On The Road, Again! - Antique Automobile Club of America www

On The
Road, Again!
BRASS-NICKEL TOURING REGION AACA
An AACA Master
Editor Award
Winning
Publication
Volume 11
Number 5
November 2007
BRASS-NICKEL
TOURING REGION AACA
http://www.aaca.org/bntr/
1998 - 2006
PRESIDENT
Floyd Barnes, Jr.
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VICE-RESIDENT
Riley Reiner
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Secretary-Treasurer,
Web & Newspaper Editor
Judy L Edwards
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Ex-Officio
John Cheek
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Chet Butcher
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Sherman Carey
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Peggy Barnes
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Marvin Gage
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The Brass-Nickel Touring Region is a nongeographical region of the AACA.
Membership is open to all members of the
AACA who have an interest in motor
vehicles 1931 or older. The main emphasis
and focus of the region is touring. Annual
dues are $10.00.
Cover illustration: adapted from cover of Ford Owner and Dealer,
November 1925
On The
Road,
Again!
Volume 11
Number 5
November 2007
Brass-Nickel Touring Region AACA
A Message From the President
Well, the last tour of the 2007 touring season is here. I
hope as many of you can will make the trip to Lincolnton.
Sherman and Treva have planned an interesting tour.
Hope to see you there.
Floyd Barnes
President
FROM THE
BACK SEAT
LINCOLNTON
TOUR
Date: Saturday, November 3
Tour Chair: Sherman & Treva
Carey
By Judy Edwards
National Elections
W
ith the SeptemberOctober issue of the national magazine, The
Antique Automobile, you should
have received your ballot for the
2008 National AACA Board of
Directors. This year the ballots are
postage pre-paid so there is no
reason not to vote. Remember to
vote for exactly 7 candidates or else
your vote will be discarded.
Host Hotel: Days Inn, Lincolnton
614 Clark Drive
Hwy 321 & 150
(704) 735-8271
Ask for the Brass-Nickel
Car Club Rate!1 person/1bed- $54.99+tax/night
2 persons/2 beds-57.99+tax/night
Plenty of parking available for
trailers
Time: 9 am
Agenda: Friday night dinner—on
your own
Saturday, November 3
Sherman Carey
I am pleased to announce that one
of our members, Sherman Carey, is
running for the Board. Sherman ran
last year and only missed being
elected by three votes. When
marking your ballot, please
consider voting for Sherman. If
elected, the Brass-Nickel would
have two members sitting on the
National Board as Jim
Raines from Charlotte is
4
currently a director.
The Lincolnton tour will start at
9:00 am and return around 5:00
pm. We will travel close to 100
miles through the scenic back roads
of Lincoln, Cleveland, and
Rutherford counties. The rolling
countryside will allow us to enjoy
the mountain views and fall foliage.
Bennett Classic
Antique Auto Museum
Our first stop of the day will be in
Forest City and the Bennett Classic
Antique Auto Museum, which is a
wonderful new Museum that has
captured a variety of history under
one roof. The museum was started
by brothers Buddy and Joe Bennett
Lunch
Inside the Bennett Museum
who were originally from Burnsville
where they worked at their uncle
Joe Young's Ford dealership. Their
love of automobiles and flathead
Ford V8's started in the early 60's.
From there the brothers started
collecting and moved to Rutherford
County. With over 20,000 square
feet of classic and antique autos,
farm tractors, memorabilia and the
Big Boys, the famed B Series Mack
trucks, there is something here for
everyone.
Smith Drug Store
For lunch, we will visit “The
Fountain,” which is found in the
Smith’s downtown drug store in
Forest City and has been operation
since 1939.
Redbone Willy’s
Old General Store
After lunch, we will head to Vale
NC. Our 1st stop here will be
Redbone Willy’s Old General Store.
Rutherford County
Farm Museum
Our next stop will be the
Rutherford County Farm Museum.
Started by a retired Navy Captain,
Wilbur Burgin, this museum houses
hundreds of items from a time gone
by-items used in Rutherford County
farms and homes from decades ago,
even back to the nineteenth
century. When was the last time you
saw a left-handed plow? A
livermush paddle? A gas iron?
Display at the Rutherford County
Farm Museum
Redbone Willy’s
The store is packed floor-to-ceiling
with clothes, camping supplies,
home accessories, beauty products,
and old-fashioned candy such as BB
Bats and Necco wafers. Customers
can pull a glass-bottle Coke out of a
vintage cooler or enjoy a
dish of homemade ice
5
cream at the BoneHead
Cafe.
Woodmill Winery
Woodmill Winery
Our last stop of the day will be the
Woodmill Winery, which is owned
by the Larry Cagle and family.
WoodMill Winery is delighted to
currently provide five uniquely
diverse varieties of North Carolina
wines to their customers. Most
wines are available in four residual
sugar concentrations that included
Sweet, Semi-Sweet, Semi-Dry, and
Dry.
