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YOU WON'T MISTAKE IT FOR AN EDSEL BUT CHRYSLER'S AIRFLOW WAS EQUALLY FLAWED

Every car company has its Edsel, though for very different reasons. Whereas the Edsel was the offspring of ill-timed marketing decisions, Chrysler's Airflow was an engineering error. While the Edsel was over-styled, a mish-mash of chrome and exaggerated decor plus a grille that resembled either a horse collar or an Alfa-Romeo, depending how you saw it, the Airflow was designed by engineers who were influenced by aerodynamics ("streamlining" in those days) but lacked aesthetic tastes. Ford could survive the Edsel but the Airflow might have destroyed Chrysler had the company not backstopped itself with more conventional models. Like Ford, it was wise enough to quit while there was still time.

Today the Edsel, though definitely an important collector car, is still available in such numbers that values remain low. A Chrysler Airflow (and its DeSoto twin) is far rarer, especially in concours condition. The 1934 Airflow seen here is sheer perfection, and when it goes on the block at Auction America's Fort Lauderdale auction, March 16-18, it is expected to bring between $80,000 - $100,000. Some consider the styling to be beautiful, too far ahead ahead of its time, but I think that, when seen from the front, the Airflow was rather ugly. And that's the real reason why the public turned against it.

The engineering, however, was brilliant. A semi-unitary "truss bridge" chassis was based on aircraft construction principles. The eight-cylinder engine was placed over the front axle, which allowed the seats to be located entirely within the car’s wheelbase, resulting in a roomy and comfortable passenger compartment and a remarkably smooth ride. Needing superior handling dynamics, an innovative suspension system was designed. The engineering team then applied what they learned about aerodynamics to utilize monocoque construction. This would strengthen the body while reducing overall drag.

The windshield was composed of two sheets of glass that formed a raked 'vee' both side to side, and top to bottom instead of a flat panel of glass. While automakers like Ford, GM and even Chrysler continued to use wood structural framing members in their car bodies, the Airflow utilized a full steel body. Function dictated form but to the exclusion of style. If only they'd brought in one of the great designers of the day.

The car on auction had a complete restoration, finished in June, 2011 at a cost of nearly $200,000. Every nut and bolt was removed, cleaned or replaced. The engine, brakes, rear end and fuel tank were all rebuilt. This Airflow features an 8-cylinder inline engine, three speed transmission with overdrive and free-wheeling, and four-wheel hydraulic brakes. It is one of only 7,226 produced and is said to be among the best restored Chrysler Airflows in existence. Strangely, the passing of decades have given it a beauty that didn't exist in the first place.

BOXY VOLVO BECOMES A COLLECTOR CAR... SORT OF

Honestly now, would I try to fool you by pretending that the 1982 Volvo 760 GLE is a collector car? Well, yes and no. On the one hand a 30-year-old family sedan with conservative styling and mid-range performance is not likely to get any collector's attention. On the other, when an automaker admits that a specific vehicle was "the car that saved the company," that puts it in a rather exclusive group. With low mileage Volvo 760s available for as little as $1500 it would be hard to find a cheaper car with which to enter the car collector hobby.

Volvo explains it this way: "When the first plans for the new car were drawn up around 1975 the automotive industry in general was experiencing a lot of difficulties, and Volvo in particular. The first oil crisis had just passed and at Volvo, problems were rising regarding the build quality of the new Volvo 240. It was also a very difficult economic time for the company. It was expensive to build cars in the Torslanda plant, too expensive in fact, and it was no longer profitable to export them."

As a long-time Volvo enthusiast I was familiar with the 240 wagon, which had served me well in the 70s, but by then I'd turned in search of better performance and handling. Volvo, which by then was the butt of jokes about its emphasis on passive safety (not that safety is anything to joke about  but car enthusiasts have other priorities), had little to offer, especially after its much-loved P1800 and ES1800 had been retired. The folks at the factory had similar feelings.

