AL H I S T 0 R 1.-\ .\' S. I .\' C.

September-October 198 7 Issue Number 1l0

THE SECOND ANNUAL OSCEOLA HISTORIC LITERATURE SWAP EVENT

The following special notice arrived just too late for inclusion in the July- August issue of the SAH Journal, and a separate notice has already been mailed to U.S. and Canadian members . However, since this September-October issue is being sent out quite a bit ahead of schedule to allow time for wo r k on the next Automotive History Review , we are repeating the same information here as a r eminder to those who may have not yet decided about attending this Literature and Book Sale . (Try it- you ' ll like it!) The Wisconsin reg ion of SAH will host, and SAH will sponsor, the Second Annual Osceola Historic Li terature Swap Event on September 12, 1987. This l iterature ~ swap meet is designed to provide an opportunity for serious literature vendors and collectors to buy, sell , trade, and d iscuss historic automotive literature. The SAH Historic Literature Swap Event is held in conjunction with the the Classic Motorbooks/Motor­ books Inter nationa l Wheels & Wi ngs automoti ve and aviation meet. Sever al hundred col lecti b le ca r s and v intage \ ircraft attend Wheels & Wings every year, and there., is an opportunity to browse the Classic Motorbooks , warehouse and to purchase current titles at a discount. Classic Motorbooks a lso offers sub­ THE ANNUAL MEET ING AN D BANQUET stantial d iscounts on a var iety of overstocked, dam­ If the map at the top of this column looks aged, and non-current titles during t'ie Wheels & familiar, it's because it is the same old one we have Wi ngs meet. used for years to announce the forthcoming meeting The Historic L iterature Swap Event provides tent and dinner at the Marriott Inn, Pennsylvania State space to about twenty vendors, and outside space Route 441 at Interstate 283, Harrisburg, PA. It's to about twenty more. Spaces are 1 O' wide and 15' easy to find, and parking presents no problems deep , and cost $20 for the under-tent spaces and at all . $15 for the outside spaces. Spaces ca n be occupied Thi s annual affair wil l be held on Friday evening, as ea r ly as 8 : 30 AM on the day of the meet and October 11, 1987, with a cash ba r openi ng at 6:30 should be vacated no later than 3: 00 PM. Spaces PM , followed by the banquet at 7 : 30. can be reserved by mail , but will also be sold on The price is the same as it has been for the an as-available basis on the day of the event. If past several years-$15.00 per person, which you want vending space, it is best to reserve it includes all taxes and gratuity . in advance. Immediately following the dinner there w ill be Osceola, Wisconsin, is about an hour's drive a short business meeting, with Keith Marvin, northeast of Minneapolis. Upon request, we will President of the SAH, presiding. Results of the gladly provide a map of the access to and area of recent election will be announced, and the new Osceola , and a list of local accommodations. If you officers and directors for 1988 will be introduced . are unfamiliar w i th this a rea-the St. Croix Also, the var ious awards which are made each Valley-you w il l find that it is one of the most year w ill be presented to the winners , including beauti ful river va lleys in the upper midwest the Cugnot and Benz Awards, Friend of Automoti ve Last year was t he first year of the Historic Liter­ History Award, and to several winne r s of Awards atu r e Swap Event and the resul ts we re encouraging . of Distinction. We expect the event to grow from that beginning There w ill be plenty of t ime for "table-hopping," an d to become one of the most important events greeting the old friends we haven't seen since last in the country for commerce in historic automotive year's dinner meeting, and getting acquamted w1th and aviation liter ature. SAH and the Wiscons i n some new friends-people whose names you may have Chapter invite and encourage your participation seen in these pages, but whom you've never met. in this year's event . A couple of weeks before the date of the meeting, For further detail s , and to reserve vendor space, form letters including registration blanks will be please contact Matt J oseph, 7728 Martinsville Road, sent to all members, but if you'd l ike to register Route 1, Cross Pl ains, Wisconsin 53528 . T elephone ri ght away, send your check ( $15. 00 for each (608) 798- 4317 . person) w ith the names of those attend ing , to ou r Matt Joseph, Coordinator, treasurer, George B.P . Ward, Jr., c / o Maryland Hi stori c Literatu r e Swap Event National Bank, P.O. Box 987 , Baltimore, MD 21203. SA H Journal No. 110 September-De tober 198 7 ~ ~ . THE JOURNAL Letters 0' TM( SOC ICTY 0' AUT OioiO TIV l ~ I ITC~ I A~I .I ~C .

Ed itor Ed itorial Ofrlce : SAH Journal from our Richard B. Bri gham 1616 Park La ne, S, E. ~ la ri e tt a, Ge org ia 300 66 readers Pub lications Com mittce Rich ard B. B rlgh~m Beverly Rae Kimes, Chairpe rson John A. Conde A MYSTERY ELECTRIC? George B. P. Ward, Jr. Frederick D. Roe

The SAH Jou rnal Is publi shed Cop yriiJlt 1987 six tim es a year by the Socie ty The So ci ety of Aut omotive of Auto motiv e Historians, Inc. I Historians, lnc.

SOC IETY OF AL'T0.\1 0 TIVE HISTORIASS' OFFICERS. 1987 PR ESID ENT SECRETARY Keith Marv in Shelby C. Applega te 587 Broa dway - A-13 Box 1 Me nand s, NY 12204 Annville, PA 1700 1

TREAS URER VICE PR ESID EN T George B. P. Ward, Jr. Charles L BettS, Jr . c/o Maryla nd Natio nal Bank 2105 Stackhouse Drive P. 0 . Box 987 Ya rdley, PA 19067 Baltimore, MD 21203

EDITORIAL COMMENT Mi sinformation , Russian Style ! From D . S. Man son, 157 Ashley Street, Chatswood, Some weeks ago the mail brought a beautiful N.S . W. 2067 , Australia: T his photo of an early elec­ t ric veh icle is from Scientific American, of May 1, twenty-~age publication , Soviet Life, sent to the SA H by membe r Rober F . Gibson, of Somerset, 1901 . A similar electric was i n Sydney , A u strali a , Ohio . Th.rs is a la r ge magazine ( 1 O! by 14 inches) in the same month . A better illustration wi ll t.e printed in' full color on heavy, h igh quality paper found on page 22 of Early Days on the Rood by by the Halladay- T yler Printing Corpo ration , Rock­ Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and G. N. Georgano, ville , Maryland, with tex t supplied by the Novosti published in London in 1976, where it is described Press Agency . as "pr obably a Lohner" from Vienna. Thi s magazine is published by r eciprocal agree­ T his is almost certainly wrong-it must be A meri­ ment between the governments of the United Stat es can . The cont r ols , motor unit and drive look like and the Sov iet U n ion. T he agreement provides for the Wa verl eys of 1902 / 03 illustrated in the Standard the putlication and circulation of the magaz i ne So viet Catalog of American Cars 7805-7942 . The f r ont Life in the United States and the ma g azi ne America springs , however, are grassh opper type , not the usual elliptics, and there a r e no rear springs. T h e in the Sov iet Union. And , as one would su r ely sup­ body is sprung from the side-ba rs on tran sver se pose, the wel l-w r itten tex t is substantially loaded leaf spri ngs. with subtle (and not so subtle) propaganda. If an yone can give me a proper identification This particular issue contains an articl e about and an au thenticating reference I would be mo st the RussiLJn motor truck industry, which is fully grateful . illustrated with beauti ful ly printed phot og rap hs and drawings of both trucks and passenger vehicles, the earliest of w hich are drawi ngs by the Russian BERNARDI: A CLARI FICATION il lustrator Alexander Zakha rov . The later models From Griffit h Borgeson, European Editor, Aut omobile (all trucks) are act ual photographs. Quar t erly, 1499 Monrovia Avenue, Newport B each, The oldest model shown is captioned "first Rus­ CA 92663: I would like to clarify the following points sian auto with internal combustion en gine ( 1896)." in my letter concern i ng Enri co Bernardi i n SA H Its picture , however , sh ows a car wh ich , with ve r y Journal No. 108, page 3. minor differences , is identical t o t he 1893 Ben z ca r, First , it is the Mi lleruote encycloped ia, r eleased pictured on the back page of issue No . 109 of t he in 1973 by the publ isher s of that Itali an g iant , Quot­ Journal, and even those differ ences ca n probably troruote magaz i ne . An English ed ition of this be attr i buted t o t he f ac t t ha t t his is a drawing val uable r eference wor k was published in 1974 by rather than an act ual photo. Most of the d rawings Orb is Publishing Ltd, and d istri buted in the United of the early Russo-B ait trucks compare f avorably States by Columbi a House, then a division of CBS. w ith t he photos of these v ehicles in Nick Geor gano's I t was t itled The World of Automobiles, of which Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles. the r e were 22 volumes. T he text which accompanies these pictu res pro­ Second , you omitted the thi r d, fourth and fifth vides an inte resting account of the dev elopment word s from Societa l taliana per Ia Sto ri a deii'Automo­ of the Russian auto manufacturing i ndu stry , if one b i le . That was the wor k i ng title of the nascent ca n ignor e such statements as "B y 1937 the US SR organization at the t ime of writ ing . Then the t e rm (automobile product ion) had moved in t o first p lace "Association" was adopted in p lace of " Soc iety, " in Europe and second ( after the United States) i n as was confi rmed on page 1 of the same issu e of the wo r ld ." t he Journal. 2 SA H Journal No . 11 0 September-October 1987 previous attempts at auto making. Through failur e A BIT OF CREDIT TO AN ARTIST after failure, Duryea clung stubbornly to a set of From D . J . Kava, 1755 B an dera Drive , Beau mont , design features in which the buying p u blic plainly T ex as 77706: I enjoy ed issue #108, especia ll y ~ h e wasn't inter ested. His final des i gn, called the Will y s-Overland ad i llustrati on on the b ac k page . Duryea Gem , was produced in very small quantity Unfor tunately , I can 't q u ite make ou t the artist' s by his last automobile company, the Crowther - Du r yea sig natu r e . Sometimes the artists ca n be h a r d to Company, Roch ester, New York, which expired in t r ack down . Hud son's " RFH " from the ea r ly t wenties 797 7. prov ed to be elu sive for yea r s. I n the f uture , if the artist' s sig n ature is r ea d abl e , cou ld it be not ed STILL MORE ON T HAT $10 B ILL-­ 7 in the tex t o r ca ption From Doug Vieyra, 17687 Kn eel an d Road , K n eel an d , Also, would an yon e h ave anyth in g on one Ch ar les Californi a 95549: I h ate to beat a dead h orse, and A. B a r k er , w ho d id a copper etching fo r a 1929 w il l not belabo r the p oi n t , bu t as a Fo r d r esea r c he r Hudson ad7 of t he ' 28 - '29 p eri od I mu st commen t on your artic le Editor : Actually, D . J ., we hadn 't even t hough t ( page 6 , May-J une ' 87 Journal) of t h e id en tity of about i t, but a quick phone call to SA H member the ca r on the t en-doll ar b i l l . Denney Freeston, who is the editor of the Knight­ Y es , the Model A Fo r d advocates ar e r ig ht; mo r e Ov erland ' St ar t er ,' a publication of the Willys - Over­ so , the ' 28 - ' 29 advocates a r e even more correct. /and- Kn igh t Registr y, provided the answer. The T he ca r is, w it h very little dou bt , a 1929 4-door artist who did this interesting piece of work was t own sedan (three w indows on a side) , w hic h d id Norman Pr ice , who did other Willys - Overland ads indeed come equ ipped f r om t h e f actor y w it h cow l as we ll . An d from here on we'll try to identify these l ig h ts. The t ow n sedan was not manufactured in unk nown and unsung artists who made their own 1928 ; only t he 2-w' ndow sedan. con t ribution to au tomoti ve history . You r su ggested hesit ancy in f ull y accep t ing the sketch as a Mod e l A Fo r d , I answer w ith the A 1911- 12 DURYEA FROM SAGINAW fol lowi ng . From Vic Johnson , 630 V alley A v enue, N.W . , Gran d 1. Gas t an k cap not appa r ent. T r u e , b u t neither Rapids , Mi chigan 49504: Fi rst, let me tell you t hat do I see a rad iat or cap , or t h e top of the passenger I r eall y enjoy your publ ications as I li ke hi stor y front t ire-it's o nl y a rou gh ar t ist's sketch , bu t of cars , people , and the locations of the old I can assu me that t hey are there . f ac t or ies , etc . I have twin hobbies-old ca r s and 2 . Small par k ing lamps i n wrong posit ion; ca n old-time r ad ios . Sometimes in looking up old rad io be answer ed i n eit he r of two ways: (A) , t he mod el h isto r y I f ind a con nection to old ca r s. I was trying is actual ly a standa r d For dor ( 4- door) w hic h came t o find some det ai ls on a Sonor a r ad io I had bought w ithout cowl li g h ts and which were ad ded as acces­ and as it was made in Sag i naw ther e we r e sever al sories (a non-Ford t ype) , posit ioning t hem h ig he r car s bl4 lt the r e . Maybe some of you r r eader s w i l l t han factor y equipment. (B), the artist/etche r / know details about a delivery van built in Saginaw lithographer indiscriminately and deliberately moved ( y ea r ?) b >r Charles E. Du ryea-location on South t heir location so as to avoid b latant end orsement Water Stree.t at the f oot of Hoyt. of For d b y a government agency. I t hi n k our membe r s shou ld write wh at they k now abou t ca r s and r elated it ems from thei r a r eas . We 3. Your t h i r d point (a " nothing " ) str