Sports Cars, Fast Women, and "Kiss Me Deadly"

 

Last night I had the pleasure of watching again "Kiss Me Deadly," (1955). This time Found the film totally remarkable -- nothing surprising to cinema aficionados who have long recognized its significance. The plot can get muddled, but I initially was interested in the sports cars -- Jaguar XK-120, MG-TD, and a Corvette. The opening scene is hypnotic. After Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up the girl running in the road, the scene shifts to the two of them in the Jaguar behind the windshield, with a powerful interplay of light and dark attenuated with perceived movement. 

In a complex plot like this one, there are plenty of other characters, including a foreign car mechanic (Nick)who pulls out a bomb in a gifted Corvette. His life ends with a Cadillac that lands on top of him after a thug releases a hydraulic jack. He should have used jack stands.

This movie is a must-watch if you want understand the cultural context surrounding 1955. It reflects the emerging interest in sports cars among a class of Americans now interested in foreign "things"; the shifting sands of sexual morays; the influence of nuclear fears on the American mind; the persistence of rugged individualism; and the allure of California dreams.  

 

50 years since the song "Vehicle" was released by The Ides of March

The story behind this song is fascinating. The writer of this song (James M. Peterik) was motivated to win back his girl friend. She had liked his car, and he liked the girl. The former took advantage of the latter by getting rides. In the end, the song worked! And the couple has been married for over 50 years.So if you want to impress a girl, write a song about her -- and it will help if it goes to the top of the Billboard list. 

 When the song was cut 12 seconds were lost on the 2nd take. The disconsolate band went out for pastrami sandwiches on Rush street in Chicago. When they got back the engineer had somehow pasted together the lost 12 seconds and so the entire guitar solo was recovered. 

Hey well
I'm a friendly stranger in the black Sedan
Won't you hop inside my car?
I got pictures, got candy
I'm a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star

I'm your vehicle, baby
I'll take you anywhere you want to go
I'm your vehicle, woman
By now I'm sure you know
That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in heaven you know I love you

Well, if you want to be a movie star
I'll get a ticket to Hollywood
But if you want to stay just like you are
You know I think you really should

I'm your vehicle, baby
I'll take you anywhere you want to go
I'm your vehicle, woman
By now I'm sure you know
That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in heaven you know I love you
Oh, you know I do

Well, I'm the friendly stranger in the black Sedan
Won't you hop inside my car
I got pictures, candy
I'm a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star

I'm your vehicle, baby
I'll take you anywhere you want to go
I'm your vehicle, woman
By now I'm sure you know
That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
I got to have you
Great God in heaven you know I love you

And I'm your vehicle, babe
You know I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in heaven you know I love you

1909 Glidden Tour

The 1909 Glidden tour "brought out that we are in the gasoline era."-- Motor Age, July 22, 1909, p.21.

Midwest farmers witnessed first-hand the utility of the automobile in their environment. The Glidden torus stimulated a market that Henry Ford exploited!

 View of Dai H. Lewis and motorists posing with E-M-F car on muddy rural road during the pathfinding expedition for the 1909 Glidden Tour. "E-M-F A.A.A. official Glidden Tour pathfinder" sign displayed on car. Handwritten on back: "1909 Glidden Tour, Detroit to Denver, what's a little winter among friends? Tours--Glidden Tour Pathfinder, 1909.

View of motorists in E-M-F car passing the Ypsilanti Water Tower, also known as the Ypsilanti Water Works Stand Pipe, during the pathfinding expedition for the 1909 Glidden Tour. Handwritten on back: "E.M.F. '30', 1909. This car used by Dai H. Lewis, secretary of the A.A.A. and his party, mapped out the official route to be followed by the Glidden Tour from Detroit, Mi. to Denver, Co. Photo by William Krohn, rep. of Lazarnick. Tours--Glidden Tour Pathfinder, 1909."

View of motorists in E-M-F car passing rock formation near Wonewoc, Wisconsin during the pathfinding expedition for the 1909 Glidden Tour. Handwritten on back: "Rock formation near Wonewoc, Wisconsin. 1909 Glidden Tour, Detroit to Denver, sometimes the scenery was beautiful. Tours--Glidden Tour Pathfinder, 1909.

