Autos from the 1930s

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Cufflink79
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Fri Jul 18, 2008 3:54 pm

Alright, first off first, this is not meant to show up NJS's great post on post WWII cars.

This is something I have been working on for a while now. As stated in NJS's post I enjoy cars as much as suits, unfortunately due to my vision I am unable to drive, but that leaves more money for cufflinks. :lol: :wink:

Ever since I can remember studying haberdashery I have mainly looked at the period of the 1930s. Even though it was during the time of the great depression those who had the funds did it well with clothing and cars.

The sleeck lines and curves of the Cord, the ever so elegant Duesenberg and Packard, and the stateliness, symbol, and prestige of Cadillac.

Here are some of my favorites.

Cord

http://www.tomstrongman.com/ClassicCars ... ord810.jpg

http://www.classiccarclub.org/images/19 ... %20812.jpg

http://www.classiccarclub.org/images/19 ... 20L-29.jpg

Duesenberg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... n_1935.jpg

http://www.automotivehistoryonline.com/ ... rtible.jpg

http://www.carpages.co.uk/news/news-ima ... _05_06.jpg

Packard

http://www.brandonclassics.com/www/imag ... d-limo.jpg

http://www.andybaird.com/travels/maine/ ... ackard.jpg

http://autostockhaus.com/store/images/1 ... dan%20.jpg

Cadillac

http://www.pevomuc.de/100-Cadillac/PECA ... lac-09.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... r_1930.jpg

http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/di ... ndypie.JPG

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
RWS
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Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:14 pm

No Pierce-Arrows? I remember that my grandfather, having recovered somewhat from the terrible 'Thirties, would in the 1950s and '60s say that he drove a Rolls only because Pierce-Arrows were no longer made.
storeynicholas

Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:33 pm

I've learned a lot today from Cufflink79 and RWS, above. 1930s? May I add two? First is a photo of the first road model of the 1931 8 litre Bentley saloon - built by Bentley to compete with the Rolls Royce saloons - in fact it became the biggest road car then built in the UK - and the last Bentley before RR took it over. This actual car belonged to entertainer-impressario Jack Buchanan. Not shy of petrol/gasoline and not exactly easy to park! Nevertheless...

Image

Here is a 1939 'Derby' Bentley, promoted as 'The Silent Sportscar' - I have many pictures of this(including of the engine if anyone is interested:

Image
RWS
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Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:32 pm

A very nice saloon, to be sure, NJS. But I quite like the '39; do, please, post away!
storeynicholas

Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:38 pm

RWS - Do you have any pictures of the cars that you mention? There are, I believe,only a handful of the 1939 Derby Bentley, to this exact spec.. left in the world and I will gladly post the other pictures, which show the engine and interior too but, first, I have found this in an album: it shows an old-timer, about to test drive a 1930 something MG sportscar (in original, if not concours condition), circa 1963. The chap has the haircut of a less than favourably remembered 1930s European leader...but he had obviously already begun an interest in the antique...no doubt he inquired whether the silk topper, in the case in the boot, was to be thrown in on tender of the full purchase price....

Image

Here are some more of the 1939 Derby Bentley:





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Image

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Image[/img]
RWS
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Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:37 pm

Elegant even as a boy, NJS!

Beautiful photos of the '39. Even the engine is stunningly beautiful. Thanks for showing us them.

Regrettably, I can't reciprocate. My knowledge of scanning and posting are just too limited. If I can, in September, when both my secretary and I are back, I shall try to post something. Meanwhile, I'll look online for photographs of the Pierce-Arrow and, if an online image exists, of the Peerless 16, which at least one automotive historian has named the most beautiful motorcar ever made (I mightn't agree, being fonder of both Pierces and French Hispano-Suizas, but I do recognize that last Peerless as an extraordinary car even in an extraordinary time).
storeynicholas

Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:52 pm

RWS - Glad that you liked the photos. I shall also have a look to see whether I can find any of those great cars which you mention.
NJS
Cufflink79
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Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:07 pm

NJS:

Thanks for sharing the photos. The Bentley looks great. :D

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
RWS
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:16 pm

I may add that the swept, fender-mounted headlamps were nearly a trademark for the Pierce-Arrow, even though nearly all their motorcars were individually bodied by such fine and varied coachbuilders as Murphy and Brewster. The company's advertising, too, is notable: none at all, for years; then, colorful paintings of elegant men and women in lovely settings, a Pierce in the background, with the name of the company as the only text; and, before the end came in 1938, the addition of a little more, such as the slogan, "At sixty miles an hour, the only sound is the ticking of the clock" (a slogan later taken by another maker for its own).

Thanks, "Cufflink"!
storeynicholas

Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:28 pm

Cufflink79 - Great photographs; wonderful to see. Do you live in another dimension to find the time?? If so, where's the door? I need to write about 3,000 (remunerated) words a day to keep our lttle ship afloat and wandering into the LL every so often refreshes me for the boring tasks of everyday - but the effort in all your research and then hyperlinking is phenomenal.

RWS - That's interesting about the slogan on the ticking of the clock (later adopted by RR).Other similar sayings (I'm not sure whether they were - all or even any - advertising slogans) - in relation to RR were: the only noise comes from the wheels (obviously about exterior noise) with a top speed of 96 and a touring speed of 95 (about one of the Phantoms) and a Rolls Royce never breaks down, it only ever fails to proceed. Of course, most of the 1930s Bentleys (the 1939 Derby aside, and it was a RR Bentley anyway) were anything but silent - we had a neighbour in the 1960s who had a friend with a smaller one than the 8 litre; 31/2 or 41/2 litre, maybe and, with its great oblong exhaust, starting up, it sounded as though an airplane was coming at you. Of course, I did go into this one as well as the little MG - but, sadly, no known photograph. The neighbour and her friend would be well over a hundred now!
NJS
RWS
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:11 pm

storeynicholas wrote:. . . . That's interesting about the slogan . . . adopted by RR . . . .
I could agree with that!

As for the gateway into sustenance while doing as one wishes . . . I've yet to find it myself.
Cufflink79
Posts: 711
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:16 pm
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Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:46 pm

I only wish I had more time. Google is a big help in the finding of the photos. :lol: :wink:

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
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