ength en s ar e f ast los ing our sources of ca r h istor y . T her e t his t houg h t. Aga in, al thou gh the Ford Mod el A are still a few peop le left w ho either we r e connected had an enor mous popularity , and was no dou b t in­ o r had r elatives in the automobile b u siness i n some spiri ng to t he gover nment engraver , a c lear and way . d isti nct image of the Fo r d Model A on mi l li on s of gover nment documents ($10 bill) would c lea rl y be i n te r p r eted by ma n y ( i nclud ing the r est of the au to indus try) to be a government endor semen t of the car. T h is , obviously, could not be, hence a del i ber­ ate obscuring of a potential "hot potato . " Meanwhile, t he ar t ist did none-th e- less ven ture his neck out far enou gh to g ive us h is f eeli n gs of "For dness" -a strong hi nt, if you w i ll-for Amer ­ ica' s new sweetheart , the For d Model A . I had fun read ing the article , and am g lad you ran it. T HE $10 BILL: A NEW CONTENDER PL US A BIT OF STEAM CAR HISTORY Editorial Comment- It was back in 7984 that SA H member Bill Wrigley, of Atlanta, asked me if I had heard a statement by radio and TV commentator Paul Harvey, who had said in a noonday broadcast that the small car pictured on the back of the U.S . 19 11 DURY EA ELE CTA, MAD E IN SAG INAW, MICH IGAN ten - dollar bill was a Hupmobile . With the aid of a Photo from He nry Au sti n Cla r k, J r. magnifying glass I examined the sketch of the little Editor 's Note- One of Charles A . Duryea's many car and concluded that parts of it looked like similar ven tures in to the world of automobile manufacturing parts of other cars, but the car itself looked like took him to Saginaw, Michigan where, in 797 7 and no car that I had ever seen, least of all a 7973 he built a car called the Duryea EJecta. Also Hupmobile . An enlarged photo, ei gh t times original in Saginaw he acquired the delivery wagon business size, was made and filed away for possible use as of the Brooks Manufacturing Company. By 7974 h i s a bit of filler, and it was not used until January Saginaw company had gone the way of all of his of 7987, iust to take up a bit of space . I had hoped 3 Continued on nex t page-'\rr SAH Journal No . 110 September -October 1987 that the use of it might produce a couple of letters, which it most certainly did. A few allowed as how it just might have been a Ford; others insisted that it definitely WAS a Ford ; a couple of writers, who lj./HE BILLBOARD apparently remembered Harvey's pronouncement said it might really be a Hupmobile, and I, to the outrage of one or two writers , said I took it to be a loose Advertising in this column is offered free to SAH members on a space composite of parts of some rather plain-looking cars, available basis. Ads for historical automotive books and literature, and, in my words , a "nothing" (on opinion which photographs, drawings, etc., are acceptable, both for sale and wanted. I still steadfastly cling to). Thus, to dote, we have Ads for automobiles or parts are not acceptable. hod three opinions-Ford, Hupmobile, and "nothing," each backed by widely varying degrees of LITERATURE FOR SALE enthus iasm. But now we have a brand new opinion, MARYLAND · AUTOMOBILE HISTORY , 1900 t o 1942 . An early expressed in the following letter, the writer of which history of manufacturers, dealers and users of motor seems to believe that he has settled the question vehicles . 218 pages, 78 illustrations . $13 . 95 plus once and for all . I only wish that this could be $1.50 shipping. Maryland r esidents add sal es tax. true, for I 'd like to put this thing to rest. RECTOR R. SEAL , 400 5 RIDGECROFT ROAD, BALTIMORE , MD 21206 . William W. McKay, 104 Grayling Ave., Narbert h, PA 19072: There you go again, putting Chevrolet CLOSE-OUT SALE : The Amer ican Ca r of 1921, a 63 - page down by ignoring the obv ious ' The car on the U.S. soft- cover book, size 8J;i X 11 inches . Reprinted ten-dollar b;ll is a 1927-28 v intage Chevvy, the from the 1921 auto show issue of Mo t or Age . Short car that outproduced Henry Ford's f inest because descriptions of 119 makes of American automobiles Henry had to shut down to update h is product. with more than 400 photos of most of the body styl es The attached copy of an Automobile Quarterly (val. plus three pages of the original prices of these 18, #4, fourth quarter 1984, page 443) ill ustration models . Also eight pages of detailed specifications shows an a lmost identica l veh ic le with the proper and specifications of the 1921 motorcycles as well. parking lights, bumper, belt molding, high "wide­ Hundreds of copies we r e sold at the original price spaced" headlights, and of course, no gas tank of $5 . 