MTFCA Forum

"Despacio se va lejos" - go slowly, go far

Should have cautioned drivers against speeding. I wonder if it did ?

I think I've just adopted a new motto !!

Thanks again for the visual treat, Tom. Much appreciated !!

Photo # 10 appears to be the "Plank Road" which crossed a reach of sandy desert between Los Angeles and Phoenix (?)

In the second grouping, with the service car with a spare rear end on it, what is the car on the right? Looks like a center door but way too many side windows.

I wonder what the the story is behind the ‘T memorial’. Maybe a marker for a accident? Maybe we’ll never know. It’s the 5th photo from the top.

John kuehn wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:32 pm

I wonder what the the story is behind the ‘T memorial’. Maybe a marker for a accident? Maybe we’ll never know. It’s the 5th photo from the top.

My guess is it's the site of a multiple fatality. If the victims are not entombed within, it's likely the car involved was placed on the monument, which was erected by the local Rotary Club. The legend "despacio, se va lejos" translates roughly, "slowly, one may go far" which seems to be a caution against excessive speed, and indicates this is in a Spanish-speaking country.

Perhaps someone with real skill at searching the interweb can provide more details ?

The towed car looks to be pre-1915, so pre center door. Could it be a custom Australian body? It also looks like it veers in at the front so maybe it is a wider commercial body.

Very interesting pictures.
Norm

The RHD tourer in the 9th photo is a Duncan and Fraser embargo bodied car, produced towards the end of WW1. Note the outside fitting doors and the distinctive cast brass door hinges. These were built to closely resemble the Ford factory cars.

Allan from down under.

The car on the right could be an aftermarket hardtop on a touring car. Perhaps 1913 or so. The angled front window corresponds with the curvature of the lower body after the firewall.

Several interesting photos!
Third photo I think I have seen recently, a 1914 touring car with electric headlamps, seat covers, and wire wheels!

The fourth photo is intriguing. I wonder when and where it was taken? Is that a 1940s or 1950s car trying to hide on the sidewalk on the other side of the two model Ts? The 1915ish towncar/landaulet is quite interesting. The gas headlamps and oddly mounted horn jump out as wrong for the year of the car. Notice also the large brake drum and the wheels and tires appear to be 21 inch balloon type from about 1925.Compare the apparent size of the towncar's rear wheel and tire to the front tire on the other model T. Given the "vanishing point" angle, the nearer wheels should appear larger, yet they appear smaller relative to the tire size.
I do hope that car is still well maintained in one of our collections (and hopefully maybe corrected a bit better?).

The eighth photo of the odd early "sedan"? My first thought was whether it might be one of the early after-market sedan bodies that were and are quite rare? (Probably not.) The used to be well known Harry Johnson, famous in the HCCA and for his connection to William Harrah's collection, had a 1911 model T with a beautifully restored 1911 after-market sedan body! I got to see it a few times about fifty years ago. It and one other such brass era custom sedan were discussed on this forum probably about eight to ten years ago.
However, in spite of poor detail definition, in zooming in close, I think Wayne Jorgensen is correct. I think it is a fixed roof semi-sedan body upgrade on either a 1913 or 1914 touring car. Just not enough detail to be seen of the lower body. However, I think I can see the overhang typical of such fixed roof kits that hangs down behind the rear body tub. Some of those sedan kits were quite extravagant, and complicated in how they incorporated the touring car doors into the full upper body with outside door handles.

One of the photos shows a 1913 touring with seldom seen Victor #1 headlights.

I have a number of photos of the Eatonville dealership. Sure would like
to have that sign !

I find this photo interesting on a number of levels.

First, the photo shows both automobiles and horse drawn vehicles. My mother was born in 1925 and she remembers her mother taking a horse and buggy to town (Black Creek, WI), this would have been 1928 or so. So, it wasn't unusual in the day, but I haven't seen that many period photos showing both automobiles and horse drawn vehicles in the same photograph.

Second, the photo has an interesting composition with the barber pole in the foreground, the brick building on the far right, which appears to be at least 5 stories tall, and the steam locomotive in the distance.

Third is the steam locomotive. It is clearly connected to the center of attention. All eyes are clearly directed in that general direction. The locomotive itself has two flags on it, would suggest to me that, the train is for some government official (the president?) and everyone has come out to see / hear him.

A very interesting photo, I could be lost in it for hours.