Saturday AACA car show . . .
Read MoreHSC's first offerings, a roadster and a touring car, went on sale in 1920 and were joined by a coupe and a four-door sedan the following year. The Series IV arrived for 1923. Initial sales looked promising. But production was slow from the beginning, and never really improved. Stutz was out of the car business by 1924.
The series designation, "314", was a reference to the 314 CID V8 that was introduced in 1915. This 1927 model represents the last year for the 314 V8, (displacement would increase to 341 cubic inches for 1928, and result in a new "341" series designation).
The more than 40 different body configurations that were available in 1927 fell under three primary categories. This car is a 'Standard" body style. A "Custom" body style allowed the buyer to choose from an array of paint colors and interior appointments. The third category featured complete custom bodies and was referred to by the coachbuilder, (i.e. Fleetwood bodies, Brunn bodies, Willoughby bodies, etc.).
An entry level Standard body style Cadillac cost around $3,000. A mid-level Custom body style car cost around $3,350. The range for a coachbuilt car could almost double the Custom figure depending on what the buyer specified.The Pierce-Arrow trademark fender-mounted headlamps are not present on this car. The "lamps placed on mud guards," (as they were known at the time), were introduced as an option in 1914. The fender lamps gave the car its distinct appearance and made it instantly recognizable as a Pierce-Arrow. But shortly thereafter, the fender-mounted lamps became standard equipment and the traditional bracket-mounted lights became optional.
The reason why this change occurred is the subject of much debate. The traditional explanation has been that some states didn't allow headlamps mounted on top of the fenders, (like Pierce-Arrow's home of New York). But according to the Pierce-Arrow Society, there is no evidence that points to specific legislation that prohibits them.
Others speculate that Pierce-Arrow kept traditional bracket-mounted headlamps available for customers who didn't like the fender headlamp styling. Factory information indicates that either fender-mounted or traditional bracket-mounted headlamps were available on all models.The Auburn Automobile Company traces its roots to the Eckhart Carriage Company, which was founded in 1874 by Charles Eckhart in Auburn, Indiana. Like many other wagon builders, Eckhart would eventually make the transition to automobile production, in this case by sons Frank and Morris Eckhart. After building a prototype of their own and purchasing two local automakers, the Auburn Automobile Company was founded in 1900, with sales beginning in 1903.
Class 19E - CCCA vehicles, 1940 - 48.
1941 Cadillac Series 62 convertible sedan.
I remember seeing this stunning Cadillac last year. It was nominated for the AACA's Zenith Award for 2017. The Zenith Award is presented to the best restoration. According to the information displayed, this car received a 12-year frame-off "nut and bolt" restoration that was completed in March 2016, after which, it immediately began winning awards. This is an extremely rare convertible sedan body, style number 6229D, and is one of 400 produced that year.This car was displayed with a list of specifications, one of which identified the car as a Model 41, which is a Series 40 Special 4-door sedan "Trunkback." The term "Trunkback" refers to the rear roofline where the cutout for the luggage compartment is extended from the back of the car, as opposed to the "Slantback" roofline that has a smooth luggage compartment cutout.
LaSalle began life in 1927 as part of GM's "Companion Makes" program. The program was created by GM president Alfred P. Sloan to fill what he perceived as price gaps within its model hierarchy. Four of the five GM divisions received a Companion brand that was sold and serviced at it's "Parent" make's dealership.
Entry level Chevrolet didn't need a Companion make. But Pontiac was established in 1926 to fill the gap between Chevrolet and the next rung up the ladder, Oakland. Next up was Oldsmobile, which was supplemented by Viking in 1929. Viking was unique in that it was priced higher than it's companion. Marquette was introduced in 1929 and fell in between Viking and Buick. And finally, LaSalle was introduced in 1927 to fill the gap in between Buick and Cadillac.While all of this looked good on paper, results were mixed. The Great Depression didn't do anyone any favors. But later analysis showed that another issue with the program was that the companions weren't drawing new customers into the showrooms, but were merely stealing sales away from their parents.
Both Marquette and Viking just didn't work at all. Marquette arrived in June 1929, but was done by 1930. Viking lasted into the beginning of the 1931 model year before it was discontinued. Pontiac, on the other hand, worked too well and actually outsold its parent, Oakland, thanks to its lower price. While Pontiac became quite successful, Oakland was discontinued in 1931.
LaSalle managed to hang on until 1940. After a roller coaster of sales numbers, the decision was made to discontinue LaSalle by shifting its models into the Cadillac lineup, (i.e. what was to be the 1941 LaSalle was introduced as Cadillac's 1941 entry level Series 61).The term "phaeton" is a little misleading here. In the early days of the automobile, a phaeton was defined as an open car with no fixed weather protection. The only things that kept the elements at bay were typically a folding roof and a set of removeable side curtains.
But as the open touring car evolved into the modern convertible, fixed windows that sealed against the roof became standard equipment. Eventually, the terms "phaeton" and "convertible" were being used interchangeably, and in the case of this 1941 Buick, together, where the name convertible phaeton simply means a 4-door convertible.