95, and the remaining stack is now offered or gas cap in the driver's lap. at $4 . 00 pe r copy, postage paid on U. S. and Can ­ Now that I' ve managed to solve your problem, adian orders; plus postage on overseas orders . perhaps you or a reade r could help me solve mine . BRIGHAM BOOKS, 1fi16 PARK LANE, NE , MARIETTA , GEORGIA T he Stanley Manufacturing Company may have been 30066 , USA . ' formed as far back as 1882, but on December 21, 1887, Frank F. Stanley , Amos P. Tapley, and Charles S. Randall met in the law offices of Franklin WHO'S ON FIRST ' C. Pa ~ son at 188 Middle Street in Portland Maine to forrhally incorporate the Stanley Manufacturing Longtime SAH member Hayden S hepley ( #254) Company·,. The compan y held the rights to what re­ has made a hefty contri-bution to the SAH mained of the shoe machinery patents of Gordon publications, and especially to th is col u mn in the McKay (May 4, 1821- 7 ) of Pittsfield, Massachusetts form of about forty pages of "firsts" which he has and Newport, Rhode Island. The new company re­ accumul ated over a period of a great many years . placed the McKay Sewing Machine Association ( 1864- These pages will remain the property of the Society, 1 880's) and planned to deal in the manufacture of and will be passed on to whoever will be my eventual machinery and business of mach inery patents . successor as editor . By Februa r y of 1899 the Stan ley Manufacturing A few of t hese will be included in each issue Compa n y was one of a sma ll number of businesses of the J ou rna I, with perhaps a nother one o r two for manufacturing steam cars under the patents of our members to answer. For starters, here are a Georqe E Ii Wh itney. Their product was called the couple from Hayden's coll ection: Stanley- Whitney, which probably didn't hurt their The first down-draft carburetors on American sales . It was reportedly a well-made machine except production cars appeared on the Chrysler line in for a short-lived reluctance to use cotter pins . The 1929 . veh icles we r e produced in Lawrence, Massachusetts, The f irst American producer to use the a u tomatic in the company shops on the southwest corner of choke was Oldsmobile , in 1 932. West and Haverh ill Streets. This had previously Now a question: Which American a utomaker been the location of the Lawrence Machine Company was the first to use h yd raulic valve lifte r s in its and the McKay Sewing Mach ine Association shops . engines 7 I' ve managed to d ig out the above information And an a nswer to ou r last question: the first but can find no background information on Gordon McKay (Harvard has a Gordon McKay Chair and American auto bui ld er to offer an exhaust-gas heater the Stanley Manufacturing Company papers in its on some of its enclosed models was Pierce-Arrow, a rchives), Frank F. Stanley, L.R. Stanley, Amos in 1908. (Because of just plain sloppy housekeeping, P. T apley , Charles S. Randall, and Franklin C. I've mislaid the name of t he member who sent an Payson, Esq. In addition, none of George Eli answer to this question. This answer is from Hayden Whitney 's papers mention the Stan ley Manufacturin g Shepley's li st). Company. Wh itney's attorney was George Baxter Upham, but I have not yet tracked down his papers, Literature, information, and the location of any although they are reportedly held by the Historical vehicles or parts would be a great he lp. F .H . Society of Claremont, New Hampshire . Holmes, a fruit grower of San Jose, California , A number of articles have been copied from The reported a 2,000 mil e trouble free trip in J une 1900, Horseless Age, The Motor Age, and other contem­ and in November 1900 told of 6,500 miles· use on tempora r y publications, but I still need information a StanleyWhitney / McKay vehicle. In February of on t hese to prepare a history of the Stanley-Whitney 1901, a McKay steamer "outfit" was used to power which was later called the McKay Steam Car when a lumberman's sled in Moosehead Lake, Ma ine. it was changed to a compound-eng ined steamer . T hanks for any help . SA H Journal Na. 110 Sep tember-Octaber 198 7 TJ;e Golden Oldies The Keeton for 1914