View of a crowd of people standing under the entry way of the Pontchartrain Hotel with sign "Glidden Tour Starts From Here," Detroit, Michigan, 1909. Stamped on back: "Spooner & Wells, Inc., photographers, telephones 3472-3473 Columbus, 1931 Broadway, New York."

View of Charles Glidden standing in vehicle, an American flag on the car, one man seated beside him talking with a man and two men on the side of car, in Mankato, Minnesota, at the 1909 Glidden Tour. Damage to negative apparent on left side of photo. Photo edges cut unevenly

"

View of Charles Glidden and Glidden tourist with straw hats, tourist has various medals on his shirt, in front of the Antlers Hotel. Caption on photo back: "Chas. Glidden decked out in the customary head regalia of the West, Colorado Springs," at the 1909 Glidden Tour.

View of Jean Bemb, John Williams and Walter Winchester posed together in Kansas City, Missouri, at the 1909 Glidden Tour. Caption on photo back: "Three winning drivers of the 1909 Glidden Tour." Photo edges cut unevenly.

View of a crowd of people standing under the entry way of the Pontchartrain Hotel with sign "Glidden Tour Starts From Here," Detroit, Michigan, 1909. Stamped on back: "Spooner & Wells, Inc., photographers, telephones 3472-3473 Columbus, 1931 Broadway, New York."

An Alpine Drive with a Porsche!

At an altitude of 2,571 meters, the Edelweißspitze offers a magnificent view of the Großglockner, Austria’s highest peak. A seemingly untouched high Alpine landscape stretches out below it. A landscape like a painting, which has impressed viewers for hundreds of years.

At seven in the morning, the air up here is still cool. But the rising late summer sun is already bathing the highest peak in the Glockner Group in warm light. Below the Edelweißspitze, one of Europe’s most spectacular roads – the Großglockner High Alpine Road – winds its way up the mountain in a series of hairpin turns.

Roads and thumbs up: Dr. Porsche leads the way up to the highest point on the Großglockner High Alpine road.

Still at a distance, two light-coloured dots dance their way through the corners with elegance and speed. As they approach, the sound of their engines reverberates up from the valley, as unique as their contours, which appear ever more sharply in the morning light. Two Porsche 550 Spyders – a rare pair of the first Porsche sports cars to write racing history in the 1950s. Pure driving pleasure on an empty road. Both the drivers and the cars are very clearly in their element on this challenging mountain stretch. They are at home on the terrain. 

Stopping at the Fuschertörl restaurant at an elevation of 2,407 metres, the two drivers take off the wool caps that protect them from the icy wind. We enjoy a real premiere: two Porsches – Wolfgang and Ferdinand, father and son – sit at the respective wheels of the two Porsche cars. This is the first time they have driven two 550 cars together up the Großglockner High Alpine Road, even though the stretch essentially serves as the family’s home course.

“My grandfather began the family custom of doing test-drives here.”Dr. Wolfgang Porsche

“My grandfather Ferdinand began the family custom of doing test-drives here on the mountain, and my father Ferry kept the custom going,” says Dr. Wolfgang Porsche over breakfast on the restaurant’s terrace. “It was on one of those drives that he discovered the Schüttgut estate.” Located around 35 kilometres away in the town of Zell am See, the Alpine farmstead has symbolised the family’s deep connection with the region south of Salzburg for decades. Today, Schüttgut is the residence of Wolfgang Porsche.

Father and son have enjoyed driving the pair of historical racing cars through hairpins with nicknames like Piffalpe and Hexenküche. “This is just the second time that I’ve driven a 550 Spyder,” says Ferdi Porsche (“Please call me Ferdi, not Ferdinand,” he hastens to say.) “Even at 50 km/h it seems like you’re moving fast because you’re basically sitting in the open air.” It feels a little cool, “but that just adds to the experience.” As do the spartan furnishings of this uncompromising racer,  with its thin bucket seats and low front windshield that can barely block the airstream.

