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1916 Saxon Roadster, Model 14, 2-door, 2 passenger

Original cost: $395.00 (2-seat runabout); $455 (Winter Top Roadster)

Number made: 21,134 (1916)

Engine, etc.: 4 cyl.; 3 speed; 12.1 hp; 96” wheelbase

Saxon Motor Car Company, Detroit, Michigan, 1913 – 1922

In 1912 the idea for building the Saxon came from Hugh Chalmers whose Chalmers car was among the most popular medium-priced automobiles in the country. Chalmers believed that consumers wanted a small well-built low-priced automobile. The Saxon is part of the lineage of the modern Chrysler Corporation.

The first Saxons offered big-car features including a four-cylinder engine, shaft drive, and electric lights which were an option until becoming standard in 1915. Three thousand Saxons were built in 1913 and sales skyrocketed. The company moved into a larger factory to keep up with demand.

The Saxon was one of the most popular medium-priced cars in the country. Unusual features included a rear-axle mounted selective transmission, one of the earliest so produced, and electric lights available as early as 1913. Smaller cars were available but the Saxon was advertised as a “woman’s car” – easy to control and care for. The ghostly image on the radiator badge is the daughter of Saxon’s president.

In 1914 a Saxon roadster was driven 135 miles a day for 30 days, a total of 4,050 miles, averaging 30 miles per gallon. In its transcontinental trip, it was among the first cars to drive the new Lincoln Highway.

A six-cylinder engine was introduced in the spring of 1915 and became an instant hit.

By 1916 Saxon was ranked eighth in the industry and poised to continue growth. The car was heavily marketed to women, farmers, and businessmen with the promise of economy, ease of operation and durability.

The Charles Lindbergh family used its Saxon Six on the campaign trail in 1917; other notable drivers included evangelist Bob Jones and George Olsen (Jack Benny’s bandleader). Some notable Suffragettes crisscrossed the nation in a Saxon to bring the vote to women.

In 1917, 28,000 Saxons were built, both four and six-cylinder models, but the company management had over extended by buying the larger factory. It was left with little cash on hand and the recession that followed World War I ultimately led it to cease production.

It was advertised as “a high-grade well-designed, carefully built, two-passenger automobile with four-cylinder motor, standard tread and other standard features, produced by an experienced organization, soundly financed and well managed”.

The latter two attributes did not prove to be true and the company entered bankruptcy in 1922.

(The Classic Car Collection owns two Saxons: the roadster which is restored and in the collection, and the touring model located outside, unrestored. The Saxon Registry notes it can account for about 140 remaining Saxons, most of which are the smaller roadsters.)

Sources: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805 -1942. Beverly Rae Kimes, et al. 3rd ed. Krause Publications, 1996.

https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z7174/saxon-model-14.aspx

https://www.american-automobiles.com/Saxon.html

http://oldcarmanualproject.com/pix/S/Saxon/1916Saxon.jpg  (Original ad)

 

1930 LaSalle Roadster, 2-door, 4 passenger, Series 340, Style 4002, Fleetwood

Original price:  $2,450.00

Number made:  14,986

Engine, etc.:  V-8, L-head, 340 cu. in.; 90 hp, 134 in. wheelbase; 4,340 lbs.

The LaSalle Company was started by General Motors in 1927 as an alternative to the Cadillac.  There was a large price gap between Buicks and Cadillacs and General Motor’s Alfred P. Sloan thought a new brand was needed to fill it.

LaSalle cars had the quality level of a Cadillac but cost about $1,000 less.  They were made from 1927 through 1940 and named for a French explorer, Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

The LaSalle was designed by Harley Earl who founded the new GM Art and Color Department.  Before this time, car design followed a set pattern with changes made mainly because of engineering needs.  The LaSalle cars Harley Earl designed were more agile and stylish and were unlike anything else being built at the time.  Included in Earl’s design was the marque’s circled trademark “LaS” cast into the horizontal tie bar between the front lights.  The cars, with a wheelbase six inches shorter than a Cadillac, emerged as a smaller yet stunning and elegant counterpoint to the larger Cadillac.

