Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Barnes Towing


In about 1937, Luton J. White, the owner of Barnes Auto Co., together with Alan White, conceived an idea to build a streamlined wrecker – something strikingly modern. In appearance the vehicle was a complete departure from anything normal for the day, as can be seen in the accompanying pictures. Both front and rear ends are rounded so that maneuvering in tight spaces is easy.

They chose a 1938 Dodge 6 two-ton truck chassis, shortened and reinforced and converted to full forward control. The engine developed 78 horsepower and with a special low gear in the four-speed gear box, it would climb the steepest grades and go where no others could go.

This truck remained in service until the mid 50’s when it was replaced by a crew cab English Dodge.


info from http://www.forgottenfiberglass.com/and-now-for-something-completely-different/streamliner-from-down-underby-glenn-brummer/ images from https://www.facebook.com/anibal134

Arroyo Seca Bridge near Pasadena. It was a beautiful thing in it's brass era - pre WW1 innocence


Horse drawn carriages and gas lights. No traffic congestion, all Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish.

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Cars/204098692935609

Sunday, June 21, 2015

payday on the south ramp


Found on http://www.bls.ch/d/unternehmen/fotogalerie-history.php thanks to Hendrik!

The wheels... lightweight, simple... genius idea so the guy pedaling doesn't tire out as fast!

Friday, June 19, 2015

who told them to screw up such a good looking design? The white is perfect, did they screw with it just for the sake of a different, but not better look, to denote a new calendar year model?



Wow. Found in a box in the barn... the UFO hood ornament designed by Alex Tremulis


Taking me by surprise, I opened an email from Brian in Kansas late last night... and got the cool news that he found this rare hood ornament in a box in his grandfathers barn when he was 12 or 13. The newspaper it's wrapped in is a 1949, April 7th specifically.

He's somehow held onto it for about 45 years without that tip being broken and now is looking to find out what its worth, and sell it. Email him at redrocketman61@yahoo.com or his website http://brianwithaneye.com


According to the Hood Ornament Identification Guide http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/08/hood-ornament-identifiaction-guide.html it's a Gem, but the guide doesn't have specifics like what year it was made.


According to the correspondence and patent work, Alex Tremulis designed it while working at Kaiser Fraser, and 4000 of them were made by Fortune Manufacturing



http://www.gyronautx1.com/live-updates/alex-tremulis-flying-saucer-catalyst-for-the-1950s-ufo-craze

The name Alex Tremulis might seem familiar to you, he designed cars since the age of 20:

His talent for drawing concept cars was eventually recognized by Duesenberg showroom sales manager, who hired the 20 year old Alex to draw customer's cars.

One car Alex designed was the 1934 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Convertible/Coupe. Three cars were built to Tremulis' illustrations, J530, J531 and J534. They became recognized as having some of the most beautiful proportions of any Duesenberg ever produced.


Alex Tremulis went on to design other instantly recognizable vehicles - the side pipes on the supercharged Cord 812, and the Chrysler Thuderbolt, and the American Bantam Hollywood and Riviera... and the Tucker 48.


Plus 11 years at Ford as the head of the advanced design studio creating the Gyron, the Seattle-ite and others, working with Syd Mead.  http://www.gyronautx1.com/alex-tremulis.html

And then, the Gyronaut X-1