Beautiful Old Cars
- Thread starter Keesha
- Start date
Pappy
Living the Dream
A great photo my friend. Your wife looks stunning and her and the car are a perfect match..
SetWave
Well-known Member
- Location
- Monterey Bay
Please allow me to ramble on about the popular surf woody. Now, once upon a time long long ago, surf bums traveled up and down the coast living in their cars, sleeping on the beach along with their boards. Because we tend to trail salty, sandy detritus along our way, beat-up wagons were preferred and since the used woodies were in good supply and cheap, they became the preferred vehicle.
Eventually, as surfing became better known and popular, the woody was transformed into a show car and there are some beautiful restorations. Woodies on the Wharf is a great show each year in Santa Cruz.
Well, one of the guys at The Point had interited his family's old wagon and drove out to he show. It was truly a classic. He parked it away from the crowd, got out and while putting on his old beaver-tail neoprene jacket a guy tried engaging him in conversation about fixing the car up and making it shine. With the typical Locals Only attitude he pulled his ancient longboard out, threw it over the railing, said, "You just don't get it," and jumped in. Now, maybe he was rude but he made his point.
dobielvr
Well-known Member
- Location
- California
Awww. Santa Cruz...those were the days!
Long haired surfers, woodies w/the surfboards strapped on top.
And crusin' the boardwalk, the bands playing on the stage on the beach.
Wonderful childhood memories.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
How I love those early "Woodies." Before WW2 the Woody was known in Brit-speak as a Shooting Break. The shooting break comes from turn-of-the-century England, where it was referred to as a car, used to transport a hunting party and its gear. Brake referred to a chassis that was used to break in horses. ... Thus was the modern idea of a shooting brake born as a low, sleek two-door wagon. Most were a coach built Rolls Royce but other manufacturers had a market share, not least Alvis. A company that not only made cars but military vehicles, aircraft engines and even racing cars. Here's an Alvis woody from the 1930's.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
All I could get out of her following that compliment was: "Aw shucks!"
Before the MG I had a third share of a Packard. Along with two friends we bought a beautifully restored version. The owner partnership didn't last long and when I offered to buy out the other two they turned the tables and suggested that they bought my share. Fine by me, I was sorry to see it go, but you have to move on.
Replacing it with the smaller MG was quite strange at first but we soon got used to the compactness of our little car, I wouldn't be without it now.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
Beaulieu, as in Lord Montague. Guess who graced the front of their program a few years ago.
How lovely HC...now I'm feeling nostalgic, so I'm going to bore everyone with a glimpse of Beaulieu village:
FastTrax
Well-known Member
Hey Keesh, this walk down memory lane thread reminds me of the olde dayz of vintage and antique ambulances. I gotta start a thread on that, Mask up and safe distance. TTFN.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
It looked so deserted I just had to look it up on YouTube. Dated March 2021, that's why there's no traffic and very few pedestrians.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
My wife was in the ambulance service until she retired some years ago. This 1938 Ambulance was used for fund raising and other promotions, the details are on a plaque inside, they read:
"The Ambulance we now own is an Austin "Big 6" manufactured in 1938. It has an unladen weight of 1 ton 12cwt and came complete with a number of spares.
The interior bears a plaque saying that it was converted by a company called Thomas Startin Jnr, a firm that is still trading today. It was originally a Rolls Royce works Ambulance, first at Derby and later at Crewe where it remained until 1970, when someone working in their drawing office purchased it."
Its last owner has renovated many old vehicles and he drove the Big 6 to Turkey in 1972.
dobielvr
Well-known Member
- Location
- California
Is that the original color? It's very pretty.
FastTrax
Well-known Member
Wait, that's you in those pictures? All you need now is a Thompson SMG. I fell in love with ambulances at 12 years of age when I saw my very first Superior Oldsmobile mid top from Central Islip Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps on Long Island. Two years later they got a Sayers & Scoville high top. I still love everything EMS.
digifoss
Member
- Location
- New Mexico
When we were growing up, dad had a 56' Desoto Firedome 4 door sedan. He loved that car. It had freezing cold air with huge rear air conditioner vents on the panel behind the back seat. Push button gear selector, chrome shielded ignition key slot and giant steering wheel with inner metal ring to toot the horn. Inside was just like this one, same color....