Admission: $3 for wine tasting
and tour
RSVP: Please let Sherman know if
you are planning on attending the
tour. He can be reached at (704)
732-2333.
PUZZLE CORNER
A
brass screw is 1 5/8 inches
long by 3/16 inches in
diameter. The screw is
headless and is threaded 13/16 inch
of its length. In what part of the
Ford Model T is this screw found,
and what is its purpose? Note: The
answer will appear in next issue of
the newsletter.
6
Taken from the November
1925 Ford Dealer and
Owner
CRYSTAL COAST
WELCOMES
BRASS-NICKEL
TOUR
By Riley Reiner
Tour Chairman: Max and Louise
Morton and their 1922 Maxwell
S
aturday, September 29 th
dawned clear, mild and
sporting a light breeze. The
host hotel (unofficial) was the
Parkerton in Swansboro. Dan and
Jean Fuccella driving their 1950
Willys Jeep and Riley and Sanda
Reiner trailering their 1915 Ford
Model T arrived on Friday
afternoon. They had a few hours to
tour historic Beaufort and enjoyed a
great dinner on the waterfront in
Beaufort before returning to the
motel. On the return trip, the Willys
and its passengers passed the
McDonalds in Swansboro and saw
the three real touring class cars in
the parking lot. Sometime around
3:00 am on Friday John Cheek and
his friend, Tom drove from
Asheboro to join up with two Model
T’s to make the entire trip to the
coast without trailers or rescue rig.
Ten hours later they were eating
dinner at the Golden Arches. John
and Cecil Lingle drove their ’27 T
roadster and John Strickland drove
his ’24 T touring. John’s Miss Edna
(’24 Chrysler) kept pace with those
T’s. Sometime around 8:30 an
impromptu meeting was held in the
parking lot but the agenda was
short as the day had been very long
and everyone was looking forward
to Saturday.
1915 Ford Model T
Riley and Sandra Reiner
Max and Louise Morton in their ’22
Maxwell met the tour participants
at the old Catholic church in Swansboro. Sandi and Fred Thompson in
their ’29 A tudor and Jimmy Barnes
with an emergency trailer joined the
group. Max had recruited these
folks from the Morehead City Chapter of AACA. Max lead the group to
the bridge to Emerald Isle and the
day was off and great for touring.
The tour took the group up the
length of Emerald Isle to the newly
rebuilt NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll
Shores. The group was joined in
progress by a nice ’32 Chevy roadster driven by Greg also from Morehead Chapter. The stop had plenty
of time to enjoy all of the interesting
exhibits. John Cheek had to be
reminded several times that the fish
were not to select for a fry. It’s hard
to explain to other visitors that he
doesn’t get out of Asheboro too
much. John continued to pester
“Daddy” (Riley) for the remainder
of the afternoon for ice cream, snow
cones, gas money, etc. when any
stranger was within hearing
distance. John would tell cars at
various stoplights to relay messages
to “Daddy” that he needed (see
above list). Dan and Jean wanted to
spend a little additional time
walking the trails in the salt marsh
while the rest of the tour proceeded
to Atlantic beach and the bridge
back to Morehead. The Willys did
show up for lunch. Max had picked
an interesting old fashion drive-in.
The restaurant was called El’s and
there were no parking lot stripes or
organization. The cars just took up
spots under the trees intermixed
with modern iron which provided
an instant car display while waiting
for the food. Several women circulated throughout the lot taking
orders and bringing back the food.
The weather could not have been
better for a casual lunch.
Max led the cars back to Swansboro with John Strickland and his
’24 T breaking off to visit relatives
in the area. The Lingles had to look
for a shop to re-weld the torque
tube on their ’27 T. The repair was
needed due to a fast, breaking stop
and weak welds on their modified
torque tube. They have an auxiliary
transmission installed ahead of
their Ruckstell axle. The local Firestone shop handled the repairs
while the rest of the cars continued
to Swansboro. Since the
aft ern oon
was
so
7
beautiful, the Reiners
completed the afternoon
with a guided tour of the shops in
the historic area of Swansboro.
Louise knows all of the good
shopping areas and wanted to help
Sandra discover great places to look
(spend money). Max warned Louise
before leaving on the “mission” that
she didn’t need anything! The tour
ended with the sun getting lower in
the western sky and a beautiful fall
tour came to an end. The Reiners
headed west leaving John Cheek,
Tom, John and Cecil Lingle, Max
and Louise and the Fuccella’s to
enjoy another dinner at the coast.
From the
Photo Album
1927 Ford Model T
John & Cecil Lingle
Dan called late Sunday evening to
report that all had returned home
safely. John Creek lost a wheel cylinder but managed to get home
using the emergency brake. Our
thanks go to Max and Louise for a
nice tour with the best of fall
weather along the Crystal Coast.
1924 Ford Model T
John Strickland
8
Thank you Max and Louise for hosting
the Swansboro Tour!
AACA Shows and Tours
NOVEMBER 2007
11-14 AACA D Tour
(1982 & earlier vehicles)
Tallahassee FL
JANUARY 2008
18-19 NC Region Annual Mtg
Burlington NC
FEBRUARY
7-9 AACA Annual Meeting
Philadelphia PA
MARCH
14-15 Annual Grand National &
Southeastern Winter
Meet, Melbourne FL
APRIL
3-6 Charlotte Auto Fair
Southeastern Spring Meet
Charlotte NC
24-26 Western Spring Meet
Tucson AZ
MAY
15-17 Eastern Spring Meet
Flintstone MD
JUNE
2-6 Sentimental Tour
(1928-1958 vehicles)
Burlington NC
26-28 Central Spring Meet
Hastings NE
JULY
30-3 Central D Tour
(1983 & earlier vehicles)
North Dakota
AUGUST
4-7 Eastern D Tour
(1983 & earlier vehicles)
Berkshires MA
21-23 Central Fall Meet
Mason City IA
SEPTEMBER
7-12 AACA Glidden Tour
(1942 & earlier vehicles)
Hosted by VMCCA
LaCrosse WI
11-14 Charlotte Auto Fair
Charlotte NC
18-20 Southeastern Fall Meet
Cleveland TN
OCTOBER
8-11 Eastern Fall Meet
Hershey PA
20-24 Reliability Tour
(1915 & earlier vehicles)
Chattanooga TN
FEBRUARY 2009
112-14 Annual Meeting
Philadelphia PA
2010
June 30—July 3
AACA 75th Anniversary
Celebration
Louisville KY
Abbreviation: D—Division
9
Last Chance
NEWS FROM
NATIONAL
Dues Increase
D
on’t forget when renewing
your 2008 dues, there has
been a slight increase.
Dues are now $35 a year—
individual or joint. All other dues—
junior, student and life time—
remain unchanged.
For the big show and auction this
year at Hershey, the AACA
produced a T-shirt with the
unrestored Olds Limited on the
back and the GM Olds restored on
the breastplate. It is an AACA shirt.
They are currently on their 4th run
of these as they are very popular.
You can order from headquarters at
717-534-1910 or on-line (not
available until several weeks after
Hershey) at www.aaca org.
Price: $15-XXL & XXXL-$18.00
AACA shirt of the 1911 Oldsmobile Limited
See page 10-15 for a Spotlight review of Oldsmobile
10
See page 16 for more information on this 1911 Oldsmobile
Limited
TINKERIN’ T TIPS
inch of the point where the valve
should open or close and then,
while working the starting crank
slowly with one hand, twist the
head of the valve with the other
hand.
Clean Out Wire
A
piece of wire is often
needed to dislodge dirt
from the radiator drain
cock. A good place to keep this wire
(where it will be out of the way) is in
the rolled edge at the end of the
hood. This roll is open at the end
near the top hood hinge, and a piece
of wire, bent at right angles near
one end, is pushed in. If the wire is
slightly wavy, so that it does not
rattle when in place, the hood can
be raised and lowered as usual and
the wire will not fall out. Iron wire
about the size of baling wire is best
for this use.
E. T. Gunderson, Jr.,
Humboldt, IA.
Timing the Valves
While the use of a Wilson valve timing tool is the most convenient
method of timing the valves, yet it is
sometimes convenient to put a double check on the valve timing by
measuring the opening of the inlet
valve and the closing of the exhaust
valve. A square and a six-inch steel
rule are convenient. An easy way is
to bring the piston to within 1/8
The distance from the top of the
cylinder block to the piston can
then be measured and, if it is necessary to take off any metal from the
end of the valve stem, the surface
can be kept true with the square. If
this is done carefully, the results
will be well worth the work.
Henry S. Thompson,
Bridgeport, Conn.
Removing
Transmission Cover
To save time in relining transmission bands, I have found that the
starting motor and Bendix drive can
be removed without being disassembled. After removing the
screws from the starting motor support cover lift transmission cover
(with the aid of a helper) about 2
inches. Turn motor part way around
and pull out. When cover is replaced, the motor and drive can be
put back the same way.
H. Dill, Schenectady , N. Y.
Taken from December
1925 Ford Dealer & Owner
11
In
The
Ransom E Olds
1864-1950
O
Oldsmobile
ldsmobile was a brand of
automobile produced for
most of its existence by
General Motors. Founded by
Ransom E. Olds in 1897, the company produced automobiles in the
United States until 2004. In its 107year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14
million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory. When it was phased
out, Oldsmobile was the oldest
surviving American automobile
marque, and one of the oldest in the
world, after Daimler and Peugeot.
Early history
12
company founded by Ransom E.
Olds in 1897. In 1901, the company
produced 425 cars, making it the
first high-volume automobile
manufacturer of the day. Olds
became the top selling car company
in the United States for a few years.
Ransom Olds left the company in
financial difficulties and formed the
REO Motor Car Company. The last
Curved Dash Olds was made in
1907. General Motors purchased
the company in 1908.