The result of this streamlined quality is a weight of only around 600 kilograms. The 1.5-litre boxer engine’s 110 hp made the car a superior performer in the mid-1950s. Named after its inventor, the Fuhrmann engine was Porsche’s first drive system designed specifically for racing. The silver Spyder that Ferdi is driving was originally used for club races in the USA before coming to Austria, where Wolfgang acquired it for his collection.

Father and son share a love of cars. The passion is passed down from generation to generation in the Porsche family – which should hardly come as a surprise. “Nothing has changed since my grandfather’s time,” says Wolfgang. “Everything we do revolves around cars.” He himself began gathering experience behind the wheel as a child. He was just 12 when he was allowed to drive the 10,000th Porsche off the factory floor in Zuffenhausen in 1956. “I could hardly sleep the night before,” the now 77-year-old recalls with a smile.

The passion for sports cars finds a worthy context in this road on the Großglockner. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE and Porsche AG takes every opportunity to drive up to the peak. And whenever he does, he takes a souvenir photo at a very specific place along the road. The car may change, but the backdrop remains the same. This has led to an impressive photo gallery of classic Porsche cars against the majestic Austrian peak.

The white 550 Spyder that Wolfgang Porsche is driving today is already part of this photographic collection. It has an impressive vita. It once served Ferry Porsche as his private vehicle, and was later driven in competitions by Porsche racing director Huschke von Hanstein, including the spectacular ice race in Zell am See. This particular family tradition is also being carried on because Wolfgang’s son Ferdi began running a new version of the race together with Vinzenz Greger in 2019. Wolfgang appeared in precisely this white racing car at the premiere of the GP Ice Race in 2019.

The enthusiasm shown by the primarily young spectators who flock to the GP Ice Race demonstrates to Ferdi that “the passion for cars lives on in my generation.” That makes him all the more pleased that “the Taycan puts the company at the forefront of technological developments in e-mobility.” The fact that he bears the name of his great-grandfather – who was already designing electric cars in the late 19^th Century and first gained acclaim with the Lohner-Porsche electric vehicle back in the year 1900 – is yet another of the family’s fascinating stories. For Ferdi, a 27-year-old who has just completed architectural studies in Vienna, environmental consciousness plays a major role. “As an architect you always need to deal carefully with nature as well.”

“The passion for cars lives on in my generation.”Ferdinand Porsche

Living in harmony with nature is also important for his father, Wolfgang. “I’m a farmer in my spare time,” he says, and mentions his extensive pastures and 200 or so Pinzgauer cattle with evident pleasure. “They are a lightweight type specially bred for steep slopes, because heavier breeds trample the vegetation,” he explains. Schüttgut is also home to fruit trees, honey production, and more. “We bake bread and process our own meat,” says Wolfgang, not without pride. A committed hunter, he comments that “we are practically self-sufficient.” The only thing they no longer have is poultry. “But we’ll get that back up and running too,” says Ferdi without any prompting.

Although this city dweller doesn’t share his father’s love of hunting – or “not yet” as the latter interjects – he is becoming ever more aware of the benefits of country life. Zell am See and the surrounding area make that easy. “Where else could you find all of this?” he asks. “In the summer we go swimming, and in the winter we can start skiing right out the door.” Generations of family traditions and values live on. As the father notes, “We’ll always be down to earth. It’s important to me to pass that on to my children.” Has he succeeded? “Yes,” attests Ferdi. “We had a very normal upbringing – though perhaps with a somewhat sharper sense of speed.” 

Favourite place: Wolfgang Porsche always takes a souvenir picture at the same spot. This time the photographer does the honours for a generational portrait.

Even in good weather, an excursion on the Großglockner High Alpine Road is a challenge – and all the more so in a 550 Spyder. Before Wolfgang Porsche sets off back down toward the valley this morning, he has a request for photographer Stefan Bogner. Can they stop at the usual place and take the obligatory souvenir shot? Nothing would please Bogner more. And that is the genesis of a truly unusual photo – four Porsches and all of them original

The French Connection and Technology Transfer: The History of the Trufault Shock Absorber

 Source: Motor Age, July 22, 1909, p. 47.

Individuals play the key role in the process of technology transfer. This is a story of one such an event. It involves a Frenchman by the name of Trufault,  an American, E.V. Hartford, and the shock absorber. The tale shows the importance of transnational relationships, and the role of bicycle technology in early automotive history. In sum,  it is one illustration of  how the automobile was "European by Birth, American by Adoption."

In the fall of 1897, E.V. Hartford, interested in automobile mechanics, traveled to France to learn about the industry. A year later, the marquis de Dion sent Hartford back to the U.S., with the mission of setting up an American company. Hartford failed, and returned to France in the spring of 1899. He subsequently went to a race at Versailles, where he witnessed the superiority of a spring equipped fork attached to a Darracq tricycle powered by a 12 horsepower, two cylinder engine. In those days motorcycles were far faster than automobiles, and so in this case it was speed that stimulated invention.

Hartford followed up on what he saw, and visited a shop run by Trufault and his two sons in Paris. He described Trufault as "a pure inventor," a man who had invented the hollow bicycle rim but had not profited for his labor. Later Hartford had Trufault install a springed fork on his 2.5 horsepower de Dion tricycle, and subsequently worked with the frenchman on automotive applications.

Back in the U.S., Hartford tried to interest automakers in this invention. He then bought a 6 horsepower Oldsmobile and then sent the vehicle over to France. It became the first automobile to be equipped with shock absorbers. American engineers could not comprehend the reasoning behind this device. They "could not understand why we wanted to brake the action of the spring with friction, and thought we should rather put ball bearings all around to let the spring give its maximum oscillation." Hartford then took the vehicle to Thomas Edison in Orange, New Jersey, but Edison, while interested, never followed up. 

Hartford then went to a large New York motor car manufacturer. He (? who was he) was interested enough that Hartford brought over Trufault for two weeks. A demonstration followed tin which stiff springs were replaced with more supple ones, and shock absorbers were installed.  This trial proved successful, and the manufacturer offered the pair $1000 for the patent. Trufault was not happy with such a deal, returned to France, and struck a deal with Peugeot. 

The key to Trufault's success, however, lay with auto racer Thery, who equipped his Richard Braser vehicle with the shocks for the Gordon Bennet event in June. The devices kept the vehicle on the ground, and saved the tires chassis from wear and tear. Demand in France soared, and in the U.S. Hartford ordered 25 sets of Trufault shocks to be made at the Garvin Machine Shop. Later a small shop was set up in New York City. That venture grew to the point where in 1909, 50,000 shock absorbers were made annually.

An American On the Road Emergency Kit, ca. 1960

 I saw this on sale on Facebook Marketplace today. Note VX-6 for use in a battery; the siphon; jumper cables; unidentified liquid -- perhaps oil or coolant; flashlight and emergency flasher; and a very nice leather case!

Did anyone ever use these in a pinch?

Porsche Car Art

The intense heat, dryness and vivid color of Chris Labrooy’s work is a far cry from the often cold and harsh environment of his home in remote Scotland, so much so that it seems like the digital sphere acts as a form of escapism. He admits that the contrast is essential, and that if he had not moved home after a spell living in California, it would not feature so heavily in his work today. But where do the cars fit in to all this? An air-cooled Porsche seems like a strange muse for an artist whose work is at once so modern and otherworldly.

“I’ve always been into cars, ever since I was a small boy,” Labrooy says. “I’d play with them, then I would draw them, then drive them in computer games. Even as a youngster I was fascinated by the design of cars. I remember seeing an episode of Top Gear where they went to the Royal College of Art and from the next day onwards I was telling my friends that that was where I wanted to go. To study car design.”

“Of all consumer products, cars are the ultimate object of desire. They are such complex things, with unique and very specific identities.”Chris Labrooy

The reality of art college saw Labrooy side-tracked into painting and sculpture and cars were all but forgotten for a while, but an increasing focus on product design meant they would make an inevitable return. “Of all consumer products,” he says, “cars are the ultimate object of desire. They are such complex things, with unique and very specific identities.”

