With the holiday season at the horizon people get creative with their garden decoration. This garden view is offered to you by Ford fan Mr. Hopman who illuminated his tired Model T pick-up with simple Christmas tree lighting gear from China (just like many new Model T parts, but that's another issue). Now if you see any spectacular automotive X-mas object, we love to hear of course. This one was seen along the Oosterweg in Purmer, The Netherlands.
UPDATE: Need more voltage in your T? Here's the latest in Model T 'conversion'.  

Tom Wheatcroft died on October 31st at age 87. Read his obituary. (Times online) 

A white beach, a shining sun, gently waves and two unlikely beachcombers getting a suntan. What more do you want for a day-out, except for lots of sun block? Shawn Lancaster from Cambridge, Massachusetts, who sent us this photograph, assumes it was taken on the East coast of the USA. If so, then the white car on the left is obviously an American Austin from the early 1930s. But the other one is at least twenty years older and dates from the late 00's to early teens. Our first thought is that it could be a French Delaunay-Belleville, but we’re positive you can tell us more about it!

Update II by Malcolm Jeal:"it is a 1912 HB6 (six-cylinder 4.4-litre) with bodywork by Felber et Fils, one of the many coachbuilders of Paris. The attached photo (click) was taken in the late 1950s/early 60s and I am more or less sure that it shows the same car; the 'flat' body panels and more particularly the sloping windscreen (unusual for a formal-bodied car of the period) look to put the matter beyond doubt. By the time that the picture was taken the car appears to have been 'restored'. The leather-covered mudguards are somewhat unusual for a car by this date, but they were still used on their 'town carraiges' by Brewster, who just happened to be the American agents for Delaunay-Belleville, so perhaps it is not so odd after all."
Updates came in from Mark Dawber, Peter Ransom and Kit Foster, who all agree on Delaunay-Belleville.
Mark: “…maybe one of the smaller sixes - I think there was a six of less that 4 litres. I reckon the photo was taken maybe post WW2 - those are not its original tyres.”
Peter: “ …somewhere in the 1908-1912 period, but where do you start with that body? I don't believe it's sufficiently ornate for that era and seems to be a mixture of perhaps two bodies, perhaps as a Hollywood number for movie-making.”
Kit: “The pier at the right suggests very high tides, perhaps six to eight feet, as happens on the shore of New England. The license plate on the Delaunay-Belleville looks like Rhode Island in the 1930s, from the colour scheme and shape of the numbers. White-on-black could be 1932, 34, 36, 38 or 40.”  

This two-cylinder engine was recently bought by Frazer Sloan who lives in the UK. He found it in Eastern Spain of all places, but has no clue as to what make it is. It must be early as it has automatic inlet valves and a governor with adjustable camshaft. It also has a central flywheel. The only identification is the serial number 3298 on the engine bearer. Frazer would very much like to know if anyone can identify the approximate year and maker? Show off your knowledge!

Update by Malcolm Jeal: “… a Clément unit of circa 1902. It is similar to an engine that was known as the Type AC2L that had a conventional crankshaft and a bore & stroke of 85mm x 120mm. The mention of a central flywheel on this engine indicates that it has a built-up crankshaft consisting of three small flywheels with crank-pins between them. Known surviving examples of this Type of Clément engine are of 85mm x 110mm bore and stroke. The only one that I have seen had '55 2L' on one of the flywheels, the 55 perhaps indicating the crank throw - half the stroke. For reasons best known to Adolphe Clément details of this particular Type 2L engine do not seem to have appeared in the period motoring press nor in the 'Type Approval' records of the Service des Mines.” 

For a long time visitors of these pages know Jean Marie Guivarch and his subtle pen since 2004 when he made his first appearance here. His lines feel well known and comfortable. Never shouting, always at ease. Jean Marie has a calm eye and hand. This year his seasons greeting cars... er cards are dedicated once more to Salmson: a Salmson S4E Cabriolet and one with pilot Kempf at the wheel.
You can order straight from Jean Marie.  

It's a short lived car in front of a long living name. It was made by a famous manufacturer of wellknown cars. He left the firm after a row with the board of directors and was forced to leave his costly brandname behind. So he started all over again, with a new name of which his own name was only a small part. Still the succes was instantanuous, probably came too fast. He sold 7000 cars in his first year and had another 15.000 on order for the next. As he lacked the working capital to continue, he had to step down and eventually his company went into receivership. The business was bought by a group that didn’t change the name of the make and re-started production. A new problem arose when it appeared that quality control hadn’t been up to standards and a good many cars were falling apart. The make’s reputation was severely damaged and production had to be stopped again. Do you know what make we are talking about? And the name of the man who started it all? The years it was produced and maybe even what year this one dates from? We will give you one more clue… it was advertised in the USA as one of the first cars having a self starter. Please see Read More for the Rules and use our Contact Form before Monday, November 16. Have a great weekend! (Photo source to be disclosed next week).  Read more

This 1926 Chevrolet Superior Coupe caught our attention. Not because it’s finished in a nice shade of maroon, but because of its unusual decoration in the form of metal accent strips that are filigreed. They appear on every body panel and remind us of what was done on funeral coaches of that period. This Chevrolet, to be auctioned by Bonhams & Butterfields on November 14th, still carries a 1926 California license plate and comes with the story that it was once owned by actress Jean Harlow, aka the Blonde Bombshell. This seems unlikely though, as she was born in 1911 and would only have been 15 when the car was new. There could be a possibility that she bought the car used and had the decoration applied at a later time in her career. However, there’s no documentation to support this claim. Have you seen this car before and know about the Jean Harlow connection? Do tell us! (photos courtesy Bonhams & Butterfields) 

Before the Wall Street Crash Gabriel Voisin was already financially in bad shape, yet he was determined to be the first manufacturer to set a world record over 50.000 km. He received backing from the French Oil Company Yacco, but not enough to develop a complete new record machine. Gabriel Voisin entrusted the testing and preparation of the car to André André Lefebvre, who was his right hand at that time. André chose a production C18 chassis with a slightly modified V12 and fitted it with a “Chatelaine” series two-seater body, without the mudguards and running boards. Two enormous barrel-shaped fuel tanks were fitted in place of the luggage trunk. The attempt took place between September 7 and 25. Four drivers, César and Eduard Marchand, Leroy de Presale and Co van Doorninck took turns in driving the big car around Montlhéry track and in 15 days they had covered 43.737km, the equivalent of a trip around the world. Two days later, on the 17th day the big Voisin took the 50.000km mark with an average speed of 119.948 km/h. Mission accomplished!
(photos courtesy Album Yacco / Citroen Communications / Veloce Publishing)

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Yesterday Ed Godschalk wrote us after hearing about 'The 100 Miles of Amsterdam': "This seems very appealing, but I don’t know if I could get my Amilcar over to Amsterdam in time! I have driven “Ami”, my 1925 Amilcar, in winter storms before and it was a blast (see photo). Any suggestions on shipping from Oregon, USA to Amsterdam?"

Editor JB: "Well Ed, your enthusiasm is heartwarming. I must tell you that the Amsterdam 'winter storms' are more like rainy London than the Scandinavian climate you may have in mind. Yet we do remember very well the 1962/63 Dutch blizzards (our coldest winter since 1829/30), so anything is possible. Regarding your freighting question, I wouldn't be surprised if Air-France / KLM is accepting Amilcars as hand luggage if you book two first class staggered seats. Alternatively I suggest that you solve the transport in a true Amilcar way.

December 20-21, The 100 Miles of Amsterdam