THE KEET ON ?-PASSENGER TOURING CAK

Mech an ically there will be little difference between are 34 x 4! a~ the wheelbase 136 inch es . Left­ t he 19 13 and 1914 products of the Keeton Motor hand drive and central gear-shift lever are reta ined Car Company, Detroit, Michigan, but several new from last year . With the dash r ad iator and the steer­ types of bod ies have been added which follow Euro­ ing column passing through it, the removal of the pean design . rad iator would be ve r y d ifficult with a one-piece The .? ix-cyl inder motor is a block casti ng of the steering column . So the Keeton uses a two-piece L-head 'type, with all the moving parts enclosed. steering column, the ends of which are a ground Therm o- si · ~hon cooling has given place to a pump­ fit in a strong coup I i ng just in front of the rad iator driven circulation , althoug h t h e French t ype of and held from t u rning by large feather keys and sl oping hood an d d ash r adiator a r e r etained . A large taper pins. fa n i n the fl ywh eel f u rnishes ai r c i rculation, wh ich Electric starti ng and lighting are included in is di r ected in suc h a manner as to keep the foot­ the equipment, as are also a Warner speedometer boards and front compartment cool. and clock set. An unusual feature is t h e patented The cy li nders are 3-3/4 x 5-1/2 inches, and a r e D- B dust hood and holder, which carries the top cast en bloc. T he crankshaft has four beari ngs, boot on the rear top curtain, rolled up very neatly, which are lubricated d irectly by means of a gear and securely fastened with four clasps to the curtain pump . An Eisemann dual magneto and Zenith carbu­ when the top is up. Thi s does away with the annoy­ r etor a r e features of engine equipment. ance of I i fti ng the rear seat c ushion to get the boot A mu ltiple-disc clutch is housed in the flywheel , out or put it away when putting the top up or runn ing i n oil . Connection to the transmission, which down. is located amidships, is through a double universal New body types include a berline-limousine of joint. Four speeds forwa r d are provided, with direct unusual finish, a two-passenger cabriolet roadste r d ri ve on th i rd speed and an overdriven fourth and a five-passenger convertible top phaeton. T here speed. Six F & S an nu la r ball bearings are found are also two-passenger roadster, seven- passenger in the transm iss ion . touri ng and three-passenger coupe bodies. Drive to the rear axle is through a single univer­ sa l joint and enclosed propeller shaft. The torque r eaction is supported by the axle third member, wh ich r ides on the shaft. Driving thrust is transmit­ ted to the frame through the rear spring , wh ich is th r ee-qua r ters el liptic . Gea r ratios of 3-1/2 : 1, 3-3/4:1 and 4:1 are available . Both sets of brakes are inter nal expanding , there bei ng two drums on each rear wheel . T hey are operated by pedals. All f ou r w h ee ls a r e mounted on F & S bea r ings , floating ax le constru ction bei ng used at the r ear. N ickel steel is the material from which the Keeton f r ame is made , its largest section bei ng 4-1 /16 x 3- 3/16 inches . T he frame has been lowered 1-1/2 19 14 KE ET ON 2-P ASSENGER ROADS TE R inc hes withou t reducing the ground clearance from 10 -3 / 4 inches . T he front axle has ball bearing EDITOR : This text , with minor editing , and the photos , kn u ckles of Ell iott pattern . Wi re wheels are standard have been reprinted from The Horseless Age , December equi pment , an extra wheel bei ng furnished, carried 17' 1913 . on a fa lse hub at the rear of the frame. T he t ires 5 SAH Journal No. 11 0 September -October 198 7 SOME BACKGROUND ON THE KEETON AND ITS PREDECESSORS

T he Keeton automobile was built by the Keeton Motor Car Company, Detroit, a firm founded by Forrest M. Keeton, erstwhile member of the Croxton­ Keeton Motor Car Company of Massillon , Ohio. The other principal member of this concern was Herbert A. Croxton, president of the J ewel Motor Car Com­ pany , who in 1909 was joined by Keeton, wh o was formerly with Pope- T o ledo . The first product of this joint venture was the J ewei- Keeton taxicab , dropped in late 1909 in favor of the Croxton-Keeton The 1908 Jewel Model 40 with a four-cylinder water­ car . cooled engine . Earlier models (1906 and 1907) were But this partnership, like so many in the early 2-cylinder, 2- cycle a ir-cooled horseless carriage a utomobile industry, ended in d isagreement. Keeton types. The Jewel was succeeded by the Croxton- Keeton le ft the company and went to Detroit where he org­ in 1909 . an ized the Keeton Motor Car Company. Croxton re­ orga nized as t he Croxton Motor Company and moved the business to Washington, Pe n nsylvan ia , whe r e it lasted until 1914 , s ucceeded by the Universal Motor Car Company, bu il ders of a cycleca r wh ic h fa ii E' d in its first year As for the Keeton Motor Car Company, t hi s firm stagger ed into 1914 and was absorbed by the American Voitu r ette Compan y , which had marketed a small ca r, the Car -Nation , with some success since 191 2 . This new o r gan ization produced both Keeton and Car-Nation cars. In late 1914 the Keeton line The 1913 Car-Natipn, made by the American Voiturette was dropped. Reorganization of American Voiturette Company, 1912-1 9,5, which absorbed the Keeton Motor as the Car- Nation Motor Car Company fai led to save Ca r Company in 1914 . The Keeton line was soon what was left of this enterprise. dropped and the compa ny wa s reorga ni zed a s the Car- Nation Motor Car Company . Small production followed into 1915, when the company was sold . \

