This car has Buick's 401 CID "Nailhead" V8 that makes 325 hp. The term "Nailhead" is a reference to the engine's vertical valve arrangement. The number "445" seen on the air cleaner in the photo above actually refers to the torque output of the engine and not the displacement or horsepower.

This is a very rare car. Only 2,000 were produced in 1962.

1950 Buick Series 40 Special 'Jetback' sedan.

1950 Buick Series 40 Special 'Jetback' sedan.

The famous Buick grill "teeth."

This is definitely an interesting design for a grill ! The automobile grill is often used as a key styling feature that is designed to grab your attention and make the car easily identifiable. Buick stylists certainly succeeded in this regard.

But the design of this grill is a little more complicated than usual. Each of the nine individual "teeth" in the grill is a separate piece. And, each "tooth" is different because of the way the bumper is curved. In other words, NONE of the nine separate "teeth" are interchangeable. Each one is different and has a separate part number. I can envision the chaos this would have caused at a Buick dealership parts counter back in the day.

Buick used the name "Jetback" for its version of a fastback roofline, (i.e. a roofline that uses a single slope from the roof to the rear bumper).

1915 Ford Model T Touring Car.

The sign seen in the photo above gives you an idea of where this story is heading.

Ten days shy of exactly 100 years ago, Spokane, Washington resident Chris Thompson bought a 1915 Ford Model T Touring Car from the Spokane Auto Company on April 16, 1919. The price of the car was $400. According to the sales agreement seen in the photo above, Chris put $300 down, (which was a significant sum in those days), when he took delivery of the car. The balance was paid via four monthly payments of $25. The final payment was made on July 15, 1919.

Chris drove the car until 1932 when it was placed in storage in the barn seen in the photo above. It would remain in that barn for the next 85 years until his granddaughter inherited the car.

It may look a little worn. But this car is basically a time capsule.

I like the storage setup for luggage, metal containers, and an air pump. This was a common feature for the Model T.

The three cans in the photo above come from the Boyle Manufacturing Company, (the name on the lids is "BoYcO"), and make up an "Emergency Set." Each can has a different purpose and is, therefore, painted a different color. The light grey can, (left in the photo above), is for water. The smaller blue can in the middle is for oil. And the can on the right was originally red and is for gasoline. This Emergency Set was a common accessory for a Model T at a time when those essentials weren't readily available for travelers. So you carried your own supplies with you mounted to the driver's side running board.

The interior, although worn, is completely original.

The two levers on the side of the steering column are for spark (left) and throttle (right).

The photo above looks at the driver's pedals. The left pedal, (bottom in the photo), is for high and low forward gears. The center pedal is for reverse. And the right pedal, (top in the photo), is the brake pedal. The large hand lever works the brakes and the clutch.

1915 Ford Model T Touring Car.

The license plate from 1932 is from the last year the car was driven.

The Model T's brake system is vastly different than what is seen today. The photo above shows the right rear brake drum which is bolted to the wheel. Unlike the 4-wheel brakes on a modern automobile, the Model T was equipped with brake drums on the rear wheels only. But those brakes were known as "Emergency Brakes" that were activated via the hand lever next to the driver. Normal braking was done through the transmission.

The Model T's rear suspension consisted of a single transverse mounted leaf spring mounted above the rear axle.

The display sign in front of the car asked the question, "Did you see the bullet hole ?" Yes, I did. It's located on the right rear corner of the body.

Another view of the three pedals, (left = high/low, center = reverse, right = brake). The box in the center of the bulkhead is the coil box.

From what I read, this must be an early 1915 model. Sometime during the 1915 model year, Ford phased in curved front fenders. But this car still has flat front fenders.

The Model T's engine displaced 177 cubic inches and made 20 hp.

The spark plug wires connect to the coil box on the other side of the bulkhead.

This looks interesting. I've never seen this before.

This is a vintage anti-theft device.

The Security Manufacturing Company produced the Auto Theft Signal System that I've seen labeled as a "Vehicle Shackle." The name "Chapman" in the former company name of Miller-Chapman refers to Earle E. Chapman who holds patents for several anti-theft devices of this nature.

A $100 reward was offered in the event of tampering.

A wonderfully original 1915 Ford Model T Touring Car.

The hand crank in the photo above in the center of the car how the car was started. The Model T's well known hand crank could break your wrist if you weren't careful.

This car has a brass radiator. Sometime during 1916, Ford switch from a brass radiator to a painted steel radiator.

Early Model Ts used acetylene headlamps fueled by an acetylene generator mounted on the right running board. The switch to electric headlamps occurred sometime around 1915.

1929 Ford Model A sedan.

Ford followed its hugely successful Model T with the new Model A for the 1928 model year.

The Model A was available in more that 45 different body configurations. Most of them, (like the tudor, phaeton, roadster, and closed-cap pickup) were made by Ford. Other body styles, (like the cabriolet, sport coupe, open-cab pickup, town car, victoria, and station wagon), were supplied by outside coachbuilders with Murray and Briggs being the most popular. One way to distinguish a Murray body from a Briggs body is to look at the top of the side windows. Murray bodies feature a slight arch whereas Briggs bodies are flat. The slight arch on the windows seen in the photo above identifies this car as a three-window four-door sedan with a Murray body.

Power comes from a 201 CID I-4 that makes 40 hp.

Power comes from a 201 CID I-4 that makes 40 hp.

1929 Ford Model A sedan.

Another row of HPOF or "preservation" cars.

More HPOF cars.

1923 Gardner Radio Special sedan.

I've never heard of a Gardner automobile before.

Wagon builder turned Chevrolet body builder Russell Gardner started making his own cars in 1920. The company's attention to quality engineering and performance made it quite successful.

But like so many manufacturers, the Great Depression wasn't too kind to Gardner. Production ceased after 1931.

The Gardner's Lycoming CE series I-4 engine made 43 hp and was the most powerful production 4-cylinder engine on the market at that time. It also had the distinction of being the only 4-cylinder engine to have 5 main bearings.