The 760 was conceived in a time when conditions changed almost daily and in the company there were many strong and different opinions regarding the new car. There was no Internet to surf in order to research potential owner's views but Volvo made use of the best possible tool available at the time, a very thorough analysis of the surrounding world. Careful studies and mental flexibility would lead the team on to the right track and along that track there was little or no room for mistakes.

It was decided that "reliability, fuel efficiency, longevity, serviceability, low noise levels, design and performance should guide development work on the new project." It was also decided that "rear-wheel drive should be employed, that the wheelbase should be 10 cm (4") longer than that of the 240. The car was also to be somewhat shorter than the 240 but have the same width and be 100 kg lighter.  For cost reasons most of the technical content was to be carried over from the 200-series with only minor modifications. The exterior design, however, had to be brand new."

There were many design proposals to consider, many of them from outside consultants. Most were sedans but Volvo's head of design, Jan Wilsgaard, preferred a hatchback. The finance department, on the other hand, wanted a design with straight and flat surfaces, with angular lines, preferably of 90 degrees, in order to reduce the production costs as much as possible. (Aha... trust the bean counters to choose kroners over emotions!) 

The battle was between the favourite of the marketing department and the engineering department alternative, when the sometimes very secretive Wilsgaard pulled an unknown contestant out of his sleeve. It was his proposal which blended all the properties in a different way: A car with a drawn-out rear end in the wagon fashion with straight body sides and with an abruptly cut-off rear; in other words a "cut-back." This remained in the final discussions but eventually a modified version - a sedan with an almost vertical rear screen and boxy rear section - was chosen. The straight sides lent the interior a spacious feeling which was also very comfortable. And above all, the car had real character. In the midst of the slippery soap dishes offered by other manufacturers, Volvo's boxiness was a hit and soon turned into a hallmark. 

In Sweden, the new 760 GLE was priced just below the psychological SEK 100,000 limit - at SEK 99,800 - and for that money the customer got a car that was very well equipped: a V-6 engine with automatic transmission, air conditioning, a sunroof and power steering. North America got a similarly well-equipped car that even today looks elegant and distinctive. Perhaps it's too soon to call the 760 GLE a collector though I'd certainly list it as a future classic, but it definitely qualifies under a new category, one that I prefer to call a "nostalgia car." One known less for its rarity or greatness than its ability to stir our emotions.

EDSEL FORD SPEEDSTER HELPS KEEP LINCOLN ALIVE

As a classic cars guy, I'm delighted when a major manufacturer adds an historic vehicle to an auto show display. So my thanks go to Ford for including the Model 40 Special Speedster in its Lincoln stand at the 2012 North American International Auto Show. The car was designed at Edsel Ford's request by Bob Gregorie, who had previously worked at Harley Earl’s GM Art and Colour studio. Edsel wanted a personal roadster similar to those he’d seen on the European continent. The first design reportedly disappointed him, for he wanted something lower and racier. Gregorie then created a more dramatic, streamlined design.

It probably started with a stock 1934 Ford (aka Model 40) frame, but its subsequent chassis was radically altered. The Model 40 Special Speedster was unlike anything Ford Motor Company had built up to that time. After Edsel’s death in 1943, the Speedster crisscrossed the U.S. and in 1958 was purchased by a U.S. Navy sailor in Florida for $603, then disappeared. Forty years later it was discovered in Florida by Bill Warner, founder of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, who conducted minor restoration on the car and displayed it at the Concours in 1999. In 2008, Warner sold it to a Texas car collector for $1.76 million. Following the collector’s untimely death in 2010, the Speedster was acquired by Edsel & Eleanor Ford House (Ford House), the nonprofit historic estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford, located in Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.

Ford House engaged RM Auto Restoration (RM) in Chatham, Ontario, to completely rebuild and restore the vehicle, which over the years had unfortunate alterations made to its grille, engine, paint and interior. During the process RM revealed the stunning, custom-made “one off” as it originally looked in 1940, after a final redesign by Edsel and Gregorie. The restoration also resolved many long-held assumptions about the illustrious vehicle’s history. So why did the company choose to show the Special Speedster on the Lincoln stand? Probably because the once great marque has so little to boast about these days it might otherwise have been overwhelmed.

