Elcar and Pratt Automobiles

Elcar and Pratt Automobiles PDF Author: William S. Locke
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786432543
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
A surprisingly little-known marque today, Elcar once ranked among the finest vehicles on American roads. Built to exacting standards in Elkhart, Indiana, an Elcar could compete head-to-head on the basis of performance, quality, or price with the products of much larger manufacturers. Ultimately done in by weak distribution and the ravages of the Depression, Elcar today stands as an example of an ambitious company that transformed itself, successfully if temporarily, from a maker of buggies and harnesses into a respected car manufacturer in the early days of the automotive age. This remarkably exhaustive history, researched over several decades from all available sources, including interviews with former Elcar employees, details all Elcar models and the Pratt vehicles that preceded them, as well as the personalities behind the cars. Extensive appendices provide a complete model history, with specifications; a full corporate chronology; an illustrated accounting of all Elcars and Pratts known to survive whole or in part today; a roster of company employees; a descriptive list of all ads and brochures ever produced by the company; and a wealth of other data that can be found nowhere else. Lavishly illustrated and surpassingly thorough, this book is a well of information on a significant but forgotten line of automobiles.

Elcar and Pratt Automobiles

Elcar and Pratt Automobiles PDF Author: William S. Locke
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786432543
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
A surprisingly little-known marque today, Elcar once ranked among the finest vehicles on American roads. Built to exacting standards in Elkhart, Indiana, an Elcar could compete head-to-head on the basis of performance, quality, or price with the products of much larger manufacturers. Ultimately done in by weak distribution and the ravages of the Depression, Elcar today stands as an example of an ambitious company that transformed itself, successfully if temporarily, from a maker of buggies and harnesses into a respected car manufacturer in the early days of the automotive age. This remarkably exhaustive history, researched over several decades from all available sources, including interviews with former Elcar employees, details all Elcar models and the Pratt vehicles that preceded them, as well as the personalities behind the cars. Extensive appendices provide a complete model history, with specifications; a full corporate chronology; an illustrated accounting of all Elcars and Pratts known to survive whole or in part today; a roster of company employees; a descriptive list of all ads and brochures ever produced by the company; and a wealth of other data that can be found nowhere else. Lavishly illustrated and surpassingly thorough, this book is a well of information on a significant but forgotten line of automobiles.

Practical Car Restoration

Practical Car Restoration PDF Author: Charles R. Wilmarth III
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476611769
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
"The graveyard is full of people that were going to do something, but never got around to it," says the author of this book. For anyone who has ever thought restoring a vintage car would be an enjoyable way to spend time, this book is the place to get going. Through the restoration of a 1930 Franklin, it details the step-by-step process of reclaiming an old jewel. It also addresses such issues as how much garage space you need, how long restoration takes, whether you should farm out some of the work, what kind of car you should get, where you can find it, and whether you should stay married. The author uses his 1930 Franklin as an example of restoring a vehicle that is roadworthy in today's traffic yet as original as possible, a car that is practical to enjoy without the expense of a car show standout. A discussion of preliminary questions on how to get started leads into a general history of the Franklin, with advice on finding history for other cars and using museums as a resource. Chapters on step-by-step restoration include body wood, the engine, the chassis, body work, the electrical system, wheels and tires, and the interior and upholstery. Subsequent chapters follow up with a test drive and information on maintaining a restored auto. A chapter on long-distance driving chronicles the author's trip from Arizona to New York with tips on rider comfort and care of the car. It concludes with a chapter on auto clubs in general, a visit to the Franklin Club in New York, and the sale of the author's restored 1930 Franklin.

Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles, 2d ed.

Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles, 2d ed. PDF Author: Lennart W. Haajanen
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476624046
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Cars today fit a fairly small number of body types--sedan, coupe, station wagon, SUV, hatchback and a few others. The meanings of these familiar terms have changed over the decades as automotive design has evolved. Along the way, a greater number of earlier body types have fallen out of use and become historical curiosities. Who today can identify a charabanc, a dos-a-dos or even a phaeton? This expanded second edition defines all distinct body types since the early days of the automobile, many of which were derived from horse-drawn vehicles. Entries, many including clear line drawings, describe popular types and variations from different countries and time periods as well as terms for body components. Subtypes and subtle distinctions are explained and common misuses of terms and designations are clarified.

