MisterVimes Posted May 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era The car from this era that I always liked was the big steam powered Doble. A luxury vehicle with enormous range compared to its contemporaries (1500 miles !). Could also start from cold in one and a half minutes' date=' but I think that they were expensive and not a lot were made. Still, sounds like just the thing for your P C's to turn up at a fancy soiree in .[/quote'] Apparently they were around $20,000 in 1925 -- an absurdly high price. The Doble's made a cheaper model, the Simplex, but it never got beyond the prototype. According to what I've heard, Jay Leno bought one of the Dobles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era The car from this era that I always liked was the big steam powered Doble. A luxury vehicle with enormous range compared to its contemporaries (1500 miles !). Could also start from cold in one and a half minutes' date=' but I think that they were expensive and not a lot were made. Still, sounds like just the thing for your P C's to turn up at a fancy soiree in .[/quote'] Apparently they were around $20' date='000 in 1925 -- an absurdly high price. The Doble's made a cheaper model, the Simplex, but it never got beyond the prototype. According to what I've heard, Jay Leno bought one of the Dobles.[/quote'] A few years ago Jay wrote in Popular Mechanics about how Doble (the manufacturer) never settled on a "final" design, but incorporated improvements in the next car that occurred to him while building the last one. Either that or it was on a car show on cable featuring Jay's Garage? I always liked the idea of the Franklin, a car powered by a six-cylinder air-cooled motor, the tiny-for-it's-day American Austin(Later American Bantam), or even the Ford V-8, which could do at least 85 MPH in a day when most cars' top speed was about 65 and some *Cough! Model-T!* could only muster about 45, but that was okay because brakes back then faded! Some links to Wikipedia entries on a few (mostly) defunct makes that were available somewhere between 1900 and 1950: Franklin (automobile) Hudson Motor Car Company Studebaker Crosley Citroën Pontiac Owen Magnetic Baker Motor Vehicle Moose Jaw Standard (No, I did not make that one up!) Steam Cars Continental Motors Company Davis Motor Car Dymaxion Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Oh. And these: Nash Motors Packard Stout Scarab Streamline Cars Automotive History: An Illustrated History Of Automotive Aerodynamics – Part 1 (1899 – 1939) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterVimes Posted May 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Great stuff! I'm glad you mentioned the Dymaxion. Buckminster Fuller had many "dymaxion" inventions. The Dymaxion House would make a great HQ for a Pulp team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era I'm not as familiar with the makes and models offered outside the U.S. at that time. Old car buffs with this knowledge are strongly encouraged to participate. Some of the cars from the above article on streamlining: Tatra 87 Rumpler Tropfenwagon the Schlörwagen Not from the above article, but noteworthy nontheless: Chevrolet Fleetline Fastback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadmaster Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era The Model T seems pretty archaic even by the 1930s (Model T production ended in 1927), but there is a reason they were around long after "better" cars were available, they were bullet proof reliability wise, could go almost anywhere, ran on gasoline, alcohol or kerosene and had a bazillian options available. A Model T pickup is pretty much my standard Call of Cthulhu investigators mobile, unless they have the cash for a Packard or similar speedster. I love this clip, the Model T just plunges on in, but the Jeep stops to size it up first if you were in snow country this was an after market accessory The standard Model T engine made 20 horsepower, but with speed equipment like the Frontenac conversion (new 4 valve per cylinder head, and a few other substitutions) it could put out 140 horses, making the Model T speedster a competitive dirt track racer until WW2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhNU8UX_YPs&feature=related and if I ever had the crazy money needed, I would have one of the 1930s Boattail speedsters from Packard, Duesenberg or Auburn. Very elegant cars that are very fast even by modern standards. Apparently they were around $20' date='000 in 1925 -- an absurdly high price. The Doble's made a cheaper model, the Simplex, but it never got beyond the prototype. According to what I've heard, Jay Leno bought one of the Dobles.[/quote'] There was a show on the History channel about steam power that featured several of Jay Leno's steam machines. He has several steam cars and some steam engines. Pretty sure it was an episode of Modern Marvels. The steam cars impressed me. Not real handy for a quick get away since you have to get the water heated, but on the road they appear to be very fast and smooth (no need to shift gears as I recall). He showed off one with a traditional steam engine, puffs of steam etc like a steam train, but the other was a closed system that used a condensor to recycle the water vapor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted May 20, 2012 Report Share Posted May 20, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgfyclrr5400 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted May 20, 2012 Report Share Posted May 20, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L-sCG2ltQs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4ceKzvHPQc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era I'm not as familiar with the makes and models offered outside the U.S. at that time. Old car buffs with this knowledge are strongly encouraged to participate. Some of the cars from the above article on streamlining: Tatra 87 Rumpler Tropfenwagon the Schlörwagen Not from the above article, but noteworthy nontheless: Chevrolet Fleetline Fastback I just LOVE the picture of the Tatra. It just looks like something out of an old S F serial ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterVimes Posted June 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era I need one of these to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Love the" Jungle Yacht" ! Do you have any specifications on it (size, speed, number of people that it can accommodate ?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted June 11, 2012 Report Share Posted June 11, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Love the" Jungle Yacht" ! Do you have any specifications on it (size' date=' speed, number of people that it can accommodate ?)[/quote'] Commander Gatti’s Jungle Yacht and African Expedition A Discussion thread that may prove helpful: Jungle yachts? The Lavish Jungle Yacht by International Harvester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Celt Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era The Jungle Yacht Inaugural Expedition so begs to be a Pulp Hero scenario, or maybe as lead-in to Allston's Lands of Mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era 1948 Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner 1939 Buick "Y Job" The "Car of 1960" If you can find more info on this vehicle, post it below! The Martin Aircraft company toyed with the idea of making a streamlined car, starting in the 1930s. 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom Paul Arzens: La Baleine (the whale), 1938 Bergholt Streamline Car 105 M.P.H. Streamlined Auto Built in Home Workshop, Uses Ford Parts (May, 1932) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era Spirit of Tomorrow automobile H. B. "Barney" Oldfield, with assistance by J. H. Norton (metal fabrication), Saanich, 1940 http://bc150.ecuad.ca/museum/09_09.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era More about the Tombs Buick Streamliner.... 1937 Lewis Airomobile 1937 Cadillac Hartmann Cabriolet 1939 Dodge Airflow Truck 1934 V16 Cadillac Town Car 1934 V16 Cadillac Formal Sedan 1934 Chrysler Imperial Airflow CX 1936 Duesenberg Prototype Gentleman's Speedster 1935 Ford Touring Sedan 1936 Delahaye 135 Figoni et Falaschi Competitione Coupe 1936 DeSoto Airstream Taxi The above car was often used as a Taxi. The Taxi versions had a sunroof over the rear seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSgt Baloo Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Re: Automobiles of the Pulp Era 1936 Lincoln Zephyr 1922 Franklin Runabout 1934 Goliath Pioneer Streamlined Daimler-Benz Bus BURNEY STREAMLINE 1930 [ATTACH=CONFIG]43633[/ATTACH] 1940 Mercedes-Benz 320 W-142IV Streamline Wendler BMW Baur 502 Convertible 4-doorA Digital rendered images of a 1937 patent for a streamlined tractor-trailer rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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