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Post by acptulsa on Jul 9, 2017 17:03:20 GMT -8
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Post by Origanalist on Jul 9, 2017 19:11:28 GMT -8
Flip up windshields? As in two? And optional use???!!?? Has anyone informed the DOT about this menace?
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Post by acptulsa on Jul 9, 2017 19:16:07 GMT -8
Try to build and sell one today, and you'll win an expense-paid extensive visit to scenic Leavenworth, Kansas. Just like everything else I posted in this thread. Selling a real automobile new in the U.S. has been illegal for about thirty years, now. And, yeah, two windshields. A dual-cowl pheaton. Otherwise known as a summer limousine from back before air conditioned cars.
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Post by The Rebel Poet on Jul 10, 2017 21:09:23 GMT -8
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Post by Origanalist on Aug 1, 2017 20:27:33 GMT -8
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 3, 2017 8:22:12 GMT -8
Dymaxion! Ralph Nader would have had apoplexy. The little Ford flathead V-8 was in the back, and the driveshaft was ahead of it. The front wheels sat on each end of a Ford rear axle, and did not steer. The single rear wheel steered, through a long, stretchy boat tiller control cable. The body was aerodynamic enough to result in a significantly higher top speed than a Ford. Of course, driving a car with rear wheel steering at high speeds was a tricky business, especially when the steering was very vague. The slightest sudden input could easily cause the car to get sideways, and it was plenty topheavy enough to roll. This would have been doubly dangerous, as not all of the seats were attached to the floor. Someone considered furniture that could be rearranged in the roomy interior a big selling point. Try driving at boulevard speeds in reverse, and you'll see just how light a touch was required--and the amount of concentration necessary to pull it off. Fork lift drivers know all about it. It was easy to park, though. Of course, the hazards of rear steering were well known by then. The designer--Bucky Fuller, later of geodesic dome fame--originally planned that at high speeds, the rear wheel would lift off the ground, and steering would be accomplished through an airplane-type rudder on that rear fin. By the time you get going fast enough to lift the tail, you've probably already crapped your pants. In fact, I believe they gave up on that plan early, and never installed the rear winglets which would have made it happen. Indeed, the first two didn't even have the vertical fin, though that was added to the third in hopes that it would add stability. The first one built was rolled by the company test driver in front of an audience at the Century of Progress (1933 World's Fair). Watching the professional test driver kill himself didn't seem to instill a desire to buy in the crowds. Why they continued the project is a mystery. There were three built (years later a reproduction raised the total to four). At least one of them was sold to a customer. He rolled it. It's not hard to see why they didn't adopt a variation of Packard's slogan--'ask the man who owns one'. When that requires holding a seance... Attachments:
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Post by Origanalist on Aug 3, 2017 11:34:15 GMT -8
Well, if you wanted to off yourself it would be an exciting way to do it.
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 10, 2017 10:36:14 GMT -8
For those who think all European cars came from Germany, England, Italy, France and Sweden: Austro-Daimler, Austria Hispano Suisa, Spain Tatra, Czechoslovakia
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Post by Origanalist on Aug 12, 2017 20:08:59 GMT -8
That is one nice ride.
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 21, 2017 14:33:34 GMT -8
Horch
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 21, 2017 18:58:01 GMT -8
Time for a steamer.
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 29, 2017 18:31:56 GMT -8
This one is interesting to look at. But it's more fun to listen to!
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Post by Origanalist on Aug 30, 2017 4:07:39 GMT -8
Lol
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Post by acptulsa on Aug 31, 2017 17:15:43 GMT -8
Chrysler New Yorker Town and Country--the useful luxury car.
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Post by acptulsa on Sept 7, 2017 7:51:48 GMT -8
1911 Pope-Hartford
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