Studebaker and the Railroads - Volume 2

Studebaker and the Railroads - Volume 2 PDF Author: Jan Young
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 055709383X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
Studebaker and the Railroads is a history of the Studebaker Corporation and of the railroads that served it in and around the city of South Bend, Indiana. Both Studebaker and the railroads of northern Indiana have extensive and dramatic histories and there are many connections between the two. Studebaker lovers and railfans will equally enjoy the stories and facts reported.Divided into two volumes, Studebaker and the Railroads comprises over four hundred fifty pages and contains over three hundred fifty photographs, drawings, maps and diagrams.Volume 1 covers the Studebaker and the steam railroads that once decorated South Bend. Volume 2 covers the extensive electric railroad history of the area and includes a history of Studebaker's private in-plant railroad, the Chicago & South Bend, together with additional topics linking Studebaker and railroading. Both volumes feature detailed indexes. Volume 2 includes an extensive bibliography, numerous maps, and corporate history charts.

The Small Independents

The Small Independents PDF Author: Michael J Kollins
Publisher: SAE International
ISBN: 1468603353
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
Pioneers of the U.S. Automobile Industry uses four separate volumes to explore the essential components that helped build the American automobile industry - the people, the companies and the designs. This volume uses more than 450 photos to help weave the story of the risk-takers who helped shape the automotive industry from the very beginning. Pioneers and companies covered in this edition include: Charles and Frank Duryea Studebaker The Pratt Family and the Elcar Motor Care Company Joseph Moon Russell Gardner Louis Clarke George Pierce and Charles Clifton Packard/Joy/Macauley and the Packard Motor Car Company Edwin Thomas Ransom Olds Peerless Fred and August Duesenberg Kissel Brothers Hupp / Drake / Hastings / Young and the Hupp Motor Car Corporation Walter Flanders Chapin / Coffin / Bezner / Jackson / Hudson / McAneeny and The Hudson Motor Car Company Harry Stutz Harry Ford Graham Brothers Charles Nash

Twilight Rails

Twilight Rails PDF Author: H. Roger Grant
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 0816665621
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
By the start of the twentieth century railroads crisscrossed the nation, yet there were still those who believed that the railroad network in the United States was far from complete. Residents of small towns lacking rail access lobbied hard for steam and electric roads to serve their communities, and investors eagerly started new ventures that would fill the gaps in the railway map. While some of these roads enjoyed a degree of success, most of them were financial flops even before the rise of the highway system made them obsolete.In Twilight Rails, H. Roger Grant—one of the leading railroad historians working today—documents the stories of eight Midwestern carriers that appeared at the end of the railroad building craze. When historians have reflected on these “twilight” carriers, they have suggested that they were relevant only as examples of unwise business ventures. Grant finds that even the weakest railroads were important to the communities they served; the arrival of the railroad was cause for great celebration as residents were finally connected to the outside world. A railroad’s construction pumped money into local economies, farmers and manufacturers gained access to better markets, and the excitement generated by a new line often increased land values and inspired expansion of local businesses. Even the least financially successful carriers, Grant argues, managed to significantly improve their local economies.This thorough and highly accessible history provides a fascinating look at the motivations, accomplishments, and failures of the twilight carriers, granting a new breath of life to this neglected aspect of American railway history.

Motor West

Motor West PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Transportation, Automotive
Languages : en
Pages : 598

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Book Description


Motor West and California Motor

Motor West and California Motor PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 886

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Book Description


RV Capital of the World: A Fun-filled Indiana History

RV Capital of the World: A Fun-filled Indiana History PDF Author: Al Hesselbart
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1467135348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Indiana retains a unique place in the RV industry, going back to the 1930s when pioneering individuals like Milo Miller, Harold Platt and Wilber Schult created the original RV business in the Elkhart-South Bend area. By the end of World War II, Elkhart was identified as the "Trailer Capital of the World." Hesselbart chronicles how the Hoosier State helped families make memories on the open road. -- Adapted from back cover

Automobile Manufacturers Worldwide Registry

Automobile Manufacturers Worldwide Registry PDF Author:
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476611408
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
This one-of-a-kind reference work provides essential data on some 10,700 manufacturers of automobiles, beginning with the earliest vehicle that might be so termed (Frenchman Nicolas Cugnot's steam carriage, in 1770) and covering all nations in which automobiles have been built--67 in all. Not an encyclopedia or collection of histories, this is instead a very complete registry providing essential facts about the manufacturers: complete name, location, years active, type(s) of vehicles built, and other basic data. Compiled during more than 30 years of research, this reference even lists companies that produced just one car. Any builder of passenger-carrying vehicles on at least two but no more than eight wheels, of any design, either mass produced or built as one-off specials, experimental cars, prototypes, or kit cars, is included. Builders of internal combustion, steam and electric powered vehicles are all covered; companies that built only trucks, buses, racing cars, or motorcycles are not included. From A.A.A. to Zzipper and Argentina to Yugoslavia, this is an astonishingly comprehensive resource.