The Packard is beautiful, but your MG trumps all.
I don't think a better colour combination exists than that of your MG. It's perfect.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
Some spend a king's ransom restoring a car, this one is particularly impressive. Originally this model would not have had wire-spoke-wheels. There is an MG sports car that shares about 80% of it's DNA with this car, that model is called the MG TD. It looked like this:
The wire wheels on the TD were an option, whilst they enhance the appearance, they rust quickly and they are a right royal pain to keep clean. It was the sports car that I hankered after when I was in my late teens, but as with most things, life got in the way, my wonderful lady stepped into my life and the little MG got forgotten, well sort of. Come late mid-life, the mortgage a distant memory, money in the bank and a gap with the Packard gone, that little MG was like an itch that I had to scratch. To my surprise my wife was quite agreeable to the idea but she did point out that an open top car and airborne pollen, wasn't the most sensible vehicle for a hay fever sufferer, That's when I found out about the MG Y-Type and a love affair was born. You do know that MG stands for My Girlfriend, don't you? My wife indulges me.
Pappy
Living the Dream
This 1950 Chevy is exactly like the car I bought to drive home from California to New York State. The year was 1958 and I just got out of the Army. Made it fine with just one flat tire. After we got home, I was broke so I sold it for way less than it was worth. Have always regretted selling it.
When I grew up there was a man down the street by the name of Mr. Pope.
He was the grandson of the founder of Pope car Mfg.
He had an extensive collection of old cars including Rolls, Bentley, Lincoln, Stanley, and of course Pope cars.
He was always working on a Rolls in his driveway and I would hang out there. Pope cars were part of American History and had electric cars in 1901!
This is a 1911 Pope-Hartford Model W Touring vehicle.
He was the grandson of the founder of Pope car Mfg.
He had an extensive collection of old cars including Rolls, Bentley, Lincoln, Stanley, and of course Pope cars.
He was always working on a Rolls in his driveway and I would hang out there. Pope cars were part of American History and had electric cars in 1901!
This is a 1911 Pope-Hartford Model W Touring vehicle.
Last edited:
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
Fabulous car, I am curious though, there are many photos of very early American cars, most seem to be in right hand drive mode, is there a reason for that? It's obvious that all States must agree as to which side of the road they want to drive on, but was there something like a free for all in those early years?
It would have been a real fun time if, like Sweden, one of the States was out of step. All of mainland Europe drive on the right but up until September 3rd 1967, Sweden drove on the left. They changed over at five am on that said date.
It would have been a real fun time if, like Sweden, one of the States was out of step. All of mainland Europe drive on the right but up until September 3rd 1967, Sweden drove on the left. They changed over at five am on that said date.
Pappy
Living the Dream
Found this little info on why horseless.
At first the steering wheel was put closer to the edge of the road — the right side for right-hand traffic and the left side for left-hand traffic — so it was easier for the driver to get out of the car. ... In the 1920s, the driver's seat on the vast majority of cars was located on the side of oncoming traffic.
At first the steering wheel was put closer to the edge of the road — the right side for right-hand traffic and the left side for left-hand traffic — so it was easier for the driver to get out of the car. ... In the 1920s, the driver's seat on the vast majority of cars was located on the side of oncoming traffic.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
Thanks Pappy, that explains why you don't see right hand drive, American built cars post 1920. If you ever get the chance, you must visit the British Virgin Island of Tortola in the Caribbean. There they all seem to drive LHD American cars, yet they still drive on the left. It's a crazy situation and even though they sort of cling to their British heritage they have been called the unofficial 51st State of the Union.
MG was born out of a Morris dealer called Morris Garages, there's many a Morris, if the owner did but know, that shares so much with MG. Similarly, there's many an MG owner, who shrewdly knows that a Morris part will fit just as good as an MG part, but the Morris spares are infinitely cheaper. One such car was the pre-war Morris 8. I saw this one in the car park of a supermarket.
MG was born out of a Morris dealer called Morris Garages, there's many a Morris, if the owner did but know, that shares so much with MG. Similarly, there's many an MG owner, who shrewdly knows that a Morris part will fit just as good as an MG part, but the Morris spares are infinitely cheaper. One such car was the pre-war Morris 8. I saw this one in the car park of a supermarket.
Last edited: