favorite cars of the golden era

[dhermann1]

'39 Dodge in '51

Here's my grandfather's '39 Dodge in 1951. (Not the avatar granddad, the other granddad.)
My grandmother has just come back from some errand and I'm helping her carry stuff back to the house. My little brother greets us.
At the left you can see the remains of the garage, which had been blown down by a hurricane (as I recall the story) the previous year. This is in Bangor, Pa., just north of Easton.

This is a detail of the original photo, which was taken with my dad's 1937 Voigtlander Superb twin lens reflex camera, which I still have. Wish I had the Dodge!

 

[Jack Armstrong]

I love those GM postwar fastbacks. Our family car when I was a kid was a '51 Chevy fastback two-door. The Buick and Pontiac versions were even slicker. I wish there were more GM fastbacks available in 1:18 scale.

 

[klind65]

I would have to say...

I would choose a 1929 Duesenberg! :eusa_clap

 

[Forgotten Man]

Regarding the whole Caddy vs. Packard issue. I think that the Pierce-Arrow outclassed both of them until its tragic demise in 1934.

I think Pierce Arrow's are very nice! I saw a 1931 Pierce Arrow in Redlands a few weeks ago parked in a parking lot of a Del Taco of all places! It was a four door black limo, with jump seats in the back! It was a little aged, never restored. The archer on the hood was missing his bow! but, the rest of the car was in tact.

Pierce Arrow's were fine autos... but when it comes to out classing a Cadillac or Packard, the top of the food chain was Duesenberg! In fact, I saw a very interesting episode of "Rides" on Discovery channel where they had a special about Jay Leno... he found a very rare 1927 Duesenberg model X in a garage just down the street from his shops in Burbank! He bought it of course and drug it out... turns out that this car is only 1 known model X to exist out of 14 that were made!

He had the motor rebuilt and got the car running smoothly... he put new tires on it and polished it up... left it alone, not going to be a ground up restoration... it was in pretty good shape to begin with so, he felt it's only original once and left it as it is after cleaning it up.

Here's a link to a clip from "Rides" with the car before and after:
http://www.motortopia.com/videos/view/p/cars/t/group/vi/2190/i/jay_lenos_1927_model_x_duesenberg

 

[klind65]

Price of a vintage motorcar...

Hello. Could anyone tell me the range of price I might expect to pay for a vintage Duesenberg or other stylish motorcar from the 30's???
Much obliged!

 

[John in Covina]

Hello. Could anyone tell me the range of price I might expect to pay for a vintage Duesenberg or other stylish motorcar from the 30's??? Much obliged!

****
Dusenberg tend to be hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. THey are not really production cars, the chassis, engine and drive train were usually turned over to a coach maker (body) and so the were all pretty much custom bodies.

If you want a bit more affordable Packard, Caddilac perhaps Lincoln, then the Desotos, Chrysler, Plymouth Dodge, Buick, Pontiac, Chevy, and Ford.

SOme cars are hard to find as they made a small amount so the lesser vehicle tend to be higher production numbers and easier to find at a lower price.

You can go to Ebay-Motors and call up a year range of cars to get an idea as to prices for vehicles. Convertabiles tend to be higher priced.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Hello. Could anyone tell me the range of price I might expect to pay for a vintage Duesenberg or other stylish motorcar from the 30's???
Much obliged!

Duesenberg? I hope you have at least $2,000,000. to burn! There's an amazing museum in San Sylmar CA and they have a collection of many Dusenberg's... and the crowning Dusy they have is the silver Twenty Grand they own that was on display at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933 to 1934... They call it the "Twenty Grand" because that was the original price to purchase the car in 1933. Today, it has won best of show in just about every show/competition they have entered it. Last I heard it was appraised to be worth over $5,000,000.!!!

Most people who own them, never drive them... unless you're Jay Leno! lol But, most sit in Museums and private collections and rarely show up to car shows and when they do, they're ropped off and being rubbed with a diaper!

If you're serious about investing in a classic 30s car, buy something you can find parts for easily and that would be practical. Depending on your taste (early 30s, mid or late 30s) Choose something like a Plymouth, Chrysler, or if you're a Ford fan, find a 30s Ford... but they tend to sell for more then they should due to the over popular nature of them amongst the hot rod scene.

I own and drive a 1946 Plymouth daily, and let me tell you... it's fun, it's a conversation starter, it's an eye catcher and I enjoy the devil out of it... but, it's work and will call for more attention to up-keep then a modern day car.

Shoot me an PM if you'd like to know more about vintage or classic autos and the owner ship there of!

 

[Elaina]

....Still a 1932 Plymouth sedan...

I've got the opportunity to get a 1938 that needs work I'll be looking at next weekend. It does drive, but needs to be overhauled (is that the term for it?) and I'll have to be doing this myself, but it does come with a fair bit of parts to it.

Go ahead and laugh. I did when I figured out *I* had to restore it myself.

 

[Forgotten Man]

....Still a 1932 Plymouth sedan...

I've got the opportunity to get a 1938 that needs work I'll be looking at next weekend. It does drive, but needs to be overhauled (is that the term for it?) and I'll have to be doing this myself, but it does come with a fair bit of parts to it.

