the Dymaxion that went commercial

Acquired in Washington DC and brought to Charlotte North Carolina
photo from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=927

Old fashioned stop signs

The above probably looks nothing like anything you've seen before, but I did post one similar once before: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/03/museum-exhibit-you-wont-want-to-miss-if.html

from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=733

One big honking vehicle, the TC-497 Overland Train, Obsolete the day it was finished

In the 1950s the LeTourneau company developed several overland trains, essentially oversized semi-trailer trucks that could travel over almost any terrain. Their intention was to be able to handle logistics needs without being dependent on local road or rail systems, allowing them to operate in back-country areas.

six-wheeled TC-497 Overland Train MkII used four Solar gas-turbine engines (at 1,170hp each, that’s 4,680hp total) to spin generators that delivered juice to 54 total motors – one for each of its wheels. Of its 12 trailers, two were dedicated just to carrying the turbines and generators. The Overland Train stretched 572 feet long, easily making it the world’s longest vehicle. Funny enough, it could only carry 150 tons of freight – as much as the Sno-Freighter – though it carried such developments as steerable trailer wheels that allowed the entire train more maneuverability.

Read about it here: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/11/19/54-wheel-drive-the-letourneau-electric-arctic-land-trains-that-put-australian-road-trains-to-shame/ because Dan at Hemmings wrote a cool long post about the land trains

For other crazy polar exploring vehicles: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/12/arctic-or-antarctic-explorers.html

Unusual bus designs

Say hello to my 6 thousand and 5 hundredth post! The above is most interesting design, imagine seeing the bottom section turn, independant of the bus

from http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=477

Unique method of loading a forklift on a trrailer

from Caradisiac http://www.forum-auto.com/automobiles-mythiques-exception/section5/sujet225087-3780.htm

Innovative hot rodder made a fifth wheel trailer to haul his slingshot, mate up with his hot rod. That has to be unique! It's awesome!

The photo was labeled the 1960 Deetroit Trotters Ohio race team.

From http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428585&page=270

a try for a safer car has had some strange prototypes, here is Sir Vival, a custom trying for safety innovation

W C Jerome, a Worcester Massachusetts inventor who was determined to build the world's safest car. In the early nineteen fifties he modified a '47 Hudson for the back half, and a 48 Nash for the front. Primarily concerned with head-on collisions, Jones split his car in two, hoping the front section would absorb collisions, leaving the passenger cabin untouched.

For maximum visibility the driver sat in the raised turret area surrounded by 360 degree glass cylinder that rotated thru vertical squeegees so the driver wouldn't have to view the road obscured by wiper blades. The car was featured in every auto and mechanical mag of the day. He displayed it at several world's fairs including the NY fair of 64.

Wrap-around rubber bumpers protected the Sir Vival's bodywork from errant motorists in slow speed collisions but they were just one of Jerome's innovations. The Sir Vival was years ahead with seat belts, a padded interior, and built-in roll bars.

Mechanix Illustrated published a 3-page illustrated article on this car in the April 1959 issue.
In that oddball world of self made safecar inventors was also the Rev who made the Aurora, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/07/once-there-was-guy-who-lost-his-mind.html also weird looking... what was going on? Was there a big national contest for strange cars that might be safer, and no one remembers the contest?

Via: http://megamoto.tumblr.com/page/5 and most of the photos are from http://community.livejournal.com/shushauto_ru/15732.html

It was only a matter of time before someone tried to make a working copy of the Tron lightcycle

This is a rolling motor driven creation by the Parker Brothers Choppers http://www.parkerbrotherschoppers.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4&zenid=urth348n839kubk3qljp2grak1 but from the videos, it only moves about 5 mph, and has a useless limited range of front wheel turning from side to side, maybe 5 degrees?

The videos are on you tube, and just too stupid of music, self publicity logo shots, and lack of mobility of the cycle. Too much of a waste of time to post them here. You'll see for your self that if it were worth it, I'd post it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWqgLn2-FJo&feature=related

to compare this with the real Tron lightcycle http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/tron-legacy-artwork-by-artist-daniel.html or the beer barrel bike https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwkEFZsPEggU9sXFGRhyphenhyphenkLu3wmMfHL2mnle7ujRzQVGZI4CLR_cdvLGtiS_kxMTBaZjtKJUeMmCnnhimkZBjrflcTdPHFzhXICHcmrSWeQn9Xx0kjKAXFnCvzSocCAl3btDbTQ_myaA4/s1600-h/ssfunny-superbike_01.jpg

Looks very authentic, but isn't. It's a replica that doesn't just say so. Digging online unearths all sorts of information, 1915/2005 Van Blerck

17 liters? Big deal. The biggest I've come across was 21 litershttp://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/10/if-you-have-wondered-what-largest.html

For a write up from the last time it was for sale:

http://www.nextautos.com/aftermarket/ebay-auction-of-the-day-1915-van-blerck-special which states it's been built by Gary Whales, and talks about the last time this was on Ebay and sold for $288,000 at an auction when the Ebay listing failed to make a sale

So why is it there again so soon? Just 2 years since the last time in Jan 2008, and after the current owner claims to have spent considerable time and money recently to perfect the mechanicals on this beautiful machine . Not a good sign.

For the current ebay listing http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/17-liter-engined-Custom-1915-chaindriven-Monster-racer-/160514613218?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item255f6a9fe2#ht_7087wt_960 which in the comment section the current seller states that Gary Whales built 3 of these and the first link skirts around how much is real 1915, and how much is new and built to look old.

Ah Ha! Concept Carz come through with the info again! (Great website) http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15255/Van-Blerck-17-Liter.aspx states that Auto Enthusiast and Pebble Beach award winner Gary Whales made it. There is also a great gallery of photos at Concept Carz

It was just at auction in August of 2010 by Russo and Steele in Monterey http://www.finecars.cc/en/detail/car/91319/index.html which used the same gallery that the current Ebay listing has.

The Monterey County blog toook a good close up look at it, and posted a gallery you won't see on the dozens of repeat and recycled news clip blogs that are everywhere today, http://www.blogmonterey.com/2010/08/12/the-five-coolest-and-most-outrageous-cars-we-saw-at-russo-and-steele/ it is #2

Looks like the car isn't unique in getting recycled on ebay. So are the photos. No one used anything but the same photo... must be "robot" websites that just repeat all they find, and never contribute original material. Why would anyone waste time on that sort of blog?

Why is it that some cars just keep getting flipped for profit, or investment potential? Don't these lose profit for most owners? Don't they ever find owners that are going to keep and enjoy them?

The previous owner also owned and sold a 1927 American La France hot air balloon basket retrieval car... yeah, that takes a bit to wrap your mind around... but how else would they go fetch their hot air ballons in the 1920's? http://www.victorycars.com/inventory_details.asp?InventoryNum=953

Via: http://carnut1.blogspot.com/ but all the homework of digging up it's rapid flipping auctions and sales are my own waste of time.

Don't know why a pickup needs 2 back axles, or 3 air filters, but they are attention getters

Looks cool, interesting and rare... probably because sitting on this seat on a idling Harley would cause your crotch to get cut up on the gator ridges

Here below is another outside the convention halls

1939 Matford, joint venture between French maker Mathis and Ford (i'd never heard of it before yesterday!)

The Matfords were a joint venture between French maker Mathis and Ford. They came with either V-8/60 or V-8/85 power.

Thanks to Chris for the link to this photo! : http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4107859301_0218eec28c_o.jpg

What happened to bury this 1950 VW 213 van will always be a mystery, but someone with a shovel and determination is restoring it!

I think the word BURIED describes it accurately

full gallery and story : http://www.ssvc.org.uk/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=35155 thanks to Chris who read all the 61 pages of thread, and summarized the story for us

how the bus got buried:

In a nutshell, a guy had his kid bury it in the late ’50s or early ’60s so they could have a hunting shack in the woods. The guy who found it also found the ‘kid’ who buried it, only now the kid is an old man. The restorer is English but on a run through northern Europe ( Sweden ?) he stopped by and showed the bus off to the guy who buried it. It was good timing, too; the guy who buried it died recently.

The current owner also took it to the site where the lumber mill stood that owned it first. He then took it to Kempes. The current owners didn’t know anything about the bus but they were pretty thrilled that the current owner came by with it to tell the story. The employees gave him some older (but not period) Kempes coveralls and goodies.

and also from the link that I had yesterday from Gary: http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=print&thread=67766

1957 Deluxe VW 23 window bus pulled from a lake in Norway after 36 years submerged... Is it this hard for people to find a VW Deluxe bus?

And here is a photo from before it went into the water in 1973 because the transmission broke, it was the fastest easiest way to get rid of the bus.

Thanks to Gary for the link to the story!

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=print&thread=67766 for more photos of how bad it looked when it came out of the water and the full story with details

Frank in the Netherlands needed help identifying this car, what make model and year? Chrisoncars.com knew immediately what it was! Power of the WWW!!

It has a unique hood ornament that isn't in the Hood Ornament ID Guide http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/08/hood-ornament-identifiaction-guide.html

Chris http://chrisoncars.com/ knew exactly what this was

Hi Jesse,
The mystery car on your blog is a ’39 Matford. The Matfords were a joint venture between French maker Mathis and Ford. They came with either V-8/60 or V-8/85 power. I think this one would’ve been a 60 car. There are photos of other Mathis cars that have a more ornate grille. Those probably got the 85s. How I know this shit, I have no idea.
Regards,
Chris

‘39
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4107859301_0218eec28c_o.jpg
http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/ma/43camatfordLuftwaffebeiKrosnoinPolen_Baydeww2.jpg

’38 was very similar
http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/ma/matfordli_Baydeww2.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4565088824_41b3988392_o.jpg
http://imcdb.org/vehicle_224302-Matford-V8-13CV-F82A-1938.html

Here’s a shot of the ’37 ornament:
http://www.autogallery.org.ru/k/ma/37matford_Bay.jpg

The Never Was... I found another photo of it.

Above image via: http://megamoto.tumblr.com/ below photo from http://lecontainer.blogspot.com/

looks damn cool

I don't know what it is, but it came from the LaMans Classic series of galleries at: http://lecontainer.blogspot.com/

Ivan verified it is a concept car made by Citroën. Many informations here if you speak French :
http://www.citroen.fr/Resources/Content/FR/voitures-citroen/citroen-survolt.html

Thanks Ivan!

2 story tall bicycle, first time I've seen it's kind. Good thing I had my camera handy