First snow of the season in Dayton today. STA-BIL put in the gas tanks of the Porsche and Mercedes, trickle charger connected. If there is no salt on the road and the road is dry, I'll take the cars out no matter what temperature. But it looks like this week is a no-drive. I hold on to the hope that I will be able to drive in the area during some of December.
Ugh when it comes to the use of salt on the roads! More on this environmental nuisance in the future.
Images are from the digital collections, The Detroit Public Library
In addition to the well-publicized racing events of the period 1895-1910, there were many reliability runs, tours, economy tests, and hill climbs. These events did much to spread the gospel of automcobility and the need for good roads. Such is Munsey's Historic Tour of 1910. It was not over the challenging terrain of the Glidden Tours, but it did provide manufacturers with an opportunity to promote their product, and expose folks in the populous Northeast with automotive possibilities related to space and time. Routes included roads that were constructed by the military during the Revolutionary War. It was about booming the car on the threshold of the coming of the Ford Model T!
Munsey's Magazine sponsored A.A.A. sanctioned tours during the first decade of the 20th century, including the 1910 event, held between August 15 and 30. It was a reliability trial that also served as an event that had "doubtless strong appeal to tourists." There were two kinds of participants: Grade 2, involving timing and technical inspections; Grade 4, with no technical exam or supplementary tests. In many ways it was a party, like the Hemmings Great Race event that is held now every summer, 2020 excluded due to the pandemic. With a historic theme due to the Revolutionary and Civil War sites visited, cities included Philadelphia; Morristown, NJ; West Point, Lenox, MA; NewLondon, CT; Boston; Portsmouth, NH; Bangor, ME; Plattsburgh, NY; Saratoga, NY; Binghamton, NY; Harrisburg, PA; Gettysburg, PA; Baltimore; and Washington.
Final Results
25 Maxwell Walls 3
34 Ford Cheny 7
24 Stoddard Shaaf 12
11 Corbin Baily 16
10 Warren-Detroit Berger 19
6 Washington Arrison 20
5 Washington Carter 26
14 Brush McCoy 26
13 Brush McKinney 33
8 Ford Miller 35
30 Ford Peabody 36
2 Columbia Wagner 40
22 Cino Donnelly 46
31 Kline Fairman 50
17 Engler Frisch 52
21 Ohio Henwood 103
33 Matteson Hall 122
29 Inter-State Dill 131
16 Pierce-Racine Strang 148
32 Moon Upton 200
23 Staver Knutsen 249
27 Crawford Miller 891
18 Great-Western LaMar 2284
Krit, Regal, Maxwell, Glide, DNF
Winners were categorized by value of the cars.
Division 1 -- Brush No. 14
Division 2 -- Ford 34
Division 3 -- Maxwell
Division 4 -- Washington
Division 5 -- Stoddard-Dayton
U.S. Automotive Firsts, 1893-1920
To be examined with a critical eye -- taken from Epstein's 1928 book. I found at least one of these entries to be wrong!
1893 – Duryea – 1st Car Built in the US
1898 – Winton – 1st Car Sold in US
1901 – Autocar – 1st Shaft-driven US Car
1901 – Olds – 1st Volume Produced Car
1903 – Winton – 1st Car to Cross US
1905 Rambler – 1st Standard Windshield
1905 – Ignition Locks
1905 – Packard – Magneto Ignition
1906 – Front Bumpers Appear
1907 – 1st Service Station in US
1907 – First Demountable Rims
1908 – Rambler – 1st Spare Tire
1911 – Cadillac – 1st Self Starter
1913 – Ford – 1st Moving Assembly Line
1914 – 1st Spiral-Bevel Rear Axles
1914 – Maxwell – 1st Adjustable Seat
1916 – 1st Hand-Operated Windshield Wipers
1916 – 1st Standard Stop Lights on Some Cars
1917 – 1st Battery Under Hood
1919 – Detroit – 1st 3 color traffic lights
All spick & span: Anyone who values their car not only drives it but also takes care of it – the body as well as the interior. Numerous tools are available for washing and cleaning cars – this includes the “plumeau spécial pour automobiles”, one of the “33 Extras” in the permanent exhibition of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. This feather duster made of ostrich feathers was used at the beginning of the 20th century to gently remove dust. Dust accumulated on the paint finish as the car passed along roads that were often unsurfaced in those days. One practical feature was that the wooden handle could be unscrewed, making the implement small enough to store in a cardboard roll.
Ritual: Washing the car with a sponge and water helps to remove stubborn dirt. In the Federal Republic of Germany, this activity developed into a real ritual, especially in the 1960s. After the “economic miracle” of the 1950s, more and more people were able to fulfil their dream of owning their own car. This not only changed individual mobility, it also made people proud of their new possession. On Saturday afternoons, the car was carefully washed by hand and polished to a high gloss. The ritual was deemed perfect if accompanied by football coverage playing on the car radio.
The conveyor belt principle: In the United States of America, mass motorisation got off to an earlier start than in Europe, and it was here that the first car wash facilities were built. The initiators of this idea are considered to be Frank McCormick and J. W. Hinkle. They opened their first car wash in 1914 in Detroit, the Motor City. They observed the principle as it was used for assembly lines in the car-making industry: a clear division of labour between different stations along a production line. However, the system did not yet involve mechanical actions. Instead, employees pushed the vehicles through the facility where the individual work steps were also carried out manually.
Automation: Today, mechanical car wash systems have become well established. In 1962, German inventors Johann Sulzberger and Gebhard Weigele applied for a patent for an “automatic car wash for motor vehicles”. The cleaning technology involved two rotating brushes on rails revolving around the car. Car wash systems based on the same principle still exist in modern facilities. However, they no longer use bristles. Instead, they take a more gentle approach using textile or foam strips.
Portal or conveyor: There are two strategies for automatic car washing. Either the car stands stationary in a gantry system while brushes and nozzles pass over it, or it is conveyed mechanically through a car wash system. During this trip through the car wash, the driver sits in the vehicle and can experience the process through the windows. The Mercedes-Benz car wash function, as available in the GLS and GLA, makes the whole experience that much more convenient. A single command is all it takes to fold in the outside mirrors, close the side windows and sliding sunroof, deactivate the rain sensor and set the air conditioning system to air-recirculation mode. When the car leaves the car wash, the automatic system resets all these settings as soon as the vehicle accelerates to more than 20 km/h.
Full service: Over the years, the number of steps added to the washing process has steadily increased, e.g. blow-drying and, above all, the preservation stage. Amongst other things, hot wax protects the gleaming paint after cleaning. Nowadays, one does not have to worry about the environment, even with premium care involving all the extras. This is because current technology recycles the majority of the water used and filters out critical substances such as oil.
Do-it-yourself: Many car owners still wash their vehicles by hand. In this process, there are some things to look out for. Car washing in the road is prohibited in most German towns, as the ADAC car club warns, for example. On your own property, only clear water and a sponge or brush may be used for cleaning cars – and the waste water must not be allowed to enter the sewerage system or watercourses. The best way to do it yourself is to go to a special DIY set-up where you can hand-wash the car thoroughly, such as those offered at petrol stations and car washes. Here, you can even get rid of coarse dirt with a high-pressure cleaner and then the paint finish can be washed with car shampoo. In addition, retailers and workshops offer a wide range of care products
When the car wash was called the car laundry! The car wash season is soon upon us as the weather is getting colder and salt on the roads is around the corner. As a treasured object, owners obviously cleaned cars from the beginning of the era. When it turned into a business, however, is not clear. This is an early example for sure.
From the Digital Collections, Detroit Public Library
Interior view of Automobile Laundry; car wash employees stand near cars; three men wearing hats and overcoats stand in foreground. Floor of building is wet; hoses suspended from ceiling. Printed on front: "Automobile Laundry, 1221-1229 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Mich." Printed on back: "Get the 'look new' habit. Dear Sir, Having installed special equipment and processes for cleaning and polishing automobiles and cleaning engines, we take this means of inviting you (whether you wash your car or leave it to others) to visit our Auto Laundry at 1221-1229 Woodward Ave., between Palmer and Hendrie Aves., and see what we have for your convenience and the betterment of your car. We have a large, light, roomy garage, specially equipped for the washing, polishing and thorough cleaning of automobiles. While you wait. Washing and polishing, 1.50; engine cleaning, 1.50, transmission cleaning, $1.00. Automobile Laundry, 1221-1229 Woodward Ave., Phone North 2302, 'Everything back but the dirt.' 443, pub. by A.C. Dietsche, Detroit, Mich." Card is postmarked June 18, 1913.
On 30 September 1897, the first International Automobile Ausstellung (Exhibition) was held by the Mitteleuropäischer Motorwagenverein ("Central European Motor Vehicle Association") at the Hotel Bristol on the Unter Der Linden boulevard in Berlin. A total of eight Benz Velo, Lutzmann, Kuhlstein, and Daimler motor vehicles were on display.
A second motor show was held in 1898 at the exhibition grounds near Lehrter Banhof in 1899 more than 100 exhibitors participated in the third motor show .
As the automobile became more known and accepted, the IAA became a fixed event in Germany, with at least one held every year, usually in Berlin. In 1902 the show was held for the first time by the Association of German Automotive Industiailists (Verein Deutscher Motorfahrzeug-Industrieller). The show was suspended during WWI. With a pause after the war, the IAA was then reinstated and returned to a newly built exhibition hall in Berlin West End in 1921, with 67 German automobile manufacturers displaying 90 vehicles under the motto "comfort." More than 600 exhibitors participated in the 15th IAA in 1923 and the next year's show saw the premiere of economy cars like the Hanomag 2/10 and the Opel 4PS (Laubfrosch).The perky two-seater only came in green and cost just 4,500 Rentenmark, an absolute sensation. This was made possible by the ultra-modern assembly line in Rüsselsheim. The Laubfrosch was affordable for a broad public and democratised automotive mobility.In 1924 the new “Hall II” was also opened, where motorcycles, commercial vehicles and accessories were exhibited.
While the 1933 Berlin Auto Show is often highlighted because of the appearance and speech given by Adolph Hitler, the 1924 show was also of primary significance in the history of the German auto industry. Inflation was no longer an issue because of currency reform, and the better off German middle classes -- "the gentlemen" -- were now desirous of getting behind the wheel and maintaining their own cars. Before 1924 the automobile in German was still an object of leisure for the wealthy. After 1924 now a new market opened , including a market for small cars. It was now small and large cars on the minds of the German consumer. The German industry was still fragmented and populated by large producers, but now Henry Ford's transatlantic influence was profound. With tariff reform American makes proliferated in the German market to 1929, but the number of German car owners more than quadrupled. With the onset of the Great Depression, and the rise of naziism, the momentum that had been generated since 1924 found new direction and new intensity.
Between 1971 and 1975 I owned a 1969 Gobi Beige Karmann Ghia. mechanically excellent, it rusted away because it had spent two years in Rochester, NY. Never buy a Great Lakes region used car!