The line had a roadster and two other models and was distinguished from Cadillacs by louvers on the side of the cowl.  Batteries were under the front seat.  The roadster could be ordered in two-tone color combinations at a time when black and navy blue were more familiar colors.  A radio ($175.00) and a heater ($42.50) were among the options.  Our LaSalle has a small side door that holds golf clubs.

LaSalles were so successful that Cadillac vehicles were updated to resemble them a few years later.  By 1929 they were outselling Cadillacs and in 1930, accounted for 75% of Cadillac’s sales.

The Great Depression caused LaSalle sales to fall from 22,691 in 1929 to only 3,290 in 1932.  In 1933, Cadillac’s output slid to 6,700 units but LaSalle accounted for half of it.  In 1937, Cadillac built 46,000 cars but 32,000 were LaSalles.  LaSalle helped Cadillac survive the Depression.

Sales began to recover by 1932 but LaSalle faced competition from the Packard One-Twenty and Lincoln-Zephyr introduced in 1935 and 1936 respectively.  Cadillac tried a larger motor, new styling, and heavy promotion in 1937 but it was too late.  The last LaSalle was the 1940 model, introduced in October, 1939.  Packard was consistently outselling LaSalle and people buy prestige.  Cadillac had the prestige and LaSalle didn’t have time after the Depression to develop a prestigious name.

Sources:  Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805 -1942. Beverly Rae Kimes, et al. 3rd ed. Krause Publications, 1996.

http://www.classiccardatabase.com/specs.php?series=896&year=1930&model=13073

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12066/LaSalle-Model-340.aspx

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/lasalle-cars.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_(automobile)

1940 Packard 4-door Convertible Sedan

Original price: $2,050.00

Number made: 5,662 (all nine 160 Series styles, model year production)

Engine, etc.: Super Eight 160, Model 1803, 5-passenger, Body 1377; L-head straight eight, 356 cu. in., 160 hp; 127 in. wheelbase; 3,990 lbs.

By the late 1930’s Packard Motor Car Company faced a dilemma. The new Junior Series had grown in popularity while the Senior Series cars languished because of their higher price. Under the direction of George Christopher, the company decided to create even more of a price difference between the two lines. Prices went from less than $700 to over $6,000 for the top-of-the line 180 series. Both series had the 160 hp engines which were powerful enough to carry the large bodies. The One Sixty’s were highly desirable and the open styles generated the greatest interest and commanded the highest prices.

The 160 series was set apart visually by hubcaps and hood louvers. The line also had a “flying lady” Goddess of Speed mascot. It was Packard’s top-of-the-line open car and was equipped with a three-speed transmission with overdrive. The shifter went from the floor to the steering column in 1940 and was called the “Handishift”. It became notorious for sticking in gear.

In 1940 Packard introduced the sealed-beam headlamp and fender-mounted parking lamps. The 1940 Packard was the industry’s first production model to offer air conditioning, the most significant new feature, and considered revolutionary in the automotive industry. “Cooled by Mechanical Refrigeration in Summer” was the phrase used in Packard advertising. Another innovation in 1940 was the introduction of a plastic instrument panel. While it looked elegant when new, the dashboards soon began to discolor and warp from exposure to sunlight and heat. In time, most instrument panels began to dry out and crack.

Packard used various custom (bespoke) coachbuilders. One was Bohman and Schwartz of Pasadena, Calif. that customized the cars. (The 1940 Packard in the Classic Car Collection was built by Bohman and Schwartz.). Packard was one of only a handful of coachbuilt cars produced in the early 1940’s.

Packard introduced the Eight in 1924 and it was the first Packard to use four-wheel brakes.

James Ward Packard had complaints about his Winton automobile and challenged Alexander Winton to build a better car. So he did. Packard ran his first automobile in 1899 and, with his brother and two other men, founded the Ohio Automobile Company, selling Packard automobiles in 1900. It became Packard Motor Car Company in 1902. They introduced a number of innovations including the modern steering wheel, which helped Packard become a favorite among the wealthy.

