MY FEEDLY

(via Barn Find: The Auburn 653 Phaeton Discovered On The TV Show...

(via Barn Find: The Auburn 653 Phaeton Discovered On The TV Show “American Pickers”)

from Tumblr https://somar78.tumblr.com/post/664061614720516096

The Only Allard K1/2 Ever Made – A Rare British/American Roadster

The cars built by Allard directly influenced the thinking of both Zora Arkus-Duntov, the father of the Corvette, and Carroll Shelby, the father of the Shelby Cobra. Both men were racing drivers for company founder Sydney Allard back in the early 1950s, where they quickly learned the advantages of having a powerful American V8 in a lightweight British sports car.

The car you see here is believed to be the only Allard K1/2 that was ever built, it started out as a standard Allard K2 however the owner changed his mind, and instead opted to have a K1 body applied to the more advanced K2 chassis.

Fast Facts – The Allard K1/2

The Allard K1 was released in 1946 and sold for two years, the car featured a body-on-chassis design with independent front suspension and a live axle rear. Power was provided by a Ford Flathead V8.
The Allard K2 was released in 1950 with more advanced coil sprung front suspension and some other upgrades to make the cars more appealing to non-race drivers.
Sydney Allard, the company founder, was formerly a highly competitive racing driver with multiple entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Targa Florio, and a win in the Monte Carlo Rally.
The Allard K1/2 was built to its unusual specification solely due to the original owner’s change of heart halfway through the car’s building process. He changed his order from a K2 to a K1, and so a K1 body was fitted to a K2 chassis.

Sydney Allard – The Man Who Changed Everything

Sydney Allard is a man who should doubtless be remembered far more broadly than he actually is, he’s been nicknamed the “father of British drag racing,” he won the Monte Carlo Rally (Stirling Moss came second) in 1951 driving a car he designed and built himself, and he developed a slew of road and race cars over the years that would have an immeasurably significant impact on sports car design on both sides of the Atlantic.

Above Video: Sydney Allard and his wife Eleanor Allard (also an accomplished racing driver) returning to his factory after winning the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally.

Sydney Allard started out racing motorcycles before switching to a three-wheeled Morgan, and from there to regular automobiles. He enjoyed success at every level but it would be in the world of automobiles that he would find his true calling.

Before the Second World War erupted across Europe, Allard was already building high-performance cars that were powered by affordable, reliable, and easily attainable American V8 engines – specifically the Ford Flathead V8 in the company’s early years.

In 1936 he won his class at the Brighton Speed Trials in a Ford V8-powered car and he would continue racing Ford V8 and Lincoln V12-powered cars right up to the outbreak of war, in fact Allard won the last speed event to be held in England before WWII – the Horndean Speed Trials of 1939.

During the war Allard’s company would shift its focus from racing cars to the war effort, repairing army vehicles – usually Ford-built Jeeps and Ford trucks. Once the war ended he wasted no time returning to competition, racing in the Filton Speed Trials on the 28th of October 1945 – just 56 days after hostilities ended.

The Allard Motor Company

Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s the Allard Motor Company would become a highly regarded automobile manufacturer, offering race cars, sports cars, and sporting grand tourers. The company’s efforts on the race tracks of Europe would see them hire a number of engineers and racing drivers including Zora Arkus-Duntov and Carroll Shelby.

Allards were built to a simple formula, a British sports car with good handling could with an affordable, powerful American V8. It would prove to be a highly influential recipe.

Both Arkus-Duntov and Shelby raced for Allard at the same time, piloting the lightweight sports cars at eye-watering speeds down the Mulsanne Straight on the Circuit de la Sarthe, fast learning to appreciate the qualities of a British sports car with an American V8 engine.

A short time after this in 1955 Arkus-Duntov would be responsible for getting a V8 and a manual transmission fitted to the first generation Chevrolet Corvette, and turning it into a genuine sports car.

After retiring from racing Carroll Shelby would turn his attention to creating his own car company, starting with the Shelby Cobra – a vehicle he developed by fitting a Ford V8 into a lightweight British AC Ace sports car.

The Allard Motor Company would only operate for 13 years, opening its doors in 1945 and ceasing operations in 1958 with approximately 1,900 cars built. Today the surviving Allards are highly sought after by enthusiasts and they’re a regular sight at classic motor racing events.

The Allard K1/2 is powered by a highly modified Ford flathead V8 with a capacity of 295 cubic inches, Edelbrock heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold, and triple Stromberg 97 carburetors.

The Allard K1/2

It’s not every day that a genuine one-of-a-kind Allard comes up for sale. As mentioned above this car was ordered as a K2 before the buyer changed their mind and opted for a K1 style body. This buyer was based in the United States, and this is where the car was delivered, through the John Forbes Agency of Boston, Massachusetts.

Later in its life the car was given an amateur, part-time restoration that took the better part of 30 years. In 2003 it was acquired by a new owner who commissioned a professional restoration, and it remains in excellent condition today.

It’s been driven fewer than 600 miles since the restoration was completed, and it was finished with a slew of period correct touches like Smiths gauges in a wooden dashboard, black steel wheels with chrome rings and hub caps, and restored brightwork throughout.

The car is powered by a 1947 Ford flathead V8 that has been bored out to 295 cubic inches and equipped with Edelbrock heads, an Edelbrock intake manifold, and triple Stromberg 97 carburetors.

In 2017 the car was bought by sculptor and furniture artist Wendell Castle, and it’s being offered for sale out of his collection as part of the RM Sotheby’s sale in Hershey, Pennsylvania. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post The Only Allard K1/2 Ever Made – A Rare British/American Roadster appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/allard-k1-2/
via gqrds

Full Documentary: What’s Under Your Hood? – A 1973 Film About

What’s Under Your Hood? is a 1973 film that was created to teach people how various mechanical systems in their cars work. It runs just 10 minutes in length, but despite its relative brevity it does an excellent, concise job of explaining all of the car’s major parts.

The majority of people who drive everyday don’t have a clear understanding of how an engine actually works, let alone the transmission and differential. Modern cars are typically so reliable that their owners no longer need to know how to wield a wrench.

This film uses a series of animations and cutaway models to give a fantastic look inside engines, gearboxes, carburetors, ignition systems, etc to show how they function. The explanations are all easy to understand making the film suitable for ages from 8 (or so) on up.

This short film uses a series of animations and moving cutaway models to explain how all the major parts of an automobile engine work.

In the coming years as we continue to transition towards electric and perhaps also hydrogen vehicles it’ll be interesting to see a new generation of films like this being made, to explain how they all work and what makes them different from the gasoline and diesel engines of old.

The cars and mechanical systems used in this film are all emblematic of the era it was made, with pushrod engines fed by carburetors and power sent back into a live axle on leaf springs. That said, the fundamental principles of an internal combustion engine are the same whether you’re driving a car from 1973 or 2013.

The post Full Documentary: What’s Under Your Hood? – A 1973 Film About appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/full-documentary-whats-under-your-hood/
via gqrds

Barn Find: The Auburn 653 Phaeton Discovered On The TV Show “American Pickers”

This is the 1935 Auburn 653 Phaeton that was discovered in a barn in season 12 of the popular TV series American Pickers. The car had been sitting in storage for decades in South Dakota, owned by collectors Jan and Sandy.

American Pickers host Mike Wolfe made a deal with the couple to buy the car in the condition it was in, and he promised to get it running and bring it back so that Jan could finally have a proper drive of the Auburn he treasured for all those years.

Sadly Jan died before this could happen, but Mike took the car back to the farm when it was running and took Jan’s wife Sandy for a ride as she cradled a picture of her late husband.

Fast Facts – The Auburn 653 Six

The Auburn 653 Six was developed rapidly in 1934 alongside the Auburn 851 Eight as more affordable models for the upmarket company, that might bring in some much needed revenue in the midst of the Great Depression.
Both of these new models were styled by Gordon Buehrig, one of the leading automobile designers in the United States who also penned the Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster, the Cord 810/812, the Duesenberg Model J, and a slew of other important cars from the era.
The Auburn 653 Six was developed with five body styles, the most luxurious of which is the Phaeton (shown here), other styles included the Cabriolet, Coupe, Sedan, and Two-Door Brougham.
Power is provided by a an 85 hp Lycoming six cylinder engine with a swept capacity of 210 cubic inches (3.4 liters), power is sent back to a live axle rear via a three-speed manual transmission. Impressively the 653 can achieve 23.7 mpg (combined) making it an economical car to run by the standards of the time.

The Auburn 653 Six

When the program to develop the Auburn 653 Six and its sister car, the Auburn 851 Eight, began in 1934 it was a dire time for the company. The Great Depression had descended over the United States in 1929 and by the mid-1930s luxury car makers had largely used up their financial reserves, and were dropping like flies.

Above Video: This is the episode of American Pickers where the car is first discovered and bought, Mike had to work hard to get the price down from the original asking price of $80,000 USD.

Legendary designer Gordon Buehrig was given a budget of just $50,000 to develop the two cars, and a deadline of a few months. It was a herculean task, but Buehrig managed it, creating two Auburns that are now considered among the most beautiful cars of their type from the era.

As the name suggests, the 653 Six is powered by a six cylinder engine, specifically the Lycoming L-head straight-six producing 85 hp from its 210 cubic inch (3.4 liter) displacement.

Power is sent back through a three-speed gearbox to a live axle rear end, and when ordering you had the option of choosing a Columbia Dual-Ratio rear axle which (in combination with the transmission) would give you six forward speeds.

Considering the severe financial conditions of the Great Depression the Auburn 653 Six represented a slightly more frugal approach to luxury motoring, certainly when compared with the larger straight eight, V12, and even V16 engines being fitted to other cars in the luxury market. The 653 Six even offered 23.7 mpg (combined), excellent fuel economy for a vehicle of this type at the time.

Sadly the Auburn 653 Six and Auburn 851 Eight wouldn’t be enough to save the company, and in 1937 the production lines of all three related marques ended – Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg.

The Auburn 653 Phaeton From American Pickers

The car you see here is now almost certainly the most famous Auburn 653 in existence thanks to its memorable appearances in two episodes of the hit US TV series American Pickers.

Above Video: This is the second episode about this Auburn from season 14 in which Mike takes the car back and gives Sandy a ride with the top down.

As mentioned above, the car first appeared in season 12 where it was discovered in a barn and bought by show host Mike Wolfe. As mentioned above he made a promise to get it running and bring it back to let the former owner Jan drive it, however he had tragically died before this could come to pass.

Mike kept his promise however, and returned the now running car to its long-time home and took Jan’s wife Sandy for a ride with the roof down as she held a picture of Jan – the three occupants set off to the local casino so Sandy could show the Auburn off to her friends.

The car is now for sale through RM Sotheby’s, it’s been preserved in the condition it was in during the filming of the episode above from season 14. The car is running and driving, however the new owner will have to decide if they want it fully restored or preserved in its current condition for posterity.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing. The current guide price is $30,000 – $40,000 USD, it’s being offered with no reserve, and the sale is due to take place on the 8th of October in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The post Barn Find: The Auburn 653 Phaeton Discovered On The TV Show “American Pickers” appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/auburn-653-car/
via gqrds

Drag-U-La From “The Munsters” Is For Sale

This is the “Drag-U-La,” a coffin-based drag racer that was designed by Tom Daniel then built by George Barris for The Munsters, a 1960s era TV series about a family of relatively benign monsters that lived an American suburban life.

If you grew up watching TV in the 1960s, or reruns in the 1970s and 1980s, then The Munsters will already be familiar to you. It was a staple of the rerun circuit for decades despite the fact that the original show only ran for three years from, 1964 to 1966.

Fast Facts – Drag-U-La From The Munsters

Drag-U-La was built using a real fiberglass coffin mounted to tubular steel, front-engined dragster chassis.
The car was fully functional and made numerous runs (and you can see in the footage below), apparently when it was built it had 350 hp and a very low curb weight, so 1/4 mile times were likely decent.
Drag-U-La first featured in the TV show, it was then used again in the 1966 movie “Munsters, Go Home!”
In all, Barris Kustom built five examples of Drag-U-La, the car you see here was the final one made.

Hot Rod Herman

Drag-U-La was originally built to feature in the May 1965 episode of The Munsters titled Hot Rod Herman.

This episode was likely a way to attract drag racing fans to the show, drag racing in the United States was experiencing explosive growth at the time and many people spent their weekends down at the strip.

Above Video: This footage from “The Munsters” shows the storyline featuring Drag-U-La.

The premise of Hot Rod Herman was that Herman Munster, the Frankenstein character, had lost the Munster Koach (the family car) in a bet at the drag strip that went awry.

Grandpa Munster and Herman then spent the next week in the garage building Drag-U-La, so they could take it down to the drag strip and win back the Munster Koach.

In reality of course, the Drag-U-La vehicles that were built were made at Barris Kustom in California under the watchful eye of George Barris, undoubtably the most famous movie car creator in history.

Both Drag-U-La and the Munster Coach were designed by Tom Daniel who worked with Barris at the time, Daniel would design over 80 cars over the course of his career, some full scale and some as scale models for Monogram.

Building Drag-U-La

The biggest difficulty that the team at Barris Kustoms faced when developing Drag-U-La was where to source an authentic coffin.

The car uses a real drag racing chassis and running gear, and is apparently capable of impressive 1/4 mile times by the standards of the era.

As it happens, it was illegal to sell a coffin without a death certificate in California at the time, however the resourceful Richard “Korky” Korkes, Barris’s project engineer, managed to secure a deal under the table with a funeral home in North Hollywood.

Korkes struck the deal, paid in cash and then left the funeral home empty handed. He returned later that night with some colleagues to collect the fiberglass coffin that had been discretely left around the back of the funeral parlor.

The coffin was mated to a real tubular steel, front-engined dragster chassis, Barris and his team then cut out two sections of the top and fitted a plexiglas bubble. The car was powered by a 289 cubic inch Ford V8 said to be capable of 350hp and topped by two four-barrel carburetors mounted on a Mickey Thompson Ram-Thrust intake manifold.

A pipe organ-like exhaust was then developed with four pipes on each side exiting vertically with slash cut tips at descending heights, a parachute was affixed to the back, antique lamps were mounted up front as headlights, and a marble gravestone was fitted up front – said to be Grandpa Munster’s license plate “from the Old Country.”

As with many dragsters of the time, the driver was sitting with their crotch pressed up against the differential. You would want to pray the diff didn’t explode.

When it was completed the car was not only functional, but apparently it was genuinely quick. Barris Customs would build five of them in total for use in the TV series and later in the 1966 movie “Munsters, Go Home!”

Some of them spent decades in museums, some went to private collections, and one ended up suspended from the ceiling at Planet Hollywood in Atlantic City.

The example you see here is due to be offered for sale in January through Mecum Auctions, it’s being offered with no reserve and you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.