NASH - Then and now.

The above scene shows a used car lot specialising in Nash automobiles, just take a look at the hi-res version of the photo above by clicking on it...it's amazing!
During the course of this blog I have often used term 'Jellymould' to describe the shape of those old cars that attract me the most. I do believe that what we Brits refer to as 'Jelly' is known as 'jello' in the states, but I'm sure my American readers understand the reference.

This leads me nicely to the Nash range of the late 1940's and early 50's, no other car can quite so aptly be described as a 'jellymould' shape as these old Airflytes!

The cars were presented as modern and streamlined, true cars of the jet age!

Throughout the USA there were large well lit showrooms where the customer could browse the latest Nash range. The pictures below give an idea of the relaxed atmosphere as potential customers try before they buy. boot (trunk) lids are opened, driver and passenger doors are opened and closed again to hear that satisfying thud that a heavy door makes on closing, seats are sat upon and legroom tested.


Once the model had been decided upon the customer would then perhaps look through the accessories catalogue, choosing everything from the paint colour, interior trim style, or any of the many options available in the catalogue.

Once again I will compare and contrast those products of yesteryear with a glimpse of how they fare today. The shots below come from a variety of sources and locations, the cars have all been neglected in the extreme...some even given up for dead, but to me they are just as appealing today as they ever were.
Quite apart from the snowbound example lower down, I feel that every one of those curvy beauties could be recommissioned and brought back to life without breaking the bank. The quality of steel used to build them, combined with the over engineering of components on most cars from the 'jellymould' era sure make them weather and stand the test of time without crumbling to dust!




Sure the restoration would be hard work but I can't put a price of the feeling of owning something special, and that of rescuing a still serviceable vehicle to serve on, and to once more become an object of joy.



And what's more, these Nash cars have a happy friendly 'face'. Yes I know that most people would consider me nuts for saying something like that but go on take a look below!
There are few cars on the road today that can tempt me to glance back after just parking up, they don't have the same connection to the emotions as something like this does. And not only would I glance back if I owned and drove a Nash Airflyte, but I would smile one of those big easy smiles that only ever stem from contentment.

Cars of the stars.

Ok, so we've all seen it at some time or other, that old jalopy rusting away in the undergrowth. But have you ever stopped to think about the history that could be attached to that sorry looking hulk? Well for me any old car from the 1930's through to the 1950's must have some stories to tell, if only they could talk!
I have said before that I consider that period to be the 'Golden age' of automotive design and I got to thinking that if, back in those days I happened to be rich and famous and therefore able to drive whatever I liked what would it be?

Well here's one answer from movie Rita Hayworth. Back in 1941, she chose to drive this superb Lincoln Continental in powder blue. There are a couple of shots around of her posing with the car, but the one below in colour shows how amazing that car looked back then...not to mention Ms. Hayworth!


Below we see Joan Crawford in her 1938 Lincoln model K, quite a site to see and a sure traffic stopper!


This next photo (above) shows Marlena Dietrich with Gary Cooper, the cars shown here weren't their own though as this is a movie still from 1936. Below is the 35 Cadillac that was personally owned by Dietrich at that time.


One must assume that the fabulously rich and famous inhabitants of Hollywood in it's heyday were just as apt to seek out the 'latest thing' as their modern day counterparts. This might mean that they changed their cars quite frequently, or possibly that they owned several different models at the same time. Whichever it was, given a thirty year period, the law of averages says that some of those rusting hulks out there were once owned by Movie stars!

Below, Gary Cooper with his beautiful 1950 Mercury, is this car a 'leadsled' perhaps today?


Now while the first photo of this post might have had the guys of the 1940's wolf whistling at Rita Haywarth, here's a couple of pic's of a guy that had the ladies swooning all over the world - Clark Gable.
In the photo above he is pictured in what I believe is a '35 Deusenberg, while below he poses with his 1933 ford V8 'Speedster'.

Another 'leading man', this time Cary Grant in what looks to be a 1930's Cord...where is it now I wonder!

Can anyone guess who the guy above is? The photo shows Johnny Weismuller with his 1932 Chevrolet. Younger readers might not recall that Weismuller was the original 'Tarzan', and if you've ever heard the 'Tarzan call' then this is the gentleman that originated that!

Finally, perhaps the most famous of the Hollywood lotharios, here's Errol Flynn aboard his beautiful '35 Auburn speedster.
Now you have to ask yourself this, did all those cars go to museums? - Not really likely, so they are (or were) out there somewhere. And it isn't just the exotic Cords and Deusenbergs that that we might happen across (if we were very lucky) because as the photo of Gary Cooper's Merc shows, 'ordinary' cars had famous owners too.

So next time you see an old or abandoned wreck from those far off days, just pause a little and picture the scene - the car is brand new, factory fresh and gleaming in the early evening sun, the driver in his natty suit and hat reaches in his pocket for the keys, and in the passenger seat may well have travelled a Hollywood starlet!

Original Artworks

Before I begin today's blog I'd just like to offer my sympathy to the folks in Australia who are suffering the worst natural disaster in that nations history. At the last count the death toll was 131 people and rising, my thoughts are with them and may the worst be over.



