Horseless Carriage Cavalcade (Oct, 1956)
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Horseless Carriage Cavalcade
THE CARS shown here, all on public display at the Carriage Cavalcade at Florida’s Silver Springs, go a long way toward explaining how antique car bugs get that way. For example, the 1903 Crestmobile was loaded with features that are now regarded as pretty modern: steering column shift, automatic clutch, an engine mounting resembling Chrysler Floating Power, and adjustable steering wheel. The 1925 Rickenbacker had four-wheel brakes—but the motoring public fell victim to a whispering campaign that this great safety advance was unreliable. The Rumpler Drop Car was an attempt to streamline the passenger car (racing bombs had been built much earlier). To people who love cars, these old-timers are automotive history.
I’ed think getting a decent shot going at speed would be impossible...
The Rumpler looks like one of the many prop cars used in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” a few years later
Comment by Neil Russell — December 30, 2011 @ 12:18 pm
I just looked the Rumpler up and saw that Lang did indeed use and destroy several of the cars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpler_Tropfenwagen
Darn internet takes all the fun out of accumulating worthless facts in your own head
Comment by Neil Russell — December 30, 2011 @ 12:23 pm
They’re also automotive history to people who don’t love cars.
Comment by Warren — December 30, 2011 @ 1:29 pm
the hispano-suiza was apparently the model J12. a nine-litre V12 engine producing only 220 horsepower… i’d love a modern reproduction, but surely we could up that to maybe 400-500 these days?
Comment by Nomen Nescio — December 30, 2011 @ 5:36 pm
Sure, it only had 220 HP, but with that swept piston area, imagine the torque! You could plow gumbo mud with that thing, given appropriate tires.
Perosnally, I’d take the Bearcat. I’ve always loved them. Unless there’s a Dusenberg SJ on the table, too.
Comment by Toronto — December 30, 2011 @ 6:15 pm
Here’s to that! My goal in life is to be wealthy enough to use a Dusey as my daily driver.
Comment by Sean — December 31, 2011 @ 7:33 am