favorite cars of the golden era

[dhermann1]

Here it is, a mere $65K. Anyone who wants to contribute to the Make Dan Really Really Happy Fund, please feel free to contribute generously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erAZNkO1u9o&feature=player_embedded#!

 

[Yeps]

I have a bit of a thing for MGs.
Here is a TC that I found a pic of on the internets:

I would really love to have one of these at some point.

 

[John in Covina]

ALthough a bit later I have a thing for Buick Sedanette's and the Nash Ambassadors that have the similar "fast back" style.

Here is video of a 1948 Buick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOvyiuWq0KE&feature=related

 

[dhermann1]

Funny, when I was a kid I thought that fast back look was so old fashioned, now I love them. One of my favorite radio personalities, Rich Conaty (host of The Big Broadcast, Sunday nights on WFUV FM or www.wfuv.org) has a very spiffy 1950 Nash that was recently featured in a story, with accompanying video, in the New York Times.
Those big toothed Buicks were great cars. You could argue that the ultimate one was the 1942. The '41 and '42 both had the dual carb set-up, that boosted the big engine's hp up to 165, higher than even the 346 cu in Cadillac V-8's 150 hp. The '41 Buick had some sort of problem with fouling plugs, which was corrected in the '42. The dual carbs were dropped after the war, so, as I said, you could say that the ultimate big tooth Buick was the '42. But they're all just great classic American land yachts.

 

[David Conwill]

Ooh, did somebody say “fastback”? My personal golden era is the immediate-post-WWII era (‘45 to ‘54), and to me there’s no car more emblematic of the style of those years than the ‘42, ‘46-‘48 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan.

One of those with front disc brakes, a 2x1 full-pressure 235, and a T5 transmission mated to the torque tube rear would be ideal. Preferably in maroon with maroon steel wheels and blackwall tires.

-Dave

 

[Talbot]

You know, call me uncultured, the only Kaiser-Frazer product that has ever appealed to me* is the 1951-design Kaiser club coupe.

The Darrin roadster is just too gimmicky for me.

-Dave

*I probably wouldn’t turn down ownership of any K-F, but it would be more out of a respect for their history and novelty than for an appreciation of their beautiful design.

They put some pretty wild interiors into these things

 

[Talbot]

Ooh, did somebody say “fastback”? My personal golden era is the immediate-post-WWII era (‘45 to ‘54), and to me there’s no car more emblematic of the style of those years than the ‘42, ‘46-‘48 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan.

One of those with front disc brakes, a 2x1 full-pressure 235, and a T5 transmission mated to the torque tube rear would be ideal. Preferably in maroon with maroon steel wheels and blackwall tires.

-Dave

Very nice!

T

 

[David Conwill]

They put some pretty wild interiors into these things

Mmm, yes, especially the Dragon models. I saw one in a junkyard once, it was very cool.

-Dave

 

[scottyrocks]

I have a bit of a thing for MGs.
Here is a TC that I found a pic of on the internets:

I would really love to have one of these at some point.

Not really golden era, but Ive always wanted one of these:

 

[Yeps]

Not really golden era, but Ive always wanted one of these:

That is a fantastic car, and I would love to have one of them too. Or maybe even an MGB. I love the little British sports cars, even though I am not terribly convinced that I would be able to fit inside one.

 

[StraightEight]

Wow, that picture brings back memories. First old car was a '66 Mk II Midget that I restored in a car port in Arlington, Virginia. Stayed with me through the move back to Michigan but eventually went to a new owner back in the DC area. Pic below. Conclusion: hilariously small, lots of fun, and the cheapest parts of any car I've ever owned. Of course, the car was comically archaic even for the times (A carbon throw-out bearing? Really?), but lots of fun. My vote for best cheap '60s roadster is the Sunbeam Alpine. A Swiss watch compared to the MG.

 

[John in Covina]

A favorite English car fact was that for a number of them Lucas (Prince of Darkness) was the major electrical supplier for many of the GB produced cars. The windsheild wiper switch or relay was enclosed in a folded metal box and installed on the fire wall with the unsealed seams facing up. When it rained the water collected on the top of the box, penetrated thru the open seams and eletrically shorted out your wipers so when it rained your wipers did not work.

Also at the time cars from the UK were especially noted for leaking oil. The neat thing was they often used oil filled shock absorbers so even the shocks could leak oil. Most people felt the leaking oil was to help keep the weeds down on the owners' long gravel driveway at the estate.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this rare beast yet...

The 1948 Buick Streamliner -

http://www.thecoolist.com/1948-buick-streamliner-by-norman-e-timbs/
http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&q=1948+buick+streamliner&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=21
Beautiful photos of a beautiful car!

-dixon cannon

 

[Yeps]

A favorite English car fact was that for a number of them Lucas (Prince of Darkness) was the major electrical supplier for many of the GB produced cars. The windsheild wiper switch or relay was enclosed in a folded metal box and installed on the fire wall with the unsealed seams facing up. When it rained the water collected on the top of the box, penetrated thru the open seams and eletrically shorted out your wipers so when it rained your wipers did not work.

Also at the time cars from the UK were especially noted for leaking oil. The neat thing was they often used oil filled shock absorbers so even the shocks could leak oil. Most people felt the leaking oil was to help keep the weeds down on the owners' long gravel driveway at the estate.

I like it when people spread information, because it keeps prices down, and maybe when I have some money and a garage (that will be a long time) I will be able to buy a classic car to work on. I will make sure to fix the wipers.

 

[vitanola]

Whilst I love the Ford, the New Ford and the Dodge Brothers fours, I do occasionally dream about the products of ALCO, the American Locomotive Company:

and even a sport model, a fire-breathing T-head Six:

I know that these machines are more than a bit early for the taste of most who post here, but they are nonetheless beautiful machines, built (appropriately) like locomotives.

 

[Story]

A classic Bugatti car, which gathered dust in a Tyneside garage for almost 50 years, may fetch up to £3m ($4.35m) when it goes under the hammer.

Relatives of reclusive Newcastle doctor Harold Carr found the 1937 Type 57S Atalante in a garage after he died.

Now the classic car, thought to be one of just 17 built, is to be sold by Bonhams in Paris next month.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/7807210.stm

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- A 1930s Bugatti has sold for about $30 million to become the world’s most expensive car -- with dealers predicting more records as billionaires look for alternatives to risky financial investments.

The Type 57SC Atlantic was bought in a private transaction for nearly as much as its asking price, dealers with knowledge of the matter said. The coupe had been owned by the New Hampshire-based neurologist Peter D. Williamson, a former president of the American Bugatti Club, who died in 2008.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a6mClLJTlV4E

 

[Bruce Wayne]

My favourite car of the Golden Era

If money were no object, I would have one reproduced (so as to not ruin a real one) & have a ZR1 LS9 engine & drivetrain dropped in.

 

[Jay]

Izzat the Bugatti Atlantic thing? Sharp car.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hey Bruce, I'm with you on this one. That's got to be one of history's most beautiful marques. If I had to choose an American make, it would be a 39 Lincoln Zephyr coupe with the 12 cylinder flathead. The only thing I would do is replace the original intake manifold with one I can put on 3 Stromberg 97's.

 

[vitanola]

Probably the big Graham-Paige 8-85 that I drove my Senior year of college.
Great styling, powered by a big Lycoming straight eight (the same engine used in the Cord L-29, as I recall). A powerful, stylish, reliable old boat that was wonderful to drive. It burned last March.

Or for a sporty machine, a pre-war raceabout with an immense, thundering T-head engine, like this ALCO: