A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2014, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume VII, Issue VII
Exploring:
Ca
• Car Collecting Today
High RPMs
• Classic Rides • Reports From the Field • Oldsmobile (1897-2004) • Cadillac (1902- ) • Allanté (1987-1993)
• Corvair (1960-1969)
◄ = Clickable Link
IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs
1
GDYNets On the Web
1
Mustang Debut
2
Fueling One’s Thoughts
5
Here it is July already and I have a damning admission to make. I have yet to put the Olds on the ground and/or fire up the engine. She is still hibernating from over the winter. I have, however, fired up the Caddy. But that is all I can say with regard to The Gray Lady. Likewise, I have yet to make it to a show or cruise-in this season. What does the fact that I have done little-to-nothing in terms of old ride activity say? There must be some sort of hidden message there? When I figure it out, I shall indeed pass it on. What I do know is that it does not say it is time for me to get out of the hobby. That thought has not crossed my mind. As I indicated I would be doing, I have sent an email to Mille Miglia participants Dave and Vince, seeking a report on their experiences and the status of the 1954 Olds. Has it sold? Is
Find GDYNets on the web:
◄
OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
it up for sale? If not, when and where will it be offered? At what price? Inquiring minds want to know, right? July Automotive Milestones 7/1/1956 Pontiac names Simon "Bunkie" Knudsen General Manager 7/3/1945 1st post-war car produced: a white Ford Super DeLuxe Tudor sedan that goes to Pres. Harry Truman. 7/3/1952 Crosley closes 7/8/1909 1st Hudson man’fd 7/12/1982 Last Checker built (1st Checker built in 1922) 7/16/1935 Ok City gets 1st parking meter in U.S. 7/23/1901 Ransom E. Olds issued design patent for his Curved-Dash Oldsmobile 7/23/1903 Ford sells 1st car, a two-cylinder Model A, to Dr. Ernest Pfenning of Chicago for $850. 7/26/1945 Kaiser-Frazer Corp. organized
7/29/1909 Buick acquires Cadillac 7/29/1916 Nash Motors Co. formed 7/30/1863 Henry Ford born, 7/30/1898 1st Automobile ad in magazine (Winton Motor Co.) 7/31/1928 Chrysler buys Dodge
Time to go cruisin’!
GDYNets® on the Web CCC® -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars.
CCC® Forum EMail:
July 2014
s
Car Collector Chronicles ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.
Page 2
Car Collector Chronicles
Mustang Debut
“Even if one is old enough to have been
I am pretty certain we are all aware that it was a mere half-century ago that the Mustang burst upon the motoring scene. Ford may quite a splash with the pony car at the New York World’s Fair in April of 1964: A two-seat, mid-engine sports car, was officially unveiled by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York, on April 17, 1964. That same day, the new car also debuted in Ford showrooms across America and almost 22,000 Mustangs were immediately snapped up by buyers. At the time of its debut your Ed/.Pub. was all of 18 years young and getting ready to graduate from high school. Color television was a new novelty. As was an AT&T device designated as the “picturephone.” Both were popular fair attractions. In 1964 the G.M. of Ford was a guy named Lee Iacocca. The Mustang carried a MSRP of $2,300. Promotional efforts for the car included having it featured on the covers of Newsweek and Time, both appearing on newsstands the night before the car went on sale. Ford booked commercial time for television ads on all three major networks; ABC, CBS and NBC (Back then, as hard as it may be now to believe, there were no other television advertising options.) Ford also managed to have the Mustang roll across the silver screen in a flick starring Sean Connery as spy James Bond titled Goldfinger.
around when the original Mustang automobile debuted, it is not likely they remember the event.
Needless to say, 50 years later the marque is still going strong. All of this historic hoopla obscures one very significant fact about the Mustang automobile. That fact is that it did not debut in 1964. Nor was Ford Motor Co. the manufacturer of the original Mustang. Even if one is old enough to have been around when the original Mustang automobile debuted, it is not likely they remember the event. Why? The plain, unvarnished truth is that, sadly, it simply was not a very memorable event. To have been present for the “real debut” of the Mustang one had to be around in the year 1948. One had to be not in Detroit, MI, but rather Seattle, WA. Lastly, one had to interact with Roy McCarty, not someone named Ford. There is one connection between the original Mustang and the Ford Motor Co. though. Roy McCarty was a service manager at a Seattle Lincoln dealership when he conceived the design of his Mustang. In the early post-war years, America was hungry, nay starving, for anything new when it came to personal transportation. Given this thirst, McCarty hoped his car would fit in that niche, as it was new and different, indeed.
