Classic motoring events, vehicle restorations, news, museum visits and other bits and pieces from Perth, Western Australia
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tallahassee Motor Museum
While traveling in the US we visited the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum, Florida. We arrived first thing in the morning at 8.30am and had the whole place to ourselves. It was an impressive and eclectic collection covering mainly US cars, motorcycles, guns, memorabilia, boats and even trains. http://tacm.com/carmuseum/thecars.htm
A Harley-Davidson and the motorcycle collection.
A collection of Whizzer lightweight motorcycles.
Whizzer motorcycles
Vintage bicycles. See also my post on retro bicycles -http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2011/09/retro-bicycles.html
More bicycles
1957 Ford Thunderbird
1957 Chevy Bel-Air
1953 Cadillac Eldorado
1953 Cadillac Series 62
And another
1957 Chevy Bel-Air
1950 Packard Super Eight
1948 Lincoln Continental
1948 Ford Custom Coupe
There is no car like the 1936 Cord 810. A most remarkable and advanced car for its time.
A trio of remarkable cars - Cord, Bantam and Crossley
1948 Tucker Torpedo. Only 51 Torpedo's were built before the company was forced out of business by a slanderous campaign orchestrated by the US auto industry. They were very advanced cars for their time with their rear mounted engine and trio headlamps. They were undoubtedly influenced by the Czech Tatra of the 1930s. http://www.tuckerclub.org
Another unusual American car - 1954 Kaiser-Darrin sportster. The fibreglass bodied Kaiser-Darrin was intended to compete with British imported sportscars but it was proved to be rather more expensive. Only 435 were built. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Motors
Another misplaced attempt at a budget sportscar - 1950 Crossley. Crossley was a British auto company that built trucks, tractors and small budget cars. Unfortunately there was not much of a market in the US for small sportscars like this fibreglass bodied Super.
1940 Bantam. Another marginally successful budget sportster.
1940 Ford Highway Patrol Car
Streamlined 1940s Fords
1939 Ford Special
1932 Ford Model 18
1929 Auburn Boat Tail
1936 De Soto
1933 Chevrolet tow truck
1923 Packard and a row of 20s cars
1916 Scripps-Booth Model C and 1913 Car Nation Tourer
1909 Babcock Electric. Electric cars were very popular in the first decades of the automobile industry. They sold particularly well to women and people looking for a vehicle for inner city use. http://www.american-automobiles.com/Electric-Cars/Babcock-Electric.html
Ford T roadster
1909 De Witt. These old fashioned high-wheelers remained fairly popular in the US as their high road clearance meant they could navigate the appalling road conditions in the country.
1894 Duryea prototype. This unrestored gem was an amazing barn find. The underside still has the pencil marks and measurements under the flaking paintwork. It is the oldest surviving American automobile. More information can be found here - http://www.earlyamericanautomobiles.com/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duryea_Motor_Wagon_Company
1903 Stanley Steamer
1911 Ford Model T's
1907 International
1860 President Lincoln's hearse
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Retro Bicycles in the US
When we were in Lake Tahoe, California, we came upon Rosie's Cafe. It featured an interesting collection of vintage US bicycles. It was a popular stop for motorcyclists too.
In the 1930s through to the 1950s US bicycle manufactures created some interesting and stylish bicycles that had almost as many curves and fins as did US cars. http://www.nostalgic.net/ These are very collectable these days and a bike in pristine condition can fetch extraordinary prices.
A Firestone and a penny farthing hang from the ceiling.
Roadmaster Luxury Liner
My favourite, J C Higgins with portholes.
A Schwinn Black Phantom
A Whizzer moped. The Whizzer was Schwinn's powered bike range.
A Firestone.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Hemmings Auto Museum
In the main street of Bennington, Vermont is a little old petrol station - the Hemmings Garage - home of the Hemmings motor publishing empire. Hemmings produce a range of classic auto magazines and blogs. For anyone interested in classic and unusual autos, the Hemmings Blog is a must read - http://blog.hemmings.com/
A 1960s Harley-Davidson is parked in the garage window.
A wall of license plates
Behind the garage is a small museum of classic cars.
Hudson Tetraplane
An American Bantam microcar. These little sportsters were built in the 1940s.
Cadillac Eldorado
Ford Model A
Ahrens Fire Engine
1886 Benz replica. The first automobile.
Dodge A100
1950s Volkswagen in traditional black
BMW Isetta microcar
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