I've been real busy today so I'll keep the post short by including four original period artworks. These are the actual paintings done for manufacturers to include in their brochures!


The Artist who did these all those years ago was Steven Pojanski 1923 - 1997 - hope you like 'em!

More French Barn finds!

Earlier in the blog I wrote a little about the amount of old cars that seem to be populating the rural areas of France. Tucked away in barns, or quietly rusting in fields and hedges old cars are to be found almost anywhere when you are 'tuned in' to spot them.

The Citroen 2cv is of course the archetypal French car of the post war era, with a production run of several million that spanned forty years, it's no surprise that they still keep cropping up in farmers barns on a regular basis!

In recent years many Brit's have bought second homes in France, or indeed moved out there to live permanently, and I know of at least one person who 'inherited' an old 2cv this way, it simply came with the house!

When the 2cv was introduced in 1948 it was hailed as an 'Umbrella on wheels' which referred to its utilitarian nature as cars just didn't get more basic than the 2cv. Yet these little cars sold like hot cakes, there was a waiting list of over a year for the first model as farmers and lower income families gave up the horse and cart they used as daily transport in favour of these tough little cars.

I have one of these cars, and have owned several 2cv's over the past decade or so and I really can't stress enough what fun they are to own!
Their almost supernatural reliability is also something that never fails to amaze!
Recently I was out driving in my 2cv when a Taxi driver pulled alongside (blocking all traffic in doing so) he just had to tell me that he had one too - back home in Greece. He said that he hadn't been home for three years and the 2cv stood outside in his garden, but he fully expected the car to start right up on his return as it has done every two years or so when he visits home!

It's quite amazing that with the probable exception of the car in the very first photo, with nothing more than the addition of fresh petrol and a new battery the likelihood is that all of the cars shown here could be driven!
I have witnessed such finds being started up for the first time in years and the faces of the onlookers vary from total amazement and disbelief, to the wry knowing smile and nod of the head of the enthusiast.

The car above and below are typical of the type of find that are common. Mostly complete they are easily restorable, and thanks to a network of clubs and specialist dealers virtually every single replacement part is available for the Citroen 2cv.

A new fashion has also developed among the younger owners, and that is to drive the cars 'as is' meaning that once the mechanical and safety aspects have been checked and maintained the car is put right back into service with often an entire patina of surface rust!

The above car is an example of this, no shiny paint job here just good old 'honest' patina showing the life and times of the cars history. I quite like this approach, but only if steps are taken to prevent further deterioration of course.
Many of the photographs here were taken from the French site 'LeBoncoin' which is a little like a classified ads site, it's all in French naturally, so unfortunately I can't make out much of the wording in the ad's but I like to browse through those old Citroen 2cv's from time to time and check out the new discoveries!

A foggy day in London town.

In addition to finding beauty in decay, I also find foggy days can render even the most ordinary sight into something appealing yet swathed in mystery.
The London fogs of the 1950's are legendary for their severity and here I show a more artistic and lesser appreciated side of the fog. These photo's are genuine colour footage of those days and the vehicles, here in daily use are now long gone.

Londoners used to call these fogs 'Pea-soupers'. The reason for this is that they were so thick and often had a greenish tint due to pollution in the air that they resembled a thick pea soup!

It may be hard to imagine in these pollution conscious days but most of these photographs were taken during daylight! I can clearly remember those days when daylight became darkness due to the mixture of fog and pollution, when venturing outdoors it was the usual thing to wrap a scarf around the mouth and nose to prevent ingestion of the thick, damp, yellow air.

Those that didn't protect themselves in this way would often end up with bronchial complaints due to breathing in the 'pea soup'.

In this photo and the one below you can clearly see the circular object to the top right of the picture...that is the sun not the moon!
Fogs like this lasted right through until the 1960's when the clean air bill was passed and many areas were forbidden to use coal as a fuel for their domestic heating. Combined with the growing use of gas fires to heat homes the 'pea soupers' were finally consigned to the past with great benefit to personal health - and road safety!

Note the guy above riding his motorcycle without a helmet, without lights and in fog, today's health and safety motoring measures would have a nervous breakdown at this! LOL
Notice too the old streetlamps, they were leftover from the Victorian period and were originally gas lights, by the 1950's however they had been converted to electricity and gave off a lovely soft glow when lit.

The overhead cables seen in this shot were for the 'Trolley-buses' which were similar to a big red London bus but ran on electricity from the overhead power supply. The black and white stripes on the traffic lights also served to make them more visible in poor conditions.

Despite the many health advantages of today's clean air part of me misses those old fogs. There was something truly magical, and quite romantic about those old streets swathed in thick fog where often the passenger in a vehicle had to get out and guide the driver along the road!

I'm not the first artist to find British fog and murky weather appealing of course, a century before the Victorian artist John Atkinson Grimshaw was painting similar scenes filled with beautiful gaslight.


Although one shouldn't lament the passing of those fogs purely on health or safety grounds, I have to admit to feeling a tinge of sadness at the loss of the visual poetry purveyed in soft edged in light and shade that was provided by them.