slgwv's photos with the keyword: automobile

Sold by mail order(!) from Sears(!!). The experiment soon fizzled. National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

Seriously. This is a 1952 Allstate, sold out of the Sears Catalog(!) in 1952-53. It was not a big success and was discontinued thereafter. "Allstate" remains a Sears trademark to this day, for insurance at any rate. The inset shows a slightly better view of the interpretive sign. National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

Well, yes. _That_ Edsel. The byword for corporate blundering. Apparently, tho, the dismal reputation is not completely deserved. The car had been overhyped before its release, and then there were some annoying quality-control issues in the first production models. But by the time the bugs were worked out, it was too late. The inset is a close-up of the interpretive sign in the foreground (without the annoying reflection!) National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

A typical late-50s Detroit tugboat ;) My parents pointed out the significance of the large steering wheel--you needed a big wheel for leverage in those days! There was no power steering except on the very highest-end models. The insets show different views. National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

1948 Tucker. A highly innovative design from a start-up that lasted only a year, due to being wiped out by court costs in (successfully) defending against a Securities & Exchange Commission complaint. The middle headlight was hooked to the steering mechanism such that it followed the road when the wheels were turned. Seems like a good idea, altho AFAIK no one else ever implemented it. I wonder if three "eyes" just made the front of the car look too alien! The inset is a view of the car from the side with the interpretive sign. National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.

Winner of the 1908 New York to Paris automobile race. The route went across the US to San Francisco, across the Pacific (on a ship!) to Japan, then across Russia, more or less along the route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The car was restored by William Harrah in 1964, using input from one of the original crewmembers George Schuster, then in his 90s. Schuster was able to confirm it was the original car by recognizing repairs he'd made on the trip. The race was the very loose historical inspiration for the 1965 comedy _The Great Race_. The victory of the Flyer, the only American entry, spurred the embryonic American automotive industry--and the rest, as they say, is history. The insets show another view and a close-up of the interpretive sign. National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection), Reno, Nevada.