Go ahead and laugh. I did when I figured out *I* had to restore it myself.

A '38 Plymouth? How neat is that! You know, it takes work, lots of work and dedication to restore an auto... I'm sure with the interest and determination you seem to have, you'll be just fine! Find a owner's manual for the car, that way you'll be able to turn to it when you may come to a stumbling block!

Good luck if you buy the Plymouth! And remember, do your home work if you wanna restore her correctly! There is a site on the web P-15 D-24 is a site that is all about post war Plymouth and Dodge cars but, there are members who own earlier cars and have tons of information on most Plymouth models!

Here's to you and your possible Plymouth purchase!

 

[Elaina]

A '38 Plymouth? How neat is that! You know, it takes work, lots of work and dedication to restore an auto... I'm sure with the interest and determination you seem to have, you'll be just fine! Find a owner's manual for the car, that way you'll be able to turn to it when you may come to a stumbling block!

Good luck if you buy the Plymouth! And remember, do your home work if you wanna restore her correctly! There is a site on the web P-15 D-24 is a site that is all about post war Plymouth and Dodge cars but, there are members who own earlier cars and have tons of information on most Plymouth models!

Here's to you and your possible Plymouth purchase!

He'll give me a manual if I get it. I already asked. I may not know the technical terms, but I do know that.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[Story]

MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The 75th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz
famed Silver Arrows continues at Lime Rock Park in Lime Rock, CT during the
Labor Day weekend when a 1939 W 154 Silver Arrow takes a historic track run
for the first time in 70 years.


http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS44662+05-Sep-2009+PRN20090905

 

[HadleyH]

Gorgeous, perfection.... Jean Harlow's 1932 Packard... what a dream!

yes... i think that'd be a favorite too... [huh] :cry:

 

[HadleyH]

This 1935 Auburn Speedster is nice too! Errol Flynn is at the wheel in case anyone cares.

 

[David Conwill]

This 1935 Auburn Speedster is nice too! Errol Flynn is at the wheel in case anyone cares.

Funny, after so long seeing nothing but boat tails, a conventional trunk on a '35 Auburn roadster just looks wrong.

-Dave

 

[Professor]

Pierce-Arrow

I think Pierce Arrow's are very nice! I saw a 1931 Pierce Arrow in Redlands a few weeks ago parked in a parking lot of a Del Taco of all places! It was a four door black limo, with jump seats in the back! It was a little aged, never restored. The archer on the hood was missing his bow! but, the rest of the car was in tact.

Coincidentally, I saw this car parked last night at Orange and State in Downtown Redlands. My friend actually pointed it out as I was driving by, and when I turned and saw the triple taillamp I knew I was looking at a Pierce-Arrow! So I spun around and parked too to take a look. This fella was standing by the car on the sidewalk, thought he was just out for a smoke, but he was the owner. A friendly and intelligent guy, we talked with him a bit and got a couple of photos. Turns out it's a '30, and he keeps the bow at home for safekeeping.

 

[John in Covina]

Awsome! I feel the need to visit the cars at the Nethercutt in Sylmar.

 

[cookie]

I'm with BruceTracy...I've always had an affinity for Batman's animated Batmobile...

:eusa_clap :arated:
When I first saw the Cadillac 16 concept car, it kind of reminded me of that Batmobile. What do you think?

The real Batmobile inspiration found Down Under no less: Cord Westchester

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This one speaks to me....

The Jaguar XKEs blend of high speed and composure was matched by precious few cars in the 1960s

In 1935, the Jaguar name was officially given to William Lyons's classic Swallow cars.

 

[BellyTank]

And it all started with the Austin Seven!


B
T

 

[Carlisle Blues]

^
^

The origins of Jaguar can be traced back to the northern seaside town of Blackpool in the early 1920s. It was here that a young motorcycle enthusiast, Bill Lyons (b. 1901), not yet 21 years of age, met William Walmsley (b. 1891) who was building attractive motorcycle sidecars and attaching them to reconditioned motorbikes. Walmsley had not long arrived in Blackpool with his parents from Stockport, and both families happened lived in the same street – King Edward Avenue.

As soon as William Lyons came of age, he and Walmsley formed the Swallow Sidecar Company on 4th September 1922 with a bank overdraft of £1,000. Securing first and second floor premises in Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, they commenced commercial production of the sidecars together with a small team of eight employees, including a young Arthur Whitaker. Although initially employed to help with sales, Whitaker’s strength lay in purchasing and he was to remain with Lyons for some 50 years, proving himself to be one of the most shrewd purchasers in the business.

The Austin 7 was an instant success, not only in Great Britain, but also in what was the most difficult motor car export market of the time, North America. Austin licensed a move of a part of its operations to the United States in 1929, setting up a factory to produce the Americanized Austin 7 in Butler, Pennsylvania. As production started, the company claimed it had close to 200,000 orders for its new ultra-light, ultra-economical car. Sir William Lyons used the Austin 7 chassis to build his own car, the "Swallow" which gave him the knowledge and profits to form Jaguar in 1935.