The Learner's Permit -- youth now free !!!

A pretty girl out to have some fun on her own!
Miley Cyrus, 2008
When do Learner's Permits become commonplace at state licensing offices?


My thanks to Ed Garten for the following:

A young boy had just received his driver's permit and asked his
father if they could discuss his use of the car. His father said he
would make a deal with his son..

"You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and we'll talk about the car."
The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, "Son, I've been real proud.
You brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm real disappointed you didn't get your hair cut."
The young man paused a moment then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair. And there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair."

To this his father replied, "Did you also notice that they all
walked everywhere they went?"

Car Collecting in 1952 -- what I could buy for $3000!

Note: $3000 in 1952 is equivalent to 24,447.06 in 2010.

Hi folks -- lately I have been looking through 1952-3 issues of Motor Trend, for no particular reason. I was attracted to Robert J. Gottlieb's column on classic cars (for example, January 1953, "Why Drive a Classic?" What always intrigues me, even when I look at 1960s issues of R&T, are the ads in the back of the magazine. I know this is a was of time and an exercise in total futility. Here are a couple from January. 1953 from MT:

Sell -- '36 eight cylinder Pierce-Arrow five passenger wire wheel sedan. Very good throughout, Penna. inspected, second complete car for parts, is restorable, $600 for both.

Sell -- "15 Saxon roadster, four cylinder, 15,000 miles, new car condition throughout, complete, curtains to chains, exceptional car, $750.

Sell -- "36 Cadillac V-12, Fleetwood sedan, engine and clutch just rebuilt, body, upholstery, and finish extra good condition, radio, heater, $325.

Sell -- SS 100 Jaguar two-seater sports, near mint condition, spare parts stock, repair manual, $2250 or offer.

A Brief and Informal Review of David Lusco's "The Business of Speed"

OK, I couldn't find an image of the book cover, so I had to improvise with some other photos!

I recently had occasion to look again at David Lusco's recently published book, The Business of Speed: The Hot Rod Industry in America, 1915-1990. This work received one of the Choice best top titles for 2009, and deservedly so. I found the chapter on "Faster Flivvers, 1915-1927" really fascinating. Last year I went to the Model T gathering at Richmond, Indiana, that included a secondary event at the Winchester Speedway, where all sorts of Modified Ts were on the track. It was then that I noticed all of the Winfield Carburetors and Rajo Valve-in-head equipment, and wondered where did it come from? Well,Dave answered this and many other questions in the process. Later in the book, Dave covers the emergence of SEMA as a force in the aftermarket automobile business, and to my knowledge, is the first to study this trade organization comprehensively. In sum, this careful study, conducted under the guidance of Merritt Roe Smith at MIT, is a must read for anyone who takes automobile history seriously.

My only critique? Where are the girls, Dave? Women were key to the marketing of this equipment, and clearly had a powerful role in advertising and in the staging of various hot rod events. The photos above certainly do not lie!

Chinese Chauffeurs during the 1920s and "The Squeeze"

Hi folks -- I had a student come in to my office the other day wondering about doing a term paper on the history of the automotive industry in China. In searching the literature I found this curious Department of Commerce report from 1923 entitled "Automotive Market in China, British Malaya, and Chosen." I promptly ordered this report from Ohiolink, and it had a number of interesting bits after review that I wanted to share with you. In 1923, no cars were manufactured in China, although there was a trade in body construction. The above photo shows an example of what was said to be the very fine work of Chinese craftsmen in body construction, and particularly paint and upholstery.
Secondly, there was a discussion of the corruption associated with Chinese chauffeurs. The term used is "the squeeze" and is discussed on page 11:
"Hardly anyone who has ever done business with the Chinese has failed to come into contact wit the multifarious forms of petty graft known to foreigners as "squeeze" and to the Chinese as "cumshaw." It is the greatest tax which industry and life of the country generally had to bear. Foreigners have tried to stamp it out, but in many lines of activity they have given up the task as hopeless. Wherever there is a transaction in buying or selling, hiring or "firing" is involved, it is almost certain that the squeeze enters. in many cases the acceptance of the squeeze is quite open, and there are many Chinese who regard it as a right. This is especially true in the automotive industry.
Squeeze beings with the sale of the car and follows it through its career until the last of its parts are utterly useless. Owners know that their chauffeurs are constantly collecting commissions, and many are aware that their employees are not above taking nuts and bolts to be sold to the native repair shops which will alter be put the same nuts and bolts back on the car when the chauffeur brings it in for repair, but they are helpless. the owners claim that it serves no purpose to discharge a pilfering chauffeur, for his successor will be no better. one of the sources of revenue to the chauffeur is the dale of gasoline drained from the car's tank and sold to native dealers at one-third its value."

A Brief and Incomplete Review of "Eat My Dust," by Georgine Clarsen

hi folks -- there is still much to be done related to women and automobiles, particularly in the period after World War II. Recently Cotten Seiler called my attention to the work of Georgine Clarsen, author of the recently released book Eat My Dust (Johns Hopkins Press). If you are at all interested in the history of the automobile and recent scholarship, this shorter study is a must read. First, the author, a senior lecturer at the University of Wollongong in Australia, has impeccable credentials, in terms of her scholarly background and interestingly enough, in terms of practical experience as a former mechanic. Georgine in her previous life might have been good with a spanner in her hand, but her writing style can be characterized as flowing and damned-near flawless. yesterday I was simply captivated during my reading of a number of sections in this book, including chapter 6, "The Woman Who Does" (on a remarkable woman who owned a repair garage in Melbourne) and chapter 8 "Machines as the Measure of Women (Women on a motor journey from Cape to Cairo). I have more to read, but can say that this title will be used in my next Automobile and American Life senior history seminar, slated for the fall of 2010.

Cars for Czars: The Imperial Garage and Nicholas II

The young man behind the wheel is the hemophiliac Alexei

Hi folks -- my thanks to colleague David Darrow for these photos of Nicholas II and his Imperial Garage. Before there was cars for comrades, the Romanovs had their own collection of cars to take them from Imperial Palace to visit the lumpen proletariat living in the cities and the recently freed serfs in the countryside.

Anyone able to help with the identification of the cars in the photos?