AUTOS CARS CUSTOM

in 1900 there were 4192 motor vehicles registered in the US

1681 were Steam powered, 1575 by electricity, 936 Gasoline engines

1905, there were 78,000 registered motor vehicles.

Steam and Electric had double in number, but that means only about 3200 were steam and electric, and 75,000 were gasoline powered

1912, the electric started is developed by Charles Kettering

The starter made the gas engine far simpler to use for a lot more people, and this sounded the end of the difficult to recharge Electric, and the slow to heat up Steam

1915 was about the end of the electric, and 1920 the end of most steam.

1925, Stanley is done

1931, Doble (best steam engine made at the time) is done http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/among-few-steam-powered-cars-doble.html

1941, Detroit Electric is through

http://www.automobilemag.com/

the Voisin http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/07/unique-look-at-automotive-design-french.html is the one from the Mullin Museum in Ventura, and is in the article because of the gas engine with the sliding cylinder sleeves. The big car is a White, and like the right side car, the Chrysler Turbine http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/05/bit-of-this-and-that-in-display-case-at.html, are both owned by Jay Leno. neither the White, the Turbone, nor the Voisin are really in the article, but they make for a hell of a cool photo, and they didn't have an electric car to use. A proper selection would have been a Doble, either a Baker electric or Detroit Electric, and a gas engined car of the same era

That is the first time I've seen the front of a steam locomotive open while on the rails... looks like WW2 France by the number of berets. Notice the tanks on the flat bed cars? Panzers?

both from http://retrowar.tumblr.com

you'll see such a variety of cool old locomotives, your boiler will explode!
just a sample of the cool trains at http://absurdonio.tumblr.com/tagged/locomotive

the oldest surviving Ford sold, a 1903 rear entry tonneau


a 1900 Milwaukee steam runabout


1919 Renault torpedo


1933 Packard 12 convertible sedan, body by Dietrich

found on http://www.bornrich.com/john-oquinns-car-collection-sale-hershey-auction.html

The video is narrated by the above experts, and below is the Fred Gurley, the 1894 plantation train
there are 5 in the Disneyland park,

old US 80 started its life as the course of the wild 1913 Great Desert Race from Los Angeles to Phoenix. In preparation for the race, Locke took Barney Oldfield over the road to show him how to navigate rough desert terrain.



 Front page news, as so many publicity stunt car races were, imagine what passed for news in 1908-1914... not much. Publicity garnered by car companies getting stunts accomplished by the hardy and stamina having tough bastards that could hang in through exposure to all sorts of weather (open cars with no tops) and no roads, well this was nearly hero stuff in that age, and heroes making their way across your country is heady stuff that sold papers... everyone came out a winner. The drivers made a couple thousand per win.

That is why the 1908 New York to San Fran, the Paris to Peking, and the New York to Paris were etched in the cultural knowledge... new things that cars were, plus publicity, added to entertainment and a competition.. it's about as close to amazing as it got in 1908-1914. The times were full of historical firsts, heroes, and miracles. The first human flight in an airplane, the first roads, the first cars, etc etc


The first race was won by a steam powered White. The vehicles White made were so good, one was bought by the White House for President Taft's limo, and Buffalo Bill had one also.

 above on the far right is Barney Oldfield, and he is driving the car he took to 4th place in the Indy 500 just months before. He won the Desert Classic with it.
for more about this, see http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-21st-6pm-san-diego-auto-museum-is.html

found on http://timtimtim.tumblr.com/

I have no idea how long I've been looking at this photo, and not posting it. I can't recall where it came from 

 any movie with a motorwheel can't be bad. A steam powered one is even better.


 Good kid has a runn in with the bad guys trying to steal the plans and prototype his inventor dad and grand dad sent him, and the kid tries to escape, using that motorwheel, gets chased to a locomotive, which gets attacked by a blimp ...

 later the bad guys send out an army of armored soldiers, and this aeronaut
who all are engaging in a war with the british who have these cool old tanks. The time frame is Victorian, and before any vehicles but the trains and tanks.