This picture was given to me a while ago- I don't actually know if this dude is my great grandfather or great uncle or what, but I'm told it's the earliest photo of anyone in my family with a car. The question is, what is the car?
This picture was given to me a while ago- I don't actually know if this dude is my great grandfather or great uncle or what, but I'm told it's the earliest photo of anyone in my family with a car. The question is, what is the car?
Hmmmm, not in there.
Nope
Huh, not here either.
It's probably on this list:
The split grille looks a lot like a 1931 Pontiac, but other details don't seem right. In any case I'd put the year of the car between 1929 and 1932.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
That looks right to me! Very cool, thanks for identifying it- apparently it had a sleeve valve engine, which is extremely interesting to me. My grandfather on the other side of the family worked on the rotary engine program at Mercedes when they were doing that, so I apparently come from a long line of people who like weird engines!
For a little more history on the guy in the photo, assuming he's my relative as I've been told- he would have been a pretty much fresh-off-the-boat Lithuanian immigrant, working in what was then the family business of running a relatively successful little pharmacy in the NYC area.
Not sure of the car, but one thing is clear--somebody comes from money!
Plate's 1934 and the shield on the grille looks like a Plymouth; I can't see a badge on top of the grille. Back when cars were interesting .....
Not sure those front tires are going to pass at the next inspection 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
That looks right to me! Very cool, thanks for identifying it- apparently it had a sleeve valve engine, which is extremely interesting to me. ...
If you like sleeve valve engines, make sure to check out the Bristol Hercules and Centarus motors. A very big version, and pretty successful. The gears actuating the sleeves are pretty crazy.
In reply to aircooled :
Uh, that's not "pretty crazy" -- that's flat-out nuts! 
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:1931 Willys Knight.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovecoffeeyesido/3142215504/
That's it for sure. Checking online, the badge on on the headlight bar appears to have been new for 1931 so it's a definitive answer.
My high school girlfriend's dad had a 1929 Willys-Knight that he had restored. It was an interesting car - the sleeve valve engine worked well and was very quiet, but by design they blew a lot of oil smoke out the tailpipe. His car had mechanical brakes, which was kind of scary the first time he let me drive it.
1988RedT2 said:Not sure of the car, but one thing is clear--somebody comes from money!
Back when the rich had cars and the poor had horses. When did it flip?
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