Page 3
Car Collector Chronicles
Mustang Debut—Cont’d. Those who knew of the car from having been involved in its creation or because of having actually having seen one, referred to it as “the whale.” This moniker came about because of its shape. In fact, the shape resembled that of the profile of an aircraft wing. This was intentional, to reduce wind resistance, thereby increasing fuel economy. The design also improved driver visibility. That fact was touted in ad copy. The car was rearengined. It carried six passengers. The front seats swiveled and the 5’ 9” long rear seat was capable of doubling as a bed. The purchase price for the “Original Mustang” was
“Those who knew of the car … referred to it as ‘the whale.’ This moniker came about because of its shape. In fact, the shape resembled that of the profile of an aircraft wing.”
$1,235. That would be approximately $12K today. The production plan called for using parts that were already in manufacture for every system of the car. Where necessary, McCarty would adapt them to fit.; steering from a Willys Jeep, engine from Continental or Hercules, Spicer axles originally manufactured for some other car. McCarty knew he was not ready, and that it would be foolhardy, to go national from the get-go. Consequently, his plan called for making his Mustang available only in the states of
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
Mustang Debut—Cont’d. WA, ID and OR. He was successful in getting orders for 200 cars. Each order was accompanied by a $500 down payment. With 200orders and $100,000 in hand, McCarty needed to raise operating funds. He did so through a stock offering. All shares of the initial Mustang Engineering Co. stock offering sold. At this point, just as they had with Tucker, in stepped the Feds. The Federal Securities and Exchange Commission brought suit against the Mustang Engineering Co. The result of protracted litigation was one of the Mustang Engineering being found not guilty of any wrongdoing whatsoever, being given a clean bill of health and now being free to begin production. Sadly, the time, corporate resources and funds expended in dealing with this litigation wiped the company out. The total number of Mustangs McCarty actually produced is debatable. The figures touted are anywhere from 1 to 12. Where the 1 to 12 are today is a good question. INTERESTING FACTS: When FOMOCO introduced its Mustang in 1964, McCarty brought suit for trademark infringement. The law suit sought a mere ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in damages. There is not record of either an outcome of the litigation or the payment of a penny to McCarty by Ford for usurping the registered trade name of Mustang. The photos below and on page 3 shows a door in front of the left rear wheel. While it may look like the doors found on other cars for the golf club storage area, in actuality the door provides access to the 4 cylinder, 59 h.p. rear engine for purposes of maintenance and repair. The body of McCarty’s Mustang was made of aluminum. Somewhat ironically, 2014 bears witness to FOMOCO began experimenting with the use of aluminum body panels in its F-150 truck line.
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 5;;
Fueling One’s Thoughts
At the turn of the century (1900), gasoline was sold in open containers at pharmacies, blacksmith shops, hardware stores and other retail establishments looking to make a few extra dollars. By the early 1920s, many larger cities had enacted fire safety ordinances banning curbside gas pumps and requiring gasoline retailers to construct free-standing structures, set back from the road, to dispense fuel. As the decade came to a close, 24-hour fueling stations, designed to meet the needs of truckers, began to appear along major thoroughfares. Also “trackside operators,” the forerunners of today’s discount Brand-X retailers, dispensed cheap gasoline directly from railroad tank cars parked on sidings. On December 1, 1913, Gulf Refining Company opened a new type of retail store in Pittsburgh, PA. Designed expressly for the purpose of selling gasoline as a fuel for motorists. The kiosk-like building was also the first architect-designed fueling station, and the first to distribute free road maps to drivers. On its first day in business, the station dispensed 30 gallons of “Good Gulf Gasoline,” sold at a price of 27 cents per gallon (for net sales of $8.10). While that might seem like a bargain, in 2014 dollars that translates to a price of $6.37 per gallon. In 1947, the first “self service” gasoline station was opened by Frank Ulrich in Los Angeles, California. Ulrich offered customers a five-cent per-gallon savings to pump their own gasoline. Try to find a gas station today where an attendant will pump your gas, wash your windshield, check your engine oil/radiator coolant level and air your tires. So much for “Happy Motoring!”
– Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, if so inclined, like CCC® on facebook® by going here ______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD