THE AUTOMOBILE/ TRANSPORTATION THREAD

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

This thread will tell the history of some of the most important cars in history, or, maybe just talk about your Dad's old "'63 Chevy"... Anyone can contribute, show us your favorite car pics!

I will begin witha few pics of a GORGEOUS Art-Deco auto I found at a car show... sadly, I have no idea WHAT this car model was...any ideas???

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

Back when Chrysler built CLASS- 1931 Chrysler Imperial Phaeton

(I took this pic just before it was put back into its trailer)


The sepia tone colour was done with my scanner program

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

[glow=red,2,300]3 pics I took of a beautiful old Packard convertible coupe with rumble seat [/glow]

There was a time when the Packard, with it's classic "ox yoke" grill, was the car of the rich... a Cadillac was an upstart at best... these pics should give you an idea WHY (Ironically, the car seen in the background of the last pic IS a Cadillac!)

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

[glow=red,2,300]If you want to post any cars you own/owned, go ahead... anything goes, so long as its cars[/glow]

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

And now for Julianne... and cause I want to, a short history of the most popular car ever

VOLKSWAGEN KAFER (AKA BEETLE, BUG, COCCINELLE, etc)

[glow=red,2,300]Foreword, The World BVW (Before VW)[/glow]
Porsche


Ever since Dr Ferdinand Porsche could remember, he had a dream: To produce a Model-T-like car for the German masses, a Volkswagen; unfortunately for him, the companies he worked for such as Auto Union (now Audi), Mercedes and Daimler were only interested in large high-profit cars (including the SSK super cars) and racing machines (Porsche created some of the greatest Grand Prix cars in history; especially the amazing 16 cylinder Auto Union Silver Arrow racers)

Mercedes SSK (Supercharged)


AUTO UNION Silver Arrow (Some of these high-powered racers added 2 more wheels for extra traction)





Porsche's first small car was the 1922 Sasha (Named after the man who paid the bills) mini racer; Porsche hoped to produce a street version of the car, but, it came to nothing



In 1932, Porsche saw an opportunity to build his "People's Car" when he was approached by the Zundapp Motorcycle company, and 3 prototypes were built (below) , but, due to the worsening depression, Zundapp pulled out




The next year, Porsche built 3 more prototype cars for NSU; this car looked more like the Beetle that would eventually be built, the styling seems to be inspired by the Chrysler Airflow Coupe, which was previewed at the Chicago World's fair that same year (1933); however, once again, the car proved to be a dead end.




1934 Airflow Coupe


In 1933, a new leader would be acclaimed in Germany, and Porsche's life would take a new turn... to be cont.

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

The Beetle Story Part one 1933, A Nazi little car (pardon the pun plz )

In 1933, Adolf Hitler was proclaimed Chancellor of Germany; and along with his (mostly secret) evil plans for the rest of Europe, he did have one practical idea to help Germany work it's way out of the Worldwide depression that had been leaving so many jobless, since late 1929: Build a new series of Superhighways (The Autobaun) and populate it with cars, that any family could afford; of course, this was the same idea that Porsche had been working on since the 20s, but, Hitler had the influence and the German government backing (Soon HE would be the ONLY person in the German government that counted) to help make it a reality!
Thus, a meeting was arranged between Hitler and Porsche in a Berlin hotel, to make plans to produce Porsche's dream car; the automotive engineer wasn't interested in Hitler's politics, only in finally building his German "Model T" ; and so, with government backing and money, Porsche started making plans to build a giant factory to finally build his car!

Soon, the car would see the light of day as several series of tester-prototypes, each one an improvement on the last (Styling would evolve in the same way, being refined from prototype to prototype). The Nazis forced the other major German auto companies (Mercedes in particular) to help in making the cars that might soon put them out of business; they were not enthusiastic about the project; but, if Hitler said "Jump!" , Germans asked "How High?"...or else.

VW Beetle prototypes (1936-38)








And the final prototype, the VW 38



Next up: The Nazis build a giant factory in a remote area of Lower Saxony rename it "Wolfsburg" ; and implement a strange stampbook purchasing program...cont

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

VW Beetle history part 2
Building the factory of dreams

Porche shows Hitler a scale model of the VW:


In the 1930s, Porshe toured auto plants all over the United States to buy equipment, recruit workers (of German descent) and to generally see for himself what kind of factory would work best for his plans. More so than others, he admired the Giant Ford plant at Rouge River; this factory was built around the mass-production line, rather than the other way round, meaning that raw materials went in one end of the mechanized plant, and completed cars out of the other. Porche decided that this was the model for the plant he was envisioning, only, he planned for it to be the largest auto plant in the World, and with even more automation than what Ford had built.

Ford River Rouge plant:


Soon, plans were being developed for Porche's "Volkswagen City" a town literally built exclusively for VW workers ;land for the factory was appropriated (Many would say stolen) in Lower Saxony near the Castle Wolfsburg; the town and plant would face each other from across the Mitteland Canal, the new homes in a radial pattern, converging on the giant factory building. VW workers would be expected to live in VW homes and shop in company owned stores; it was to be a paradise with everything supplied by the company, including utilities. (Part of this "Worker's Paradise City" would be built, but never completed, when the 2nd WW would intervene )
The plans begin to emerge in concrete and stone

In 1938, while Dr. Porshe and his son Ferri stood on the podium; Adolf Hitler made a speech at the laying of the VW factory cornerstone; he declared that the car would henceforth be known as the "KDF Wagen" (KDF- Strenght through Joy, was the gvmt agency in charge of sports and leisure time in Nazi Germany); and that the town would be renamed "KDF City"; the Porches were horrified, realising that such a name would make foreign sales difficult, if not impossible. (As it turned out, foreign sales would be a moot point during the coming World War)

The factory cornerstone ceremony:


The VW factory rises:


The Stampbook scheme

The car was still on the horizon when the Nazis came up with a new way to sell a car... a savings stamp book! Named KdF-Wagen Sparkarte, the book cost about 40 cents US then the buyer was required to spend at least 5 Reichsmarks ($2.00) each week buying stamps to paste on the KdF-Wagen Sparkarte. KdF cars could not be ordered and paid for in cash. Supposedly, at the end of a certain time, the buyer would be qualified to buy the car at 990 Reichsmarks ($396); however, in the end, not a single stampbook collector would ever receive a KDF Wagen (After Germany lost the war, it became apparent that the company likely intended to make good on the stampbook scheme, as the Russians found a special bank account made up of the funds from the stampbook payments..which they took back home as "War reparations"

First KDF booklet, including stats and the stamp book:


[glow=red,2,300]next up: VW at the front lines[/glow]

[Nuclear Seagull]

Very impressive!
I'm currently playing L.A. Noire again. That game takes place in 1947, so it is full of old and rare cars. There are 95 cars to find in the game, and I just found the 52nd one. So I'll be busy for some time!

Attachments:

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

Sept 24, 2011 7:48:54 GMT -5 Nuclear Seagull said:

Very impressive!
I'm currently playing L.A. Noire again. That game takes place in 1947, so it is full of old and rare cars. There are 95 cars to find in the game, and I just found the 52nd one. So I'll be busy for some time!

While some of the details are wrong, the car appears to be based on a 1942-48 Cadillac

[naoko1960]

Seeing Mikey Your from Canada how about some Bricklin Stories...

Pete 712

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

Sept 24, 2011 21:58:17 GMT -5 naoko1960 said:

Seeing Mikey Your from Canada how about some Bricklin Stories...

Pete 712

Well, I can check my car magazine collection and see what I have, generally, my expertise tends to relate to pre-1960 cars.

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

part 3

VW at the front lines

In 1938, Hitler was able to annex Austria & Czechoslovakia, without a shot being fired (Both France and England decided that it would be better to let them be invaded, as it seemed the only way to avoid a war with Germany) ; thus, his expansionist desires were next aimed at Poland. However, this time, France and England were determined to hold their ground, and warned Hitler that an invasion of Poland would not be tolerated; Hitler then began making plans to call their bluff. On the 30 th of Sept, 1939, Hitler's armies crossed the Polish border, the yet to be born Beetle was suddenly put into Khaki (In various forms); and the giant factory would be making Kubelwagens and armaments for the German war effort, instead of bugs!

The little KDF-based war machines were ideal for war in the worst of conditions, in the deserts of Africa, their air-cooled engines didn't overheat; in muddy places, snow, or desert sand, the rear engine over the driving wheels made for excellent traction and in the freezing cold of a Russian winter, the little car was often the only one that would start, while the big Mercedes vehicles and German tanks, would be totally immobilised!

The most famous wartime VW, the rear wheel drive Kubelwagen
(Bucket car)

The amphibious 4-wheel drive Schwimmwagen (Swimming car)

The Kommandeurwagen (Command car), a 3-seater Kubel with a Beetle body... this one was modified further with 4 wheel drive (very rare)


Eventually, because Germany had no oil reserves, some Kubels were converted to wood gas burners ( The gas was made by burning wood and coal, and distilling a kind of methane to run the engine). Below, a Kubel and K-wagen converted to wood gas operation, by adding a wood burner to the nose:



Of course, as we all know, Germany lost the war, however, the game little car created by Porshe did contribute much to the German effort!

Next time: The VW is reborn, in a dying Germany

[naoko1960]

Did not know of the wood/coal buring cars...
Your basically driving A distillery...
Seems dangerous !

Pete 712

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

Sept 28, 2011 13:41:24 GMT -5 naoko1960 said:

Did not know of the wood/coal buring cars...
Your basically driving A distillery...
Seems dangerous !

Pete 712

I would guess that it's no more dangerous than driving a car powered by "natural gas" , which is a form of naturally produced methane. On the other hand, I bet if you found one of these in a barn, you could make a few dollars and then some!

[mikado-AKA-Shoknifeman]

Part 4
[glow=red,2,300]The VW is reborn, in a dying Germany[/glow]

In 1945, the Allies finally ended the Hitlerian Empire's war in Europe; and met at Potsdam, to begin the process of dividing the spoils. Among the various "war prizes" would be the gigantic, bombed out VW factory in lower Saxony; the fate of the KDF Beetle itself, was very much in doubt.
As it turned out, when Germany was divided among the winners, the VW plant was on land that would be administrated by the British Army(Russia offered to move the border by 10 miles and take over the factory; the offer was politely refused). For most of the war, the factory remained in decent condition as Kubelwagens weren't considered a high priority bomber target, however, near the end of the war, the factory switched to building the V-1 rocket; and became a major target for bombing raids; when the British took possession of KDF-Stadt (KDF-City); the factory was 2/3 destroyed.

Below, the factory in ruins


V-1 Rocket, the ancestor of the Cruise missile


50 second clip on the V-1 rocket
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWKkBv6vZHQ&feature=related

The VWs future, for the time being would rely on a British officer, Major Hirst who was assigned to be caretaker until someone could be found to take over the plant. At first, a small area of the giant factory was kept busy as a depot and repair shop for the British Army, but, this wasn't close to enough work for the local skilled labour force, which had been trained to make the little car. Thus, in order to give them a means to work, the plant started hand-building VWs in small batches for British servicemen; and Kommandeurwagens for the Officers. (The first true postwar VWs would be sent overseas to the UK, after the men returned home)...in March of 1946, the VW plant would build the 1000th VW; and just 7 months later, in Dec. of that year, they would celebrate the building of the 10,000th VW Beetle!
1945 VW being hand-built on a make-shift assembly line

Below, the 1000th Beetle is born, Spring of 1946


While Hirst had been leery of the little car at the beggining, he soon learned to appreciate it's good points and was hoping to be given the job as plant manager, for good, however, the British gvmt decided that they didn't want to be in the car business and began the search for a German "car man" to do the job. The man chosen, in 1947, would be former Opel plant manager Heinz Nordoff, who under the new rules for Germany was no longer be allowed to run an American-owned factory (The Opel company was (and is) wholly owned by GM), thus, he needed to find work, to raise his family. With nowhere else to go, Nordoff accepted the job, although, his future was no more secure than that of the VW itself:
besides having a factory in ruins, there was also the ownership of the factory to be sorted out;* for the time being, Nordoff was running a factory with no owner and to make matters worse, the British were offering the factory to any carmaker who wanted it, FREE!
Before the British gave the factory to the German people , they offered the whole shebang to the Ford motorcompany; Henry Ford II, who had just recently taken over from his senile Grandfather, HF I ; was still learning the ropes and asked his mentor, Ernie Breech, what he thought of taking over the VW factory; Nordoff's job was saved when Breech exclaimed: "Mr Ford, what we are being offered here isn't worth a damn!"; 10 years later, in 1958, Breech would once again show terrible judgement in naming Ford's new high end medium-priced car the EDSEL; he was soon fired, when that car bombed. With that nasty business over with, Nordoff could concentrate on building the car.
Below, the 1958 Edsel, ugly that lasts forever


Below, Heinz Nordoff


(*In 1945, when on a fact finding tour of France, Dr. Porsche was arrested and thrown into a French jail cell for alledgedly using slave labourers at the factory, to build the V-1 rockets; in reality Porsche had little control over this (When Porsche found out about mistreatment of the forced workers, he ordered that they be given full food rations and proper bedding/living accommodations). Ferry Porsche was forced to pay a large bail of 500,000 to get his Father back (or, ransom, according to the family); to raise the money, he designed a race car for Italian carmaker Cisitalia. Sadly, Dr Porsche's health was ruined by his incarceration in the dingy, humid cell and he died only a few years (1951) after regaining his freedom in 1947)

Next time, Nordoff has a plan