mobile

The history of the Buick brand is almost a statement of the history of the American automobile industry. Founder David Buick had to hang on tight in the early days as Buick rode the unpredictable roller-coaster of world events to become not only a pioneer but a frontrunner in automotive manufacturing. Buick, fortunately, attracted the aid of William Durant. Durant was the largest producer of horse-drawn carriages in the country and had several successful businesses. In 1904, he agreed to turn Buick into a viable company. Durant went to the New York Auto Show in 1905. He took orders for more than one thousand Buicks. With these orders in hand, he raised enough money from Flint’s banks to build the country’s largest assembly facility. By 1906, Buick was building 4,600 automobiles a year. 1907 saw Henry Ford introduce his famous Model T. Buick countered Ford’s success with the Model 10. Buick produced 4,000 Model 10 runabouts in 1908, outselling both Ford and Cadillac, making Buick the number one producer of automobiles that year. Together with Louis Chevrolet, Durant formed the ‘Chevrolet Company’ in 1911. It soon outsold GM and challenged Ford. From its very beginnings, the Buick has impacted the whole automobile industry. Source: www.davearbogast.com/the-history-of-the-buick-brand/

This vehicle is cool. One of the first Woodies.

a little history info... query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F01E2D81139E6...

Interesting picture of a Motor Chapel.

Interior of the Motor Chapel:

The Model T was introduced to the world in 1908. Henry Ford wanted the Model T to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable. The vehicle was one of the first mass-production vehicles, allowing Ford to achieve his aim of manufacturing the universal car. The Model T was first tested by Henry Ford himself who took the vehicle on a hunting trip to Wisconsin and northern Michigan. The Model T became famous for the stunts it could perform including climbing the stairs of the Tennessee State Capitol and reaching the top of Pikes Peak. After the test of his own product, the vehicle was shipped to its first customer on October 1, 1908. A common myth is that all model T’s were black. While Henry Ford did say “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black,” the policy was in place solely for efficiency and uniformity. The car was only offered in black from 1914-to 1925, however before and after that various models of the vehicle could be purchased in a variety of colors including blue, red, grey, and green. The vehicle also became famous for its unique nickname—Tin Lizzie. There are various accounts of how this nickname was acquired by the Model T. Possible origins include the popularity of the female name “Lizzie” during that period to a famous Model T racecar named Old Liz. Despite the popularity of the nickname Tin Lizzie, the Model T had dozens of nicknames. Source: corporate.ford.com/articles/history/the-model-t.html#:~:t....

According to Don Ricardo from Vintage Caravan Forum and in relation to the photo: "The fact that the car was powered by a gas producer, seems to confirm that the photo is likely to have been taken during World War II, but the T-model Ford is from the '20s or earlier, and the style of the caravan and the wooden spoked wheels suggest that the caravan is also likely to have been built in the '20s. I haven't been able to find out anything about James Whalley & Son who built the van, except that a Whalley family - including at least two generations of James Whalleys - were merchants on the Sunshine Coast around Nambour and Maroochydore. The Whalley owned a sawmill in Nambour in the 1910s, and a hardware store, general store, petrol station, and Ford dealership at various points in the 20s and 30s. So it could be that James Whalley & Son was connected to the Whalley merchant family." Source: vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/16163/james-whalley-...