Weighs 2200 lbs. Will do better than 60 mil es per hour. Extremely low cent er of gravity. Radiator at rear of motor. Wheels, 36 in ches ; wheel base, 11 5t in ches. Turns in 30 feet- shorter than any American car built of it.s wheel IJat;e. 6 SA H Journal No . 710 September-October 7987 the sun f or it s al l-too-short 13-y ear life spar. . Of course it went on under the ae g is of Rolls-Roy ce, and sti ll ca r ries an excellent r eputation . £3 ut the two Bentleys are enti rel y different cars . Besides the excellent text and 1mag n ificent photo­ g r aphs shown h er ei n (many of these never hefor e sh own), the r e is mu ch, much more to t he book, i ncluding a 200 + page section which lists the eng ine, RE GI S T RA TI ON PL A TES OF THE WOR L D ( Secon d se ri al an d reg istr ation number s of t h e 3 , 024 ca r s Ed ition ) , by Neil Parker , Joh n Weeks and Reg made , pi u s the names of t he or ig ina I owners , dates Wil son. 558 pages. Mor e than 4 ,000 bl ack and w H·it e of initial del ive r y, coach work on t h e cars and a p hotos . ISBN 0 950273 5 2 X, ( Paperback ). Publ ished b r eakd ow n of t he 79 coachbui lder s who produced b y EUROPLA TE ( The European Reg ist rat ion Pla t e Ben tley bod ies on a year- to-yea r basis, i n addition A ssociation ), and available in the U. S . from Gerald to those b u ilde r s who made only one contribution D . Boo n e, 17 13 West 28th St reet , Lor ai n , OH 440 52 . to t h e l ine. One has to go some to better t hat sort $17 . 90. Hardback ed it ion also avai lable at $2 6.90 . of coverage . Michael Hay h as done it . Nea rl y , if not ever y one , wh o is inte r ested in Ver y few of t h e 1919- 1931 Bentleys were exported automotive h istor y has encounte r ed those annoying to the United States duri ng their period of manu­ occas ions where a number plate might r ea d i ly be factu r e, althoug h more than 100 are her e now . The i r the key to an old ca r 's origi n or pl ace of orig ina l ow ners we r e a mixed bag of pri nces , retired r eg istr at ion and yet have no idea w h at it mi g h t army offi:er s , ma ha r aja h s , nobi l ity and oth er t itled be . Regis t ration Plates of the Wo rld cove r s i n pe r son s as well as t he leaders of industr y and the minu t e det a il the subject of l icense p lates , and p r ofession s, p lus the just p la i n affluent w ho knew w her eas i t is primaril y focu sed on the p lates of a good t h i ng when t hey saw on e. today , t h er e is con side r abl e mat e ria l on the ea rli est Happily, a goodly number of t hese fine cars p lates as wel l as i llustr ation s and, f or th is r ea son su r vive to this day . A few still carry their o ri g i nal alone , Registrat ion Plates of the Worl d is an ideal bodies. More have been rebod ied at least once and r ef er ence source . in many cases, several times . It speaks well fo r Some 286 pages la r ger than its 1979 p redecessor , the chassis and for the affection of thei r owners t hi s is t he most complete encyclopedia on the subject over the yea rs. ever p r oduced, and is likely to rema in so for some This is an ex~llent book. It combines keen know­ years to come . It covers 340 countries, territories ledge w ith a talent for r esea rch, and p utting i t and smaller enclaves from every part of the world into the p rinted word . T h e excel lence of Dal ton as well as such f orme r cou ntr ies as Latvia , Estonia, Watson's part in it all-format, r eprodu ction and Li thuania, French Ind ia , etc .; cou n tries w h ich t ried b ind ing-goes w i t hou t say ing. Keith Marvin but d id ' t make it such as Biafra and Kat anga, and the f ake South A f rican "republics" such as The THE HISTORY OF FORD I N AUSTRA LIA, b y Norm ----rl :::ra:::-::::n::-;skei ~nd Venda . Variou s alph abets and numeric Da r wi n . 