A popular story reported on a letter received by James Packard. The potential customer asked about the dependability of his cars. Having no time to respond to the letter, he told his secretary to tell the gentleman to “Ask the man who owns one.” The slogan was first used in an advertisement in Motor Age on October 31, 1901 and became one of the most famous to originate in America.

The last Packard produced was on June 25, 1956.

Sources: http://www.classiccardatabase.com/specs.php?series=435&year=1940&model=18354
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10082/Packard-Super-8-160.aspx
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1940-1941-packard-super-eight-one-sixty-convertibles.htm
http://uniquecarsandparts.com/lost_marques_packard.htm  (History)

Packard, Dennis Adler, Motorbooks International, 2004  https://books.google.com/books?id=9VByLctg5UAC&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=packard+dennis+adler+motorbooks+international&source=bl&ots=cO9sgI6xl4&sig=MmKOxyfjWeLsJ1fRyKdYj5wqB3M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHwKap7-bLAhVIqx4KHQVXDxAQ6AEIMTAE#v=onepage&q=packard%20dennis%20adler%20motorbooks%20international&f=false

See also:  http://oldcarbrochures.com/new/021110/1940%20Packard%20Prestige/dirindex.html  (Original sales brochure)

1966 Ford Shelby Mustang GT-350

On loan from: Rich Lacy, Osceola, NE

Notable: Very rare car with Carroll Shelby’s (and others) signature on glove box

Original cost: $4,547.00 base price ($2,000 more than a 1965 – 66 V-8 Mustang but only $200 more than a Corvette)

Number made: 2,378

Engine, etc.: This car has 447 hp with Shelby upgrades and Paxton supercharger (340 hp “real world total”).

Original engine: V-8, 289 hp; 4-speed manual; with bolt-on Paxton supercharger, 360 hp; 108” wheelbase; 2,800 lbs.; top speed 130 mph; 0-60: 5.7 seconds – the fastest American production stock car on the road.

Carroll Shelby was a Texas chicken farmer who drove for Enzo Ferrari in the 1950’s. One of his greatest accomplishments was winning the 24 Hours of LeMans in a 1958 Aston Martin. He then worked with Ford to put larger engines into small lightweight cars including Mustang.

His most popular project from a sales standpoint was the Shelby GT350, introduced in 1965 and the GT500 the next year. The cars were barely street legal, the suspension was stiff, and the engine potent. They were trendsetting high-performance “pony cars”.

The 1965 cars were available only in Wimbeldon white with a blue GT350 side stripe below the door. The Shelby Mustangs had a fiberglass hood with functional hood scoop. They featured competition seat belts, wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel, special instrument cluster, and black-only interior.

The Hi-Po engine boosted horsepower from 271 to 306. The only gearbox offered was a Borg-Warner special aluminum T-10 four speed manual. To improve weight distribution, the battery was located in the trunk. The suspension was given special attention with a large front stabilizer bar, lowered upper “A” frame, Koni shocks and traction bars.

Few changes were made for the 1966 models. The hoods were replaced with a steel version due to customer complaints about weakness and lack of quality. Air-intake scoops were added to force air to the rear brake pads and the C-pillar rear quarter panel was replaced with triangular windows. Four colors were offered. Rear seats were optional and could be folded down. This allowed the cars to continue sports car racing in Sports Car Club of America but be versatile off-track. An automatic was offered though it took away from the sports car appeal. The battery was returned to the engine compartment. Customer complaints about noise led to moving the exhaust system exit further behind the driver.

The optional Paxton centrifugal supercharger boosted horsepower beyond 400. Shelby built a fleet of GT-350H models for Hertz Rent-A-Car company which leased them at major airports but soon ceased after finding that many were raced on weekends.  The 1965-66 GT-350’s remain some of the hairiest and most memorable American cars ever built.

Sources: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1909/Ford-Mustang–GT350.aspx

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1965-1966-shelby-gt-3501.htm

See also:  http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Ford_%20Mustang/1966_Ford_Mustang/dirindex.html  (Original sales brochure and GT 350 specification sheet)