster Collection