Oldsmobiles were first
manufactured by the Olds
Motor Vehicle Company
in Lansing, Michigan, a
1904 Olds Model 6C
Curved-Dash-Olds
The 1901 to 1904 Curved Dash was
the first mass-produced car, made
from the first automotive assembly
line, an invention that is often
miscredited to Henry Ford and the
Ford Motor Company. After Olds
sold the company in 1899, it was
renamed Olds Motor Works and
moved to a new plant in Detroit. By
March 1901, the company had a
whole line of models ready for mass
production. Unfortunately, a
mistake by a worker caused the
factory to catch fire, and it burned
to the ground, with all of the prototypes destroyed. The only car that
survived the fire was a Curved Dash
prototype, which was wheeled out
of the factory by two workers while
escaping the fire. A new factory was
built, and production of the Curved
Dash commenced.
Officially, the cars were called "Olds
automobiles," colloquially referred
to as "Oldsmobiles." It was this
moniker, as applied especially to
the Curved Dash Olds, that was
popularized in the lyrics and title of
the 1905 hit song "In My Merry
Oldsmobile." From then on, the
company and its products were
known as Oldsmobile. Some two
decades later, it was apparently the
reputation of the vehicles that
spawned a revival of the song for
another round of popularity, essentially "returning the favor."
The 1910 Limited Touring was a
high point for the company. Riding
atop 42-inch wheels, and equipped
with factory "white" tires, the Limited was the prestige model in
Oldsmobile's two model lineup. The
Limited retailed for US $4,600, an
amount greater than the purchase
of a new, no-frills three bedroom
house. Buyers received goatskin
upholstery, a 60 hp (45 kW) 707 in³
(11.6 L) straight-6 engine, Bosch
Magneto starter, running boards
and room for five. Options included
a speedometer, clock, and a full
glass windshield. A limousine version was priced at $5,800. While
Oldsmobile only sold 725 Limiteds
in its three years of production, the
car is best remembered for winning
a race against the famed 20th Cen-
tury Limited train, an event immortalized in the painting "Setting the
Pace" by William Hardner Foster.
Setting the Pace painted in 1909
by William Hardner Foster
depicts the race between an
Oldsmobile Limited and the 20th
Century Limited
1930s
In the 1930s through the 1990s,
Oldsmobile used a two digit model
designation similar to that used by
the European makes today. As
originally implemented, the first
digit signified the body size while
the second represents the number
of cylinders. Body sizes were 6, 7, 8,
and 9, and 6- and 8-cylinder
engines were offered. Thus,
Oldsmobiles were named 66
through 98.
In 1937, Oldsmobile was a pioneer
in introducing a four-speed semiautomatic transmission called the
"Automatic Safety Transmission",
although this accessory
was actually built by
13
Buick, which would offer
it in its own cars in 1938.
This transmission featured a
conventional clutch pedal, which
the driver pressed before selecting
either "low" or "high" range. In
"low", the car shifted between first
and second gears. In "high", the car
shifted between first, third and
fourth gears.
1940s
For the 1940 model, Oldsmobile
was the first auto manufacturer to
offer a fully automatic transmission,
called the Hydramatic, which
featured four forward speeds.
The last pre-war Oldsmobile rolled
off the assembly line on February 5,
1942. During World War II,
Oldsmobile produced numerous
kinds of materiel for the war effort,
including large-caliber guns and
shells.
Production resumed on October 15,
1945 with a warmed-over 1942
model serving as the offering for
1946.
Oldsmobile once again was a pioneer when, for the 1949 model, they
introduced their Rocket engine,
which used an overhead valve V-8
design rather than the flathead
"straight-8" design which prevailed
at the time. This engine produced
far more power than the engines
that were popular during that era,
and found favor with hot-rodders
and stock car racers. The basic
design, with few minor changes,
endured until Oldsmobile discontinued V-8 production in 1990.
1950s
14
Oldsmobile entered the
1950s
f o ll o w i n g
a
divisional image campaign centered
on its 'Rocket' engines and its cars
appearan ce followed suit.
Oldsmobile's Rocket V8 engine was
the leader in performance, generally
considered the fastest cars on the
market and by the mid 1950s their
styling was among the first to offer
a wide, "open maw" grille, suggestive of jet propulsion. Oldsmobile
adopted a ringed-globe emblem to
stress what marketers felt was its
universal appeal. Throughout the
1950s, the make used twin jet podstyled taillights as a nod to its
"Rocket" theme. Oldsmobile was
among the first of GM's divisions to
receive a true hardtop in 1949, and
it was also the among the first divisions (along with Buick and Cadillac) to receive a wraparound windshield, a trend that eventually all
American makes would share at
sometime between 1953 and 1964.
In the 1950s the nomenclature
changed again, and trim levels also
received names that were then
mated with the model numbers.
This resulted in the Oldsmobile 88
emerging as base Dynamic 88 the
better trimmed Delta 88, and the
highline Super 88. Other full-size
mo del names included th e
"Holiday" used on hardtops, and
"Fiesta" used on its station wagons.
When the 98 was retired in 1996, its
length of service was the longest of
any model name used on American
cars.
GM styling as a whole lost its
frontrunner status in 1957 when
Chrysler introduced Virgil Exner's
"Forward Look" designs. When
compared side to side, Oldsmobile
looked dated next to its price-point
competitor DeSoto. Compounding
the problem for Oldsmobile and
Buick was a styling mistake which
GM called the "Strato Roof". Both
makes had models which contained
the heavily framed rear window, but
Detroit had been working with large
curved backlights for almost a decade. Consumers disliked the roof
and its blind spots, forcing GM to
rush a redesign into production on
some of its models.
Oldsmobile's only off year in the
1950s was 1958. The nation was
beginning to feel the results of its
first significant post war recession,
and US automobile sales were down
for the model year. Oldsmobile,
Buick and Cadillac received a heavy
handed makeover of the 1957 GM
designs. The Oldsmobile that
emerged in 1958 bore little resemblance to the design of its forerunners; instead the car emerged as a
large, over-decorated "chromemobile".
1958 Oldsmobile
Up front, all 1958 Oldsmobiles
received one of GM's heavily styled
front fascias and quad-headlights.
Streaking back from the edge of the
headlights, was a broad belt consisting of two strips on regular 88s,
three strips on Super 88s, and three
strips (top and bottom thin, inside
thick on 98s) of chrome that ended
in a point at mid-body. The bottom
of the rear fender featured a thick
stamping of a half tube that pointed
forward, atop which was a chrome
assembly of four horizontal chrome
speed-lines that terminated into a
vertical bar. The tail of the car
featured massive vertical chrome
taillight housings. Two chrome
stars were fitted to the trunklid.
Ford styling consultant Alex
Tremulis (designer of the 1948
Tucker Sedan) mocked the 1958
Oldsmobile by drawing cartoons of
the car, and placing musical notes
in the rear trim assembly. Another
Detroit stylist employed by Ford
bought a used 1958 Oldsmobile in
the early 1960s, driving it daily to
work. He detached and rearranged
the OLDSMOBILE lettering above
the grille to spell out SLOBMODEL
as a reminder to himself and coworkers of what "bad" auto design
meant to their business.
1960s
In the 1960s Oldsmobile's position
between Pontiac and Buick in GM's
hierarchy began to dissolve. Notable achievements included the
introduction of the first turbocharged engine in 1962 (the Turbo
Jetfire), the first modern frontwheel drive car (the 1966
Toronado), the Vista Cruiser station
wagon (noted for its roof glass), and
the upscale 442 muscle car. Olds
briefly used the names Jetstar
88" (1963-1966) and Delmont
88" (1967-1968) on its least expensive full size models in the 1960s.
1970-1980s
Oldsmobile sales soared in the
1970s and 1980s based on popular
designs, positive reviews
from critics and the
15
perceived quality and
reliability of the Rocket
V8 engine, with the Cutlass series
becoming the North America's top
selling car by 1976. By this time,
Olds had displaced Pontiac and
Plymouth as the #3 best selling
brand in the U.S. behind Chevrolet
and Ford. In the early 1980s, model
-year production topped one
million units on several occasions,
something only Chevrolet and Ford
had achieved.
The soaring popularity of Oldsmobile vehicles resulted in a major
issue in the late 1970s. At that time,
each General Motors division
produced its own V-8 engines, and
in 1977, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet,
Pontiac and Buick each produced a
unique 350 cubic inch displacement
V-8. The popularity of Oldsmobile
models caused demand to exceed
production capacity for the
Oldsmobile V-8, and as a result
Oldsmobile quietly began equipping
some full size Delta 88 models with
the Chevrolet 350 engine. Although
it was widely debated whether there
was a difference in quality or performance between the two engines,
there was no question that the
engines were different from one
other. Many customers were loyal
Oldsmobile buyers who specifically
wanted the Rocket V-8, and did not
discover that their vehicle had the
Chevrolet engine until they performed maintenance and discovered that purchased parts did not
fit. This became a public relations
nightmare for GM. Disclaimers stating that "Oldsmobiles are equipped
with engines produced by various
GM divisions" were tacked
on to advertisements and
16
sales literature. GM
quickly stopped associat-
ing engines with particular
divisions, and to this day all GM
engines are produced by "GM
Powertrain" (GMPT). Although the
popularity of the Oldsmobile
division vehicles prompted this
change, declining sales of V-8
engines would have made this
change inevitable as all but the
Chevrolet version were eventually
dropped.
1990s
After the tremendous success of the
early 1980s, things changed quickly
for Oldsmobile, and by 1990 the
brand had lost its place in the market, squeezed between the resurgent
Pontiac and Buick divisions.
Oldsmobile's signature cars gave
way to rebadged models of other
GM cars, and GM shifted the performance mantle to Chevrolet and
Pontiac. GM continued to use
Oldsmobile sporadically to showcase futuristic designs and as a
"guinea pig" for testing new technology, with Oldsmobile offering
the Toronado Trofeo, which
included a visual instrument system
with a calendar, datebook, and climate controls. Later, Oldsmobile
introduced the Aurora, which would
be the inspiration for the design of
its cars from the mid-1990s
onward. By this time, GM had
shifted Oldsmobile from their technology leader back to a brand that
filled a traditional slot between
Pontiac and Buick that in reality no
longer existed. Oldsmobile also
received a new logo based on the
familiar "rocket" theme, but by 1997
all the familiar model names
(Cutlass Supreme, 88, 98 and
Toronado) were gone. New models
were introduced with designs
inspired by the Aurora.
2000s and
Discontinuation
Due to falling sales, General Motors
announced in December 2000 they
would phase out the Oldsmobile
brand. The 2004 model year was to
be Oldsmobile's last, with the last
new Oldsmobile model being the
GMT360-derived Bravada SUV
introduced in 2002.
Oldsmobile is well remembered
today as one of America's oldest
marques, for its technological innovations and for its tremendous
popularity and sales in the 1970s
and 1980s.
Oldsmobile in
popular culture
The phaseout was conducted on the
following schedule:
∗ Late 2001: The 2002 Bravada
becomes the company's last new
model
∗ June 2002: Production ends for
Intrigue and the Aurora V6
sedans
∗ May 2003: Aurora V8 sedan
∗ January 2004: Bravada SUV
production ends
∗ March 2004: Silhouette minivan
production ends
∗ April 2004: Alero compact car
production ends
The final 500 Aleros, Auroras,
Bravadas and Intrigues produced
received special emblems and
markings which signified 'Final
500'. All were painted dark cherry
red and came with special literature.
The final production day for
Oldsmobile was April 29, 2004. The
last car built was an Alero GL 4door sedan, which was signed by all
of the Olds assembly line workers.
It is on display at the R.E. Olds
Transportation Museum located in
Lansing.
In My Merry Oldsmobile songbook
featuring an Oldsmobile Curved
Dash automobile
The Oldsmobile is notable for having inspired several popular songs:
∗ "In My Merry Oldsmobile", a
1905 song with music by Gus
Edwards and lyrics by Vincent P.
Bryan; the song enjoyed a second
round of popularity in the 1920s.
This music is available in a short
cartoon with same name, by
Fleischer Studios
∗ "This Is Your Daddy's Oldsmobile," a 1990 song by Ray Stevens
∗ "Rocket 88", a 1951 song by Ike
Turner said by many to be the
first rock and roll
record.
17
toyed with the idea of a full restoration of the grand old lady, buying
five correct replacement tires that
never went on.
1911 Olds Limited
W
ith only three examples
known to still exist, this
1911 Limited touring car
by Oldsmobile is quite probably the
most exclusive Olds ever. That exclusivity, combined with its utterly
unrestored condition (still wearing
the same tires that rolled it out of
the factory), helped to make it the
star of the recent Vintage Motor
Cars at Hershey
auction, selling for
a
ph enomenal
$1.65 million.
At 96 years old, the
Olds is 3 owners
from new. It spent
half a century as a
museum
piece,
after it’s relocation
from a lucky barn
in the 1950’s. The
Olds’ 2nd owner
The beauty and originality of the
car’s patina was one factor in
driving the bidding significantly up
from the $800,000-$1,200,000 the
auction company RM speculated it
would command. Starting at a
healthy $300K, bidding hit the $1.4
million mark after only five
minutes.
This car appeared on the July/August cover of
Antique Automobile
(Continued from page 17)
∗ "You're Gonna Get Yours" from
Public Enemy's 1987 debut album
Yo! Bum Rush The Show, an ode
to the Ninety-Eight.
18
In fact, despite the shredded rubber
of the tires, the condition of the
century-old tourer is pretty remarkable. Structurally solid the car still
wears its original leathers, and
boasts body of unmolested sheet
metal.
∗ "455 Rocket", a 1997
song by Kathy Mattea
∗ Elliott Smith's song "Condor
Ave." from album Roman Candle
(album) begins with the line, "She
took the Oldsmobile out past condor avenue."
-information and pictures provided
by Wikipedia
THINGS YOU
AUTO KNOW
Burma Shave
B
urma-Shave was a United
States brand of brushless
shaving cream, famous for
its advertising gimmick of posting
humorous rhyming poems on
sequential highway billboard signs.
However, sales declined in the
1950s, and in 1963 the company
was sold to Phillip Morris. The signs
were removed at that time. The
brand decreased in visibility and
eventually became the property of
the American Saf ety Razor
Company. In 1997 the American
Safety Razor Company reintroduced
the Burma Shave brand, including a
nostalgic shaving soap and brush
kit. The soap and brush set
appeared particularly ironic to
many, as the original Burma Shave
was one of the first brushless
shaving creams, and Burma-Shave's
own roadside signs frequently
ridiculed 'Grandpa's' old-fashioned
shaving brush.
Roadside billboards
Burma-Shave sign series appeared
from 1925 to 1963 in most of the
contiguous United States. The
exceptions were New Mexico,
Arizona, and Nevada (deemed to
have insufficient road traffic), and
Odell Family, principals of the
Massachusetts (eliminated due to
Burma-Vita Company
that state's high land rentals and
Burma-Shave was introduced in roadside foliage). Four or five
1925 by the Burma-Vita company, consecutive billboards would line
owned by Clinton Odell. It was a highways, so they could be read
pungent, soapy-smelling concoction consecutively by motorists driving
which the company at first had dif- by. The signs themselves were
ficulty selling. To increase
originally produced in two
sales, the owners
color combinations: reddeveloped the famous
and-white, and orange-and
Burma-Shave
-black, though the latter
advertisting sign
combination was dropped
program,
and
after only a few years. A
sales took off. At
special white-on-blue set
its peak, Burmaof signs was developed for
Shave was the
South Dakota, which res e c o n d - h i gh e st
stricted
the
selling brushless
color red to
19
shaving cream in circa 1930 -One pound jar official warning
Burma-Shave
the United States.
notices.
This use of the billboard was a
highly successful advertising
gimmick during the early years of
the automobile, drawing attention
and passers-by who were curious to
discover the punchline. However, as
the Interstate system expanded in
the late 1950s and average vehicle
speeds increased, it became
increasingly difficult to attract
motorists' attention with relatively
small signs, especially near major
cities with their burgeoning arterial
interchanges.
Examples of Burma-Shave
advertisements can be seen at The
House on the Rock in Spring Green,
Wisconsin. Re-creations of the
famous Burma-Shave sign sets also
appear on Arizona Highway 66, part
of the original U.S. Route 66,
between Seligman and Kingman,
Arizona (though they had never
been installed there by BurmaShave itself during its original sign
campaigns).
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
Examples
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
Proper space / To him was bunk /
They found him inside / Some
guy's trunk / Burma-Shave
A peach / looks good / with lots of
fuzz / but man's no peach / and
never was / Burma-Shave
Does your husband / misbehave /
grunt and grumble / rant and
rave? / shoot the brute some /
Burma-Shave
Don't take a curve / at 60 per / we
hate to lose / a customer / Burma
-Shave
Every shaver / now can snore /
six more minutes / than
before / by using / Burma20
Shave
∗ He played / a sax / had
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
∗
no B.O. / but his whiskers
scratched / so she let him go /
Burma-Shave
Henry the Eighth / sure had
trouble / short-term wives / longterm stubble / Burma-Shave
Grandpa's beard / was stiff and
coarse / and that's what / caused
his / fifth divorce / Burma-Shave
A chin / where barbed wire /
bristles stand / is bound to be / a
no ma'ams land / Burma-Shave
Within this vale / of toil and sin /
your head grows bald / but not
your chin / Burma-Shave
Dinah doesn't / treat him right /
but if he'd / shave / dyna-mite! /
Burma-Shave
To change that / shaving job / to
joy / you gotta use / the real
McCoy / Burma-Shave
Don't lose / your head / to gain a
minute / you need your head /
your brains are in it / BurmaShave
The bearded Devil / is forced / to
dwell / in the only place / where
they don't sell / Burma-Shave
In Cupid's little / bag of trix /
here's the one / that clix / with
chix / Burma-Shave
A shave / that's real / no cuts to
heal / a soothing / velvet afterfeel / Burma-Shave
Riot at / drug store / calling all
cars / 100 customers / 99 jars /
Burma-Shave
The wolf / is shaved / so neat and
trim / Red Riding Hood / is
chasing him / Burma-Shave
This cooling shave / will never
fail / to stamp / its user / firstclass male / Burma-Shave
Listen birds / these signs cost
money / so roost awhile / but
don't get funny / Burma-Shave
The Last Slogan Used
(1963)
∗
Our fortune / is your / shaven
face / It's our best / advertising
space / Burma Shave.
Special promotional
messages
∗
Free offer! Free offer! / Rip a
fender off your car / mail it in /
for a half-pound jar / BurmaShave
A large number of fenders were
received by the company, which
made good on its promise.
∗
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If you don't know / whose signs
these are / You haven't driven /
very far (No final "Burma-Shave"
sign)
Round the corner / lickety split /
beautiful car / wasn't it! / Burma
Shave
That big blue tube / is like
Louise / it gives a thrill / with
every squeeze / Burma-Shave
If harmony / is what you crave /
get a tuba / Burma-Shave
Said Farmer Brown, / who's bald
on top, / "Wish I could / rotate
the crop." / Burma-Shave
I use it too / The bald man said /
It keeps my face / Just like my
head / Burma-Shave
Drinking drivers / Don't you
know / great bangs / from little /
binges grow? / Burma Shave
Free — free / a trip to Mars / for
900 / empty jars / Burma-Shave
One respondent, Arlyss French,
who was the owner of a Red Owl
grocery store, did submit 900
empty jars; the company replied: "If
a trip to Mars you earn, remember,
friend, there's no return." After he
collected 900 more jars for the
return trip, the company, on the
recommendation of Red Owl's
publicity team, sent him on
vacation to the town of Moers (often
pronounced "Mars" by foreigners)
near Duisburg, North RhineWestphalia, Germany.
