Three-Wheeler Thursday

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Tuesday, October 13, 2016]

A Tale of Two Motorettes

But not the 1901 – 1903 four-wheeled Motorette that became the Pierce-Arrow. Or the four-wheeled Motorette that the Holley Motor Company (today’s Holley Carburetor, sort of) made in 1902. This is Three-Wheeler Thursday, not Four-Wheeler Friday

The first is the Motorette as made by the C.W. Kelsey Manufacturing Company out of Hartford, Connecticut from 1910 to 1912.

From the September 15, 1910 edition of Motor Age magazine
- - -

And the second is the one made by The Motorette Corporation of Buffalo, New York from 1946 to 1948.

Photo by Nina Leen for LIFE magazine, 1949

The Jagged Edge

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Tuesday, October 11, 2016 and titled Trailer Tuesday 10/11/16]

The late Joseph 'Bogie' Beaudoin's channeled 1930 Ford Roadster powered by a caddy engine. Nicknamed "The Jagged Edge" it, for some reason, had a cigarette lighter mounted to the underside of the chassis.

Joseph Beaudoin tucks "The Jagged Edge"—his 1930 Ford Roadster—under a Feuer Transportation semi-trailer.
Beaudoin was an original member of the Black Road Auto Club out of Stamford, Connecticut. This photo was taken in 1960 when he was 20 or 21 years old (born in 1939), three years after the club was formed. The location is across the street from the local favorite Tony’s Diner on Shippan Aveue in Stamford Connecticut.


Black Road Auto Club plaque.

Photos from JALOPYJOURNAL and KUSTOMRAMA

1935 Ariel Red Hunter RH500

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Monday, October 10, 2016 and titled Motorcycle Monday 10/10/16]

Built pre-August 1935.    Photo taken November 18, 1935.
Nestled in the beautiful countryside of Kent, the small village of Yalding is prone to regular flooding as it sits between three rivers – the Beult, the Teise, and the Medway.  On November 18, 1935 this nearly new Ariel RH500 was photographed filling up at the Shell pump during the flood.

A surviving example.

Later that same day a different photographer captured a shot of a car filling up at the non-Shell pump.

The store (minus petrol pumps) as it appeared in 2016.

CHP Sedan Delivery

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Saturday, October 6, 2016 and titled Sedan Delivery Saturday 10/08/16]

The California Highway Patrol's Technical Research Unit's 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Series 1500 GJ Sedan Delivery.  9,310 Model Number 1508s were produced, and the CHP got at least one of them.

Top photo from Old Cars Weekly, clipping from the Tuesday, January 17, 1950 edition of The Bakersfield Californian.

Messerschmitt Kabinenroller (Cabin Scooter)

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Friday, October 7, 2016]

In memory of Rhoda Emma Kruse.

Rhoda not pictured. Photo from Hemmings.
Rhoda was a wonderful person, and the only one I'd ever met who had purchased a Messerschmitt Cabin Scooter new to use as a daily driver. She was afraid to drive, but figured she "could handle a car that small."


Her obituary (below) was published in the January 19, 2013 edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

KRUSE, RHODA EMMA Aug. 8, 1929 to Nov. 19, 2012 Rhoda was born in Brooklyn, NY and attended Bethany College, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University. She was a ferocious reader from an early age and became a senior librarian with the City of San Diego and Carlsbad, as well as the San Diego County Office of Education. Her worldly travels added to her expertise and deep respect for other's cultures. From her early years and upbringing, her faith was always very important to her. In San Diego, she became involved with two different Christian churches, University Christian Church and Pacific Beach Christian Church. Her faith was strong despite her having to fight Alzheimer's. She will be greatly missed by her church families. She is survived by her sister Harriet Botta, of Toronto, Ontario Canada, along with several nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life will be held at the University Christian Church, 3900 Cleveland Avenue, 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 27. In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to any local library branch in her memory.

I was lucky indeed to have known her.

Candidate For Ugliest Concept Car Known to Man

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Friday, October 7, 2016]

More beauties here.
1977 Volkswagen Prototype concept by Luigi Colani.  Developed as a successor to the Beetle, positioned between Polo and Golf.  Other Colani automotive designs can be found here.

Foreign Flivver

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Friday, October 7, 2016 and titled Friday Flivver 10/07/16]

Argentine Ford Model-T Baquet (Speedster)

Originally offered for sale here.
I have a soft spot for Model-T Speedsters. This one first appeared in early 2013 and these images can still be found around the internet today, mainly on Pinterest. The vehicle had a new differential, new woodwork, sheet metal and new paint, new leather upholstery, new front wheel spokes, new radiator, and a new air pump and bronze French pressure gauge for naphtha fuel tank. The engine had new bushings and front bearing but needed rings and assembly. It was missing the gearbox.

It could have been yours for 81,000 Argentine pesos, 5,400 American dollars, or 4,914 Euros in 2013 money.

New New Orleans Three-Wheelers

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Thursday, October 6, 2016 and titled Thursday Three-Wheeler 10/06/16]

From Vintage Everyday.
20+ brand new 1957 Harley-Davidson Model G Servi-Car Police Special 3-wheelers are displayed in New Orleans. They were equipped with a 45 cubic inch (737 cc) twin-V flathead engine and a three-speed transmission that also included neutral and reverse.

Four years later finds at least two of them converted into canine carriers—including the second from the left (above), #131—by removing the cargo box lid and installing doggy windshields.
From this 2011 post.

Seven Joes and a Duck

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Thursday, October 6, 2016]

Photo montage by the well-known photographer ‘anonymous’, PH2/c, used in the squadron’s Christmas card, 17 February 1942. It features some of VJ-7’s enterprising photographers working to get the best possible camera angles from positions aboard a Grumman J2F “Duck.”

From Gegaan Maar Niet Vergeten (Gone But Not Forgotten).

The "S" is for Suppressed

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Thursday, October 6, 2016]

That is, the half-track is suppressed, according to the serial number painted on the hood. Obviously not the American soldier or the French girl.

Original caption: "American soldier kissing a French girl as they embrace on the hood of a half-track, 1944. (Photo by Ralph Morse)"   From Life magazine via Vintage Everyday.
More on radio noise suppression at Shorpy.

Cheeky Little Blighter

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Thursday, October 6, 2016]

Front view of a Junkers Ju 87B.

From World War Photos

1929 RAC Tourist Trophy Race

[Originally posted at On The Nightstand on Wednesday, October 5, 2016]

A Le Mans-style start at the 1929 RAC Tourist Trophy on the Ards Circuit in Northern Ireland.


Photo from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland's flicker page.
Read about the pre-event planning in Motor Sport Magazine's incredible online archive. Download a pdf copy of official program with rules here from the Front-Wheel-Drive Alvis website Hell's Confetti.

I'm back. Yet again.

I'll be doing some house cleaning for a bit as I fix or remove links that have broken since I was here last, then I need to remove the errant transportation posts from On The Nightstand and repost them here.

I'm also removing the nontransportation posts from On The Nightstand and moving them to Not The Sharpest Crayon In The Blogs as On The Nightstand will henceforth will be dedicated solely to books (although any transportation books I read will be mentioned on this site as well).

Then I will be posting new stuff here (hopefully regularly) and on the other two sites (hopefully occasionally).

And I need to get this done before I have pizza with Jesse on Friday.