A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2016, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume IX, Issue 10
Exploring:
Ca
Car Collecting Today
High RPMs
Classic Rides Reports From the Field Oldsmobile (1897-2004) Cadillac (1902- ) Allanté (1987-1993)
Corvair (1960-1969)
◄ = Clickable Link
IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs
1
Who Was That Man?
2
Scripps Booth Autogo
4
Pics to Ponder
5
Not that anyone is counting, but this issue of CCC® is #96, and marks the completion of 8 full years of publication. I do not know about where you are, but here in SE WI it looks as though summer has left? Our daytime highs are now in the 60’s, and we have nighttime lows in the 40’s. While out for my daily trek today I came upon an AMC Javelin. One simply does not see too many of them on the road any more. The lines were, and are, pleasing. Put a high power mill under the hood and one has a true muscle car! October Automotive Milestones 1-1908 Ford intros Model T 1-1954 Studebaker-Packard Corp. merged 1-1974 Last Imperial intro’d
®
CCC -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars.
◄
OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
2-1912 William S. "Bunkie" Knudsen born 2-1959 Corvair debuts 4-1962 Buick debuts Riviera 4-1983 633 m.p.h. land speed record set 7-1945 1st post-war Cadillac produced 7-1948 Citroen debuts 2CV 7-1960 CBS premieres "Route 66" 8-1869 J. Frank Duryea born, Washburn, Illinois 8-1938 Mercury production begins. 8-1959 Ford debuts Falcon 13-1902 Ohio Automobile Co. becomes Packard Motor Car Co. 14-1965 Toronado debuts 15-1924 Lee Iacocca born 15-1945 Olds resumes postwar production 16-1958 El Camino debuts 21-1927 1st Model A Ford 21-1963 Honda imports 1st car to U.S. 25-1864 John Dodge born 25-1873 John Willys born 25-1931 Geo Washington
Bridge opens to traffic 25-1954 Geo Romney named AMC Chair/CEO 25-1957 Last Hudson intro’d 28-1955 Chevrolet intros the 265 V-8 30-2010 GM kills Pontiac 31-1957 ToyotaUSA opens in Hollywood, CA
- Autumn arrives abruptly!
GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web:
CCC® Forum EMail:
October 2016
s
Car Collector Chronicles® ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 2
Who Was That Man?
“It was also appreciated that virtually every farmer in America was more than familiar with Plymouth Binder Twine™ from Plymouth Cordage Company … .”
His likeness may not be readily recognizable. That may be because during his lifetime he was not one to seek the limelight. Rather, he was content to be permitted to do that at which he was good at doing, and which he enjoyed. His middle name was Washington. That may be due to the fact that his mother was a direct descendant of the “Father of Our Country,” George Washington. He made his name in the automobile industry. At one time or another during his career he worked in various and myriad capacities for Packard, GM, Saxon, Pierce-Arrow, Maxwell-Chalmers, Chrysler, Willys-Overland and Graham-Paige. For a short period of time, from 1946 through 1951, a line of automobiles even bore his name. Let’s go back to the beginning. He was born in Nashville, TN. His father was a prominent lawyer and his mother a socialite. Despite having earned a sheepskin from Yale in 1911, he went to work as a mechanic’s helper at his older brother’s Packard dealership. In this position he was paid the munificent sum of 16¢ an hour; $3.82 in today’s money! The early 20’s found him at GM, more specifically Chevrolet. There his marketing skills were responsible for making automobile purchases more attainable by the masses via manufacturer funded financing. Can you say GMAC? His ability in this area was such that GM loaned him to Pierce-Arrow to institute a similar scheme, thereby keeping that ailing company afloat for the time being. An interesting tidbit is his role in naming the Plymouth. 1n 1927 he was a Chrysler executive. Chrysler was coming out with an automobile to challenge the position of Ford and GM in the low priced car market. During a brain storming session our mystery man suggested the name of Plymouth. Others around the table were not particularly impressed. The one who was, Walter P. Chrysler. What impressed him was the reasoning behind the suggestion. Before conjuring up images of the Mayflower and going all Pilgrim on this, let me make it clear, the suggestion had nothing to do with Plymouth Rock. Knowing the market, it was appreciated that farmers were in need of low cost transportation. It was also appreciated that virtually every farmer in America was more than familiar with Plymouth Binder Twine™, from Plymouth Cordage Company, the world‘s largest manufacturer of rope. It was a staple of farming operations. Consequently, use of the Plymouth name yielded instant recognition within the target market. The idea resonated with Walter P. and he ran with it. It also must have resonated with the car buying public. This conclusion is predicated on the fact that by 1931 Plymouth achieved third in U.S. automobile sales, and was able to maintain this ranking up to 1954. One other, non-automobile related point about the Plymouth Cordage Co. It numbered among its employees one Bartolomeo Vanzetti. Bartolomeo, along with his partner in crime Nicola Sacco, was an early 20th century anarchist executed by means of electrocution in 1927 for commission of murder By the time WWII came along, our mystery man had left Chrysler Corporation for Willys-Overland. There, he made two significant contributions. One was development of the Americar. This low cost vehicle ($630) helped keep Willys in the game so that it was still around and able to compete for the contract to build a military general purpose (GP) utility vehicle. With respect to this, he was the one with the business foresight to trade-