As Seen on TV -- "Leave It to Beaver" and Chrysler Corporation Cars, 1959-1963

 Images from IMCDb.org

1959 Chrysler Windsor 4 door

1960 Dodge Matador 4 door sedan

As a regular viewer of "Leave It to Beaver" on MeTV, it is obvious that there was a relationship between the Chrysler Corporation and the producers of "Leave It to Beaver" during the late 1950s and early 1960s. But as I was thinking about it, the use of vehicles in TV series was such an effective was of advertising without explicit advertising. Now this is not a remarkable insight; but given that I watch the show so much I felt that I had to record this personal experience. My sense is, that at the time, it had a powerful effect on younger viewers in terms of reinforcing the American love affair with the automobile, and in this case Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" designs. How else can I explain my ability to recognize and spot these cars specifically as to year and model some 60 years later?

1960 Plymouth Fury -- Behind it a Chrysler

1961 Plymouth Fury

1963 Dodge Polara

Who Knew that Stromberg Carburetors were Previously Known as Goldberg Carburetors?

From July 3, 1908  Motor Age, p.41.

Note Alfred Stromberg, President; John Goldberg, Vice President.

Successor company to Goldberg Motor Car Device Manufacturing Co.

 

1908 Glidden Tour Review

Work in Progress!

The 1908 Glidden tour competition involved competition from two teams representing a number of Auto Clubs, including those from Buffalo, Columbus, Rochester, Chicago, Syracuse, Bay State and Cleveland. The Competition also involved manufacturers, and that made it very interesting -- Pierce-Arrow, Rio, Premier, Gaeth, Peerless, Thomas, Selden, Franklin, Marmon, and Garford.

The route included a diversity of surfaces, elevations, and conditions. Some segments was a piece of cake for entrants, like the one from Buffalo to Cambridge Springs, PA, where only one car experienced a failure. Other daily runs were far more challenging, like that from Bedford Springs to Harrisburg.The 1908 Glidden Tour moved from west to east and the back to west again, ending at Saratoga, New York. 

The Supervising Officials: 

Frank B. Hower -- Chairman of the AAA Toruing Board, overall responsibility for the event.

Dai H. Lewis -- Secretary and in charge of the route.

E.L. Ferguson -- Starter, entries and the daily dispatch.

Mortimer Reeves -- garaging the cars

F.D. Stidham -- Chief of the "Observer Brigade."

H.D. Herr -- Hotel Accommodations

Arthur N. Jervis -- Publicity.

 It was a curious event in a way, involving social elites, technology, an environment that could be harsh, and capitalism. 

View of Glidden trophy and plaque displayed in store window during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Trophy depicts an automobile circling a globe atop two figures representing speed. Bicycles displayed in background. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

View of Charles J. Glidden posing with unidentified official during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Official holds a megaphone. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

View of spectators surrounding motorists in Gaeth car no. 10 in front of the Teck Theatre at Buffalo, New York during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Banner suspended over street reads: "Automobile Club of Buffalo, the Annual Tour of the American Automobile Ass'n starts from this point Thursday, July 9th at 10 a.m." Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

View of motorists in Reo car, surrounded by spectators, in front of the Teck Theatre at Buffalo, New York during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Banner suspended over street reads: "Automobile Club of Buffalo, the Annual Tour of the American Automobile Ass'n starts from this point Thursday, July 9th at 10 a.m." Streetcar on right. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

View of motorists in Oakland car no. 28, surrounded by spectators, in front of the Teck Theatre at Buffalo, New York during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Banner suspended over street reads: "Automobile Club of Buffalo, the Annual Tour of the American Automobile Ass'n starts from this point Thursday, July 9th at 10 a.m." Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

Maps: Buffalo to Cambridge to Cambridge Springs, Pa and Cambridge Springs to Pittsburgh, PA

View of motorists with cars parked on hill next to Hotel Rider at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

View of motorists posing in Franklin car in front of the Bedford Springs Hotel at Bedford, Pennsylvania during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908."

Map: Saratoga to Littleton

View of motorists in Stevens-Duryea car no. 16 at Saratoga Springs, New York, surrounded by spectators, during the 1908 Glidden Tour. Handwritten on back: "Tours--Glidden Tour, 1908.