223 pages . More than 1, 100 b lack and white sy stems ar-e presented in ch ar t form for those wh o illustrations, w i th 16 pages in color. Ha r dbou nd, can't r ead Cy rillic, Burmese, and t he l i ke , and a B}; " x 10 ! ." I SB N 0-9552287- 1-3. Eddie For d Pu blica­ sp lendid foreword g ives the reader the h istory of t ions Pty Ltd, Newstead, Victo r ia 3462 , Austral ia . the f irst r eg ist r ations , how and when they began, $37 . 95 ( A ustr alian) postpa id, o r $23 . 95 (Austr alian) and t h eir p r ogres si on t hrou g h the years. pos t pa id for soft cover ed i tion . (May also be pa id The United States and Canada a r e t aken stat e- by­ i n U . S.Dolla r s @ 70 cents on the dollar.) state and prov i nce- by-pr ovince . As systems va r y SAH me mber Norm Dar wi n has done it agai n, with annual cha n ges , ever y-now-and-th en changes t his wor k being a compan ion vol ume to his earl ier and infr equen t changes, th is book is f o rmidable t r ea ti se on Th e History of Holden Since 7977 . I think i n concept. I t is also a godsend to anyone who wa n ts mos t of u s k now little of Austral ia, but i n some the wor d on the su bject . respects t he Fo r d cars from Geelong are as exclu ­ K eith Marvin sively Aust r alian as t he kangaroo. BENTL EY: TH E VI TAG E YEA RS, by Michael Hay. A ctually , Ford of Austral ia , set up i n 1925, was 522 pages w ith mo r e t han 500 black and wh ite the resu lt of an involved tour b y Canad ian Ford photos . Ha r d covers , B!"x9! . " I SBN 0 90156 4 26 pe r son n el, as Fo r d of Canada h ad suppl ied the Aus­ 5. Dalton Watson Pic., London , and available in tral ian ma r ket since t h e ea rli est days, the Canadian t he U . S . from B itz & Frost , P . O . Box 2010 , 788 chass is be i ng equipped with oversized fuel tank s Commerce Street, Sin k ing Sp ring , PA 19608 for the c u tback road conditions, and r ight- hand (1 - 80 0-65 4- 8523.) $69.95 or with full English leather steeri ng . And u n til 192 5 , each Australian state had b ind i ng , $295 . 00. its own For d d istri b u torsh ip, wh ich meant that bodies made i n Qu eensland wou ld d iffer to a g r ea ter The Eng li sh B entley had a way of its ow n , and or lesser degree f r om the coachwork supplied i n d uri ng i ts " f i r st coming" o r " V in t age Y ears " which New South Wales or T asmania . spanned 1919 into 1931, ma n aged to ma r ket- in seven Both Ca nadian (similar to U . S. l and Engl ish series-some of t he p r ettiest and most for mi d able cars Fords wer e sold on the market "down under" over ever to grace a h ig h way . t he years , plus a number ot bod y styles which were Michael Hay, although only 24 years of age , is of exclusive Australian design, so variety abounded. at once ed u cational , histori cally impor tant, T he author also touches on what he terms as entertaining and as complete as any research project the "spu rious" cars from which nomenclature had of its kind could be . been r emoved and replaced with such badges as T he Bentley i n those days was somewhat of a Palm , Renown , and Spa rk . These fooled few , who b ru te of a car to rnany , although it had a refinement r ecogn ized t hem for what they were but bou g h t of eng i neeri ng, per formance and repu tation which them anyway . could v ie w it h other s of its type-B ri tish o r T his is an inter esting book on an all - but- unknown Con t inental-that cost tw ice its price . And t h e Bentley su b ject ( in the U. S . at least) and wel l wor th you r wasn ' t cheap, eithe r . I t owned i ts un iq u e p lace in scru tiny . K eith Marvin 7 In the depression year of 1934, this six-cy linder Hupmobile Model 417 sold at a factory price of $795

\

~ --~ J!-l~. J.Q~,~ L_ I

Ri ch:ud L3 . L3righ:Jm. Ed it or Edit orial O.ffice . 1616 Park Lane , N E. Marietta, Georgia 300J6 U.S A. FIRST CLASS MAIL September-October 1987 Issue No . 110

PLEASE FORWARD

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED