April 6: Hornets Nest Region AACA show . . .
Read MoreI believe the tank seen on the running board in the photo above is an acetylene generator which is used to power the headlamps. The tank is divided into two parts. The lower part contains calcium carbide, and the upper part holds water. When the headlamps are needed, a small valve on the tank would be opened allowing the water to drip onto the calcium carbide. The chemical reaction between the two produces acetylene gas, which is piped into the headlamps where it is lit to produce light.
They were beautiful, elegant, and solidly built cars that earned the moniker "Best Built Car in America." Locomobile quickly came to be viewed on the same level as the legendary "Three Ps," Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow, and became the car of choice for those who could afford the almost $8,000 price tag.
Harry C. Stutz had a thing for fast cars. He founded the Ideal Motor Car Company, (which later became the Stutz Motor Car Company), in 1911. The first car he produced was a racing car that finished 11th in that year's Indianapolis 500. The "street" version of this racer, which was essentially a copy of the racer with added fenders and lights, went on sale as the Stutz Bearcat in 1912.
The company'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.
In the world of racing, 1928 was a significant year for Chrysler. Four Chrysler Series 72 roadsters were entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France that year. This was Chrysler's second appearance at the prestigious event. The 1925 race saw one of two Chryslers entered finish the race, which is impressive by itself. The 1928 race not only saw two Chryslers finish, but they finished 3rd and 4th overall behind the winning Bentley 4 1/2 Litre and 2nd place Stutz Model BB Blackhawk.
The resulting publicity of this performance turned out to be an early example of the saying, "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" that would become popular decades later in early days of NASCAR. Chrysler's third and fourth place finish at Le Mans earned the cars the nickname of, "The poor man's Bentley" in Europe.