-information and pictures provided
by Wikipedia
This c. 1950 publicity
photo featured penguins
in Antarctica near
Burma-Shave signs
21
Whoa Pilgrim!
H.R. 1619
O
n March 21, 2007 Rep
John Conyers (D-MI) and
22 co-sponsors introduced
a Bill to the 110th Congress House
of Representatives instructing the
US Treasury to mint and issue coins
in commemoration of the Model T
Ford Automobile and the 100th
Anniversary of the Highland Park
Plant, Michigan.
Short Title
This Act may be cited as the `Model
T Ford Automobile Commemorative Coin Act'.
The Coin
500,000 $1 coins would be issued.
They would weigh 26.73 grams,
have a diameter of 1.500 inches,
and contain 90 percent silver and
10 percent copper. The Secretary of
the Treasury may issue coins
minted under this Act beginning on
January 1, 2010 and no coins may
be minted under this Act after
December 31, 2010.
Last Major Action
4/13/2007-Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the
Subcommittee
on
Domestic and Interna22
tional Monetary Policy,
Trade, and Technology.
In Oak Lawn Illinois, police are
trying something new in their
efforts to get people to observe
safety when driving. This Chicago
suburb has installed second stop
signs beneath the regular ones at 40
intersections with messages,
including "WHOAAA" or "Stop ...
and smell the roses." There are 16
different messages on the 40 sign
posts.
According to the Mayor Dave
Heilman, "I thought it might make
people smile and take notice. You've
got people on their cell phones,
their BlackBerries and iPods while
driving. Those are all distractions.
Hopefully, when they see a sign
they're not expecting it might make
them stop."
The new signs are red octagons, just
like the real stop signs, but instead
of just "Stop" they say "Stop ... right
there pilgrim" and "Stop ... in the
naame of love." Naame? Think of
the drawn-out pronunciation in the
hit by the Supremes.
STOP . . .Oak Lawn's
funky signs:
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In the Naame of Love
And Smell the Roses
Really. You Gotta Stop
Right There Pilgrim
Or We'll Hunt You Down
Hold it Right There Buster
Then You Can Go
Whoa Whoa Wait a Minute
Stop Stop Stop Stop Pleeeease
Or the Police Will Yell at You
Not an Optional Sign
It’s Really Self-Explanatory
Whoa
prompted a State Bureau of Investigation probe into the murky world of
titling replica vehicles.
One of Tatum’s last acts as commissioner was to call for a review of the
DMV’s procedures for titling vintage
vehicles. The review showed that the
problems with improperly titled replicas began well before Tatum took
office.
*Means That You Aren't Moving
*Even When No One's Looking
*Billion Dollar Fine
Titling a Replica in NC
The News and Observer has run a
series of articles this summer about a
serious problem brewing at the NC
Department of Motor Vehicles concerning the titling of replica antique
cars.
It all began with a restored 1937 Ford
truck. Only it wasn't a 1937 Ford
truck, at least not on closer inspection. It was a replica of a 1937 Ford
truck, newly built from a kit.
The truck was owned by a friend of
the then DMV Commissioner George
Tatum. Correspondence showed that
Tatum’s administrative assistant
sought to help Tatum’s friend, Robert
Kinlaw of Fayetteville, get the title. A
DMV inspector found the truck to be
a replica, but Kinlaw then took the
vehicle to a second inspector in
Fayetteville who certified it as an
antique. Tatum resigned shortly after
th e tit le cont roversy , wh ich
At the center of the controversy is a
re-titling firm out of Alabama, which
is currently under investigation by
th e St at e o f Califo rnia f o r
providing fraudulent title and registration documents to California vehicle owners. A three month review of
the NC DMV’s title files found
roughly 900 vehicles with vintage
vehicle titles based on documents
from that Alabama company known
for selling titles. Another 80 vehicles
not associated with the company
have been misclassified as vintage
when they were custom-built. The
review attempted to capture all vehicles registered in North Carolina that
are 35 years or older, as well as all
vehicles registered as custom built
since Jan. 1, 2004. All told, the DMV
reviewed more than 100,000 vehicle
title records, and inspectors looked at
601 vehicles
Starting in November, DMV inspectors will be required to eyeball any
vehicle in which an owner is seeking
a vintage title. The inspectors will
also take digital pictures of the
vehicles so the documentation can't
be used for a different one. In March,
the DMV expects to begin allowing
vehicles to be registered as replicas of
vintage cars, a designation common
in other states.
FROM THE MAILBOX
Postcard, circa 1926
Brass-Nickel Touring Region
Judy L. Edwards, Editor
116 E. Front Street
Clayton NC 27520