FOUND! HISTORIC PHOTOS OF TOWER BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Every major city with a river running through it has one or more bridges to help facilitate the movement of people, traffic, and trade. When properly constructed they can last for centuries. Many are of historic interest, some are elegant works of art. In San Francisco the Golden Gate Bridge is a national landmark that inspires songs, movies, and countless tourists. New York's Brooklyn Bridge is a visual icon that played a major role in the growth of that great city. The medieval bridges of Florence are famed for being constructed with built-in apartments and shops.

London, England, has numerous bridges spanning the Thames river, some of which enjoy world fame. Because the Thames is relatively narrow the spans are more functional than spectacular, with one exception, the Tower Bridge, so named because of its proximity to the Tower of London. But unlike those that follow, the Tower Bridge was built with a "bascule," a center section that can be raised and lowered to permit ships and tall-masted boats to proceed upstream.

When the foundation was laid some 125 years ago, the Tower Bridge was a technological marvel. Nothing like it had been made before nor nothing since. The structure was such a landmark feat of engineering it was nicknamed The Wonder Bridge. Yet visual recordings of its construction seem to have disappeared. Until now: An article in the Daily Mail has unveiled the story behind the finding of a rare pictorial history, something we classic car fans can equate with the "barn finds" of our world.

A stash of hundred-year-old prints were found in a "skip" (English terminology for what we North Americans call a "dumpster"), revealing in incredible detail the ingenuity behind one of London's most popular tourist destinations. According to the Daily Mail, the discarded pictures, which were retrieved by a caretaker who was looking after a building being turned into flats in 2006, have spent the last five years in a carrier bag underneath his bed. He said: "I took the ledgers to the Tower Bridge Museum because I thought they might have some historical value."

In November 2011, the owner of the photos mentioned them to his neighbor, City of Westminster tour guide Peter Berthoud. And that's when the significance of the find fully emerged. Peter says "people are always surprised when I tell them that the Tower Bridge is a steel bridge, as the stone cladding is so recognisable". Scenes include turn-of-the-century laborers taking orders from a site foreman in a bowler hat and a shot of the bridge's original steam-powered engine room, which could open the bridge in less than a minute.

Perusing this story, handed on by Marque1's chief (and so far only) correspondent Nigel Matthews, reminds me that whatever bridge we cross, whether it be over a tiny stream or a vast canyon, is the result of someone's architecture, engineering, and art. And therefore deserving of our admiration.

[Photo Credits: Barcroft Media]

THE MULLIN MUSEUM, AN HOMAGE TO ART DECO AND FRENCH CAR DESIGN

An article in the New York Times Wheels newsletter drew my attention to the magnificent Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. The Times article explains that "Rétromobile, the annual collector car show held in Paris in early February, this year will feature 10 significant French cars from the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., many of them having not been exhibited in France since they were new." That comment prompted me to view the Museum's Web site for a better look. Now I'm declaring that some day I must visit live and in person. And it's not just about the cars.

Mr. Mullin is a fan of art deco design and the machine age – eras that produced exquisite art and magnificent automobiles. The building was previously owned by newspaperman Otis Chandler who once housed a  collection of vintage automobiles and motorcycles in what is now the revamped museum structure.  After Mr. Chandler’s death in 2006, Mr. Mullin acquired the property, then called “The Vintage,” and began an extensive remodeling. The structure includes a solar photovoltaic roof system to capture energy and a planted "green" roof, making the building less dependent on traditional sources of power.

Peter Mullin also loves the curvaceous lines of classic French cars from the 1930s and has collected rare examples of the finest, from Bugatti to Voisin to Delahaye, as well as significant  and representative decorative art from this same period. The museum includes no less than 30 Bugattis, including several from the once-secretive Schlumpf collection in France.