Page 3
Car Collector Chronicles
Who Was That Man?—Cont’d. mark the name Jeep®. We have yet to exhaust the lasting contributions of our mystery man. Another that we are all familiar with today is the hatch back. America’s first hatchappeared in 1949. The automaker that introduced it was KaiserFrazer on their respective Traveler and Vagabond models. I draw your attention to the spare tire. One would think it would be accessible from the left rear door. It was not. You had to gain access to, and remove the spare tire from, the right rear door. This is because the left rear door was not functional. It was designed not to be able to be opened! I have to assume that this design feature led to more that a few “choice words” being uttered during the process of changing a flat tire. I am not clear whether this door non-functionality carried over in the Kaiser line. My limited research indicates Kaiser stored the spare under the wood decking, instead of hanging it on the door. If that is accurate, then perhaps the left rear door on the Kaiser was functional? I would be remiss if I did not also mention that our mystery man was the first to create a formal school for the training of automobile mechanics. Can you say GM Institute? So, just who was the guy we have been discussing? By now I suspect you have an idea as to his identity. He was none other than Joseph W. Frazer. Yes, the Frazer of KaiserFrazer Corporation. This automobile company came into being in 1945, in part due to the efforts of Bank of America President, Amadeo P. Giannini. It was he who introduced the two to one another. They decided the Kaiser would be their entry level car and the Frazer their top-ofthe-line product. K-F achieved a modicum of success as the only “new” automobile in the early post-war years. In fact, Frazer outsold Cadillac, Packard and Lincoln in 1947. However, this business marriage of convenience did not last. Frazier bailed from the company over marketing strategy decisions. When he left, in 1949, so did corporate profitability. The Frazer crest/insignia contains the motto Je Suis Pret. That translates to “I am ready.” It is apropos, in that Joseph W. Frazer’s life proved that he was indeed ready to both take on a myriad of tasks and to be successful in his efforts. While we may not particularly remember him or his cars today, we do continue to benefit from his endeavors.
“America’s first hatchback appeared in 1949”
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
Scripps Booth Bi-Autogo
Is it a car? Is it a motorcycle? What is it? You are looking at the Scripps Booth Bi-Autogo. It was built in the year 1913 by a member of the Scripps Publishing empire family. A member with too much time on his hands, and too much money! James Scripps Booth quit school in the 10th grade. He was self-taught when it came to automotive mechanics/ engineering. He acquired his initial skills from an exercise in which he disassembled (reversed engineered) a Winton automobile owned by his family. And yes, he did successfully put it back together! This vehicle does have the distinction of being the first V8 engine built in Detroit, MI. The engine is connected to a 4-speed transmission and a fully enclosed chain drive. The 6.3L V8 produced all of 45 b.h.p.; which actually was quite a lot in 1913. Supposedly the machine would do 75 m.p.h.? To cool this monster down 450 feet of half-inch copper tubing is formed into a heat exchanger. The creation weighs in at a mere 3,200 lbs. and measures 20 feet in length! While it does have 37� x 5 1/2� wheels, at over 1 1/2 tons it would take quite a balancing act to keep the craft upright. Hence the stabilizing (training) wheels. They could be lowered via a lever in the cockpit when the machine slowed to 20 m.p.h. A steering wheel, versus handle bars, was used to guide the vehicle. In the absence of power steering turning corners was not a particularly easy task. In addition to the driver, the cockpit permitted two passengers. They had to sit behind the operator. Other features incorporated by young James (age twenty-five in 1913), unique at the time, were hidden door hinges, folding armrests and a horn located in of all places, smack-dab in the middle of the steering wheel! Needless to say, the Bi-Autogo is a one-off creation. In partnership with his uncle, James Scripps Booth manufactured luxury cars which were received well. Some purchasers were the King of Spain, the Queen of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Churchill and tenor John McCormick. Ultimately the Scripps-Booth company was acquired by Chevrolet and eventually absorbed by General Motors. 1922 was the last year of automobile production for Scripps-Booth.
Page 5;;
Car Collector Chronicles
Pics to Ponder ← That would be me! ← This one caught my eye, as it also is me -
Now, here is one to think about?
Contact? Contact! Ready for takeoff …
Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com.
–– Now that you have finished reading the newsletter, if so inclined, like CCC® on Facebook® by going here. To UNSUBSCRIBE send an email to ==> OldsD88@gmail.com _______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: TBD