The interior of the Mullin Museum is alone worthy of a visit. It's a two-story structure, and when the main floor exhibit is viewed from the balconies above it resembles a period Paris Auto Show, complete with car manufacturer's signage. All the furnishings are designed in art deco style, as is the architectural detailing and what appears in the photo to be an elegant bar. If I'm wrong about the latter it's only because I've yet to see it in person, but the Mullin Museum has now soared to the top of my list of great car places that I absolutely must visit.

[Photos: Mullin Automotive Museum]

THE CONCEPT CAR YOU NEVER SAW. UNLESS YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN

Can you remember where you were and what you were doing in 1969? I certainly can for I was living in New York, writing Ford ads for the J. Walter Thompson agency. I was driving a BMW 2002. My family and I watched the Apollo moon landing live on TV. It was also a "life-changing" year. In September of 1969 I was transferred to London where we underwent a culture adjustment and fell in love with England and Europe.

Needless to say, I admired the wonderful Italian concept cars that were annually unveiled at the Geneva and Turin auto shows. But, as with so many others from the US and Canada, I had little knowledge of the Australian auto market, which is larger and more innovative than most people realise. The GM Holden and the Ford Australia operations have considerable design and engineering autonomy and are not tied to Detroit for approvals. Thus it was that Holden was able to design and build a concept car, the Hurricane, that was just as exciting as anything from Turin, and yet went all but unnoticed outside its home market.

That's 42 years ago, folks. When the Hurricane had finished its Australian show obligations, Holden tucked it away in a hidden corner until 2006, when a group of Holden designers and engineers volunteered to do a total restoration. The Hurricane is now returned to "as new" condition, ready to show off its exquisite lines and highly advanced technology. Features included a camera for reversing, digital instrument readouts, and a route guidance system (GPS didn't exist at the time so it depended on magnets imbedded in the road).

Instead of a pair of doors, one on each side, passengers entered via an electro-mechanical canopy, which pivoted forwards to reveal two seats that rose to "greet" the soon-to-be occupants. Driver and passenger were kept safe by inertia-reel seatbelts, kept comfortable by a climate control system. Safety innovations included a foam-lined fuel tank, integrated roll-over bar, ignition safety locks, interior padding and a fire warning system. And this Hurricane performed like the real thing thanks to its lightweight, slippery aerodynamics, and an experimental 262 hp 4.2 liter V-8.

Holden is recognized globally within General Motors as a center of excellence for concept vehicle and show car development and is one of only three GM design studios capable of designing and building concept cars. Australians are lucky that Holden decided to keep this car and even more fortunate that the volunteers decided on a restoration. I hope that General Motors eventually ships it to Europe and America for appearances in some of the major concours, for the Hurricane is a gorgeous work of art and deserves to be seen and admired by the rest of us. It would surely win "best of class" in any show where it appears.

For more interesting background and history on the Holden Hurricane, just click here.

[Photos: GM Holden. Article Lead: Classic Driver.com]

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: PIERCE SILVER ARROW FOR SALE

High on my list of classic cars that I would like to see in person is the 1933 Pierce Silver Arrow. Basically a concept car intended to lift Pierce out of the depression doldrums, it was both an experiment in aerodynamics and a boldly beautiful automobile. Only five were built, as the Silver Arrow was never intended for production, but the cars did keep the company's image alive, albeit briefly. Amazingly, at least three Silver Arrows survived and one will be auctioned by Barrett-Jackson at Scottsdale in January.

This Silver Arrow will be sold on a "reserve" basis, which is unusual for Barrett-Jackson. Don Williams of the Blackhawk Collection, who has pursued Silver Arrows since the late 1960s and has at one time or another owned all three of the remaining examples, reminds us that no Pierce Silver Arrow has sold at auction since 1973, and no Silver Arrow has changed hands in the last decade. Obviously a rare chance for a collector to possess one of automobile history's gems.

Phil Wright was the Silver Arrow's designer. Among the features he included were an all-steel roof, side mounted spares enclosed in the front fenders, a body that eliminated running boards, and a fastback roofline integrating the trunk. The streamlined body stretched in a unified sculpture from the characteristic Pierce fender-mounted headlamps all the way to the rear bumper.

The only discordant note was the rear window: two tiny slits that nicely echoed Wright's design but might have made safety a problem. I'm guessing, however, that it perfectly lined up with the rear vision mirror.

Underneath that gorgeous body was a chassis driven by Pierce-Arrow’s 175hp, 462-cu.in. L-head V-12; obviously the car's performance would have matched its elegant looks. History tells us that Pierce and Studebaker joined hands for a brief period, then went their separate ways, which was unfortunate as they each had something special to offer. But the Silver Arrows kept the company alive and inspired less radical successors in 1934 and 1935.

So what would it cost to add a Pierce Silver Arrow to my personal fantasy collection? Blackhawk's Don Williams recalls that the last Silver Arrow sold for $1.5 million and guesses that this sale should net somewhere between $2 million to $3 million. Although I wasn't planning a trip to Scottsdale in 2012, the Silver Arrow is one car that would tempt me, just to be in its presence. Or I could go to Paris and see the Mona Lisa.

Thanks to Hemmings for the background to this story.

[Photos: Daniel Strohl]

WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL AIRLINER FLIES AGAIN

Anyone who has ever seen a Lockheed Super Constellation would probably agree that it was the most beautiful airliner ever to have flown. Its curvaceous, dolphin-shaped fuselage and triple tailfins made it instantly identifiable. Until recently there was only one "Connie" still flying (in Australia) but the Swiss watchmaker Breitling, which has long been associated with aviation, recently sponsored the restoration of a second Super Constellation.

You think restoring a classic car is expensive? Imagine an airliner with its four 18-cylinder piston engines, complex airframe, wings and tail, its electronics, controls, and wheels that disappear and reappear with every takeoff and landing. Such restoration boggles the mind and yet there are enthusiasts (some with very deep pockets) all over the world willing to spend years bringing an aircraft back to life.

Learning of this restoration through Airliner World magazine reminded me that there once was a time when we could tell one airliner from another at a glance. Even in the beginning of the jet age it wasn't difficult to spot the difference between a Boeing 707 and a Douglas DC-8.

The original short-haul jet airliner, the French Caravelle, was novel at the time for having two engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage, though what made it easy to differentiate from the later Douglas BAC 111 and DC-9 was the triangular shape of the windows and the curved tailfin. Like the Constellation, the Caravalle was a very pretty aircraft.

Today it takes a sharp eye to instantly identify, for example, a narrowbody Boeing 737, Airbus 320, Embraer 190; or a widebody Airbus 330 or Boeing 767.

For me, as an aviation enthusiast, it had long been an ambition to fly as a passenger in a Super Constellation. In the early 1960s Air Canada was making the switch to jets and so it seemed the dream would never happen. But my wife, our baby son Philip, and I had flown to Nassau for the annual Speed Week races and when we arrived at the airport for the return flight I was delighted to find us boarding a Super Connie. A flight to remember, though not as hoped.

Just short of the halfway point between Nassau and Toronto, the captain shut down one port-side engine due to rising temperatures in two cylinders. To reduce weight, excess fuel was dumped from the wingtip valves. We slowly turned south and landed safely in Miami, where Air Canada put us up in comfortable hotel rooms. The next morning we flew home in a DC-8.

Note: That little tale should have been the end of this memoire but just as I was to begin writing the blog I checked the Marque1 e-mailbox and to my astonishment... there sat an invitation to attend the revived Nassau Speed Weeks on Paradise Island. I'm not making that up. Honest!

VERTICAL MOBILITY IN BROOKLYN: RESTORED WAREHOUSE FEATURES CINEMA WITH GOURMET CAFE

Few cities are better at rejuvenating old buildings than New York. And that, of course, includes Brooklyn. A two-storey, mid-century warehouse in the district of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been transformed into a three-screen cinema with a cafe and bar. The Nighthawk Cinema is a recent project of Caliper Studio, which packaged it in, as Wallpaper Magazine relates, "a custom zing panel facade with 2,000 hand cast glass disks, backlit by low voltage LED lights".

It includes three floors of residential apartments above the cinemas, bar, café and commercial kitchen below.

Well, that's architecture talk, but here's some of what the Nighthawk offers: "We are a new cinema that offers an experience like no other in New York. We have a street-level neighborhood cafe where you can enjoy cocktails or gourmet concessions anytime. In addition, we feature table-side food service inside our three theaters for each film."

Wow! An entirely new way of enjoying the movies, far better than my usual dinner on the couch while watching a lousy TV show. In fact, it seems like a contemporary version of the old show-and-dinner formula that made the nightclub scene so exciting. Or a dinner-and-a-movie-evening-out except that it all happens in one place. No need to eat dinner, drive to the cinema and hope to find a parking spot before the first reel rolls.

In case you're wondering, marque1.com has not changed its direction in order to promote movies. We're still a classic car site that also looks at ways of making cities a better place to live while (hopefully) reducing urban sprawl. My wish is that the Nighthawk returns the favour by including the fabulous F1 documentary "Senna" in its list of upcoming films. And that About.com's car czar Bob Schulties, who lives in Brooklyn, is in the audience. Are you listening, Bob?

GAS STATION HAS A UNIQUE PLACE IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY

Great architects create magnificent skyscrapers, beautiful homes, sometimes entire communities. But gas stations? They wouldn't waste their talents on something so commercially prosaic. Yet Frank Lloyd Wright, renowned as one of America's greatest architects, was not only willing to design a gas station, he did it with typical enthusiasm and ingenuity. He had a vision in which the station would be a cornerstone of a planned community and a gathering place in which to have a coffee, read a newspaper, or chat with a neighbour.

The service station, in Wright's words, would be "the future city in embryo," which would "naturally grow into a neighborhood distribution center, meeting-place, restaurant ... or whatever else is needed."

That station, located in the town of Cloquet, Minnesota, still exists although the modernised three-bay service doors and contemporary pumps somewhat spoil the effect, which must have been simpler and more distinguished when new. Nevertheless it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, with the added distinction of being the only gas station in the legendary architect's portfolio. Indeed, he was too busy to supervise the construction, leaving that job to apprentice Robert Pond, while he worked on New York's famed Guggenheim Museum. Now 81, Pond still remembers the location as being ideal. "You come over the hill there, and there's that gas station right on the corner. It was perfect," said Pond. "Especially when they first put the copper roof on, it glowed! Of course, then we treated it to turn it green." Sadly, Wright never lived to see his gas station. He died during the building of the Guggenheim.

Annie Dugan, curator of the Carlton County Historical Society, says the triangle canopy creates an arrow that directs your eyes across the street toward the St. Louis River. "That was subliminal," she says: "It was Wright's way of connecting the past with the present, with river traffic to vehicular traffic." It's now quite the draw for architecturally-aware visitors, who like to photograph the station's unique triangular canopy, which covers four gas pumps. The original sign for the station is on top of the canopy.

One of Wright's unique concepts was a glassed-in waiting room on the second floor, which overlooked the pumps and the waterfront. The architect visualised it as a place where people would like to gather, a social and cultural center. But most people had other things to do and they weren't willing to sit around, read newspapers and sip coffee.

The writer of the Jalopnik column, Ray Wert, where I found some of the background for this story, thinks it provided the inspiration for Starbucks. With all due respect I must remind Ray that coffee houses where one can read, sip, and enjoy a tasty treat, existed in Europe long before the automobile was invented. They still do, and with respect to Starbucks this time, the coffee is better and so, by far, are the sweets. There is talk of turning it into a museum of sorts, a splendid idea if the R.W. Lindholm station can be restored to the way it looked on Day One.

[Story Lead: Nigel Matthews. Colour Photo: Della Roy Nohl]