Many years ago I read of a "Locomobile" racer called that ("La Bete Noire") in "Autoweek". Having a daughter-in-law who likes to name vehicles and knowing I had to beat her to the punch or she would name my truck for me, I chose that moniker and spent hours on-line looking for the original that I had seen so many years ago. Today I tried once again and happened to luck into not only her history but some photos of her. (It's nice to know I didn't dream the whole thing up!)
There are 20 more photos of her and a bit more of her story at ConceptCarz.com to whom I am very grateful for saving this beautiful machine's history and these photos!
I'm looking forward to browsing through the rest of both of these sites, most likely sooner than later!
Reading that she had gone up for auction and not met reserve 2 years ago, I hope she is somewhere warm and dry. Apparently she has an older sister in the Henry Ford Museum and the sister has a running replica that was built for the '66 World's Fair!
The photo of my truck is from Saturday morning while we were waiting for Noel to be ready to go "antiquing" as I finished waxing it much too late on Friday for there to be light for a photo. Yesterday it was warm again, so I kept Dottie's Malibu at home and handwashed it and spent several hours removing "road oil" from it along with some yellow paint where "someone" apparently was too close to a line-striping truck on a windy day. Then I managed to get a coat of wax on it as well, finishing just as it got too dark to see.
Last night we got the upper end of the storm that dropped the tornadoes in Oklahoma and dropped from the 70's to just above freezing. Though the radar showed freezing rain and snow moving through this morning when I got up, the snow never actually hit the ground here and now the sun is out and things are dry enough that the roads shouldn't freeze tonight.
It's supposed to be warmer again tomorrow and my sawhorses (the ones I couldn't find last week) turned up at my son's under a door in his basement and found their way home, so perhaps I'll finally get that riser cut for this desk and be able to rearrange it. I saw one I really liked at Nebraska Furniture Mart the other week, but I've driven vehicles most of my life that weren't worth as much as it was...
I hope all of you are warm and dry if you're Stateside, or cool and dry if you're below the Equator given the terror that has rolled through Australia of late. May the rest of the week be very kind to each of you...
alan
14 comments:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a penchant for naming things. Just to put your mind at ease, my car, a green '99 Kia Sephia is named "Jumper One" or Jo for short. The Stargate Franchise has these little ships that go through the Stargate. Early on one of the Geeks tried to name it a "GateShip" because it's a ship that goes through the gate. Thankfully he was over ruled. They were named "Puddle Jumpers" or Jumpers for short. My car, it reminds me of a Jumper, hence, the name.
I've always felt that if you name something you build a more useful and personal connection to it. A relationship, and it makes it hard to take it for granted. It imbues it with extra energy, and helps protect it, and you. In theology, especially mythology, it is often said that knowing something, or someones name, gives you power. Demons for example, if you learn their true name, they cannot harm you and must do your bidding.
Plus I've heard it's a girl thing, naming things. You have no idea how much heat I've taken over the years for naming things, or being leary about un-named things? One of my brothers boats doesn't have a name and it kinda makes me twitchy, harder to relate to it. So congratulations on naming your own ride! The name has a rich history just as you say, and the ford it was named for was one heck of a car. Way to go!
That's a cool looking old race car! It looks like a chain drive, like the old Mack trucks.
I guess I'm not one to give things names, but that's just me.
My dad had the same respect and appreciation for vehicles you do. He was a Ford dealer the son of a Pontiac/Buick dealer so we grew up knowing cars and how to take care of them.
Though my car is not named... I do call my son-in-law's car, Susan. His GPS system has a pleasant British lady's voice and she and I bonded when last I visited. She took me everywhere I wanted to go and never once scolded me when I failed to follow her directions.
Wasn't that car reviewed in a high end auto magazine? I seem to recall reading about it in "Octane" or "Car" or something like that.
Nice truck! It reminds me: I have to fix the brakes on mine, and it's in desperate need of a wash, never mind a waxing!
Carolyn Ann
I'm so glad the storms missed you.
I love car history, thanks for that link! I don't think I've ever blogged about my father in-law's 29 Dr.'s Coupe. hmmm, thanks for the idea. :)
Finally have some good news posted over at Home Fires. Thank you so much for your concern. :)
Please, please, please forgive me for skipping your football-looking post? I'm trying to get caught up here -- just not a sports fan!
Boy, you've been busy! I was thinking about you earlier, when I was choking down a "delicious" dietary smoothie, wondering if you were getting your "dungeon" time in, but I see you haven't really needed to. Better busy than benching?
I'm not sick of politics, yet, but I am sick of negativity, still, and it seems there's a lot of it going around. There are days when I feel like Archie Bunker -- like when Tom was launching into a stimulus critique and I just had to shout, "STIFLE!"
We're nearing the end of our February thaw, just in time to snuggle close for Valentine's Day, I guess. Good while it lasted, wasn't it?
And it's finally YOUR turn on wordscraper! ;-)
Sounds like you've had a little Spring Break! We had one yesterday, back to chilly today but still warm enough to knock off anothe 5" or so from the deck and yard.
Off to sunny Puerto Rico on Sunday though! One week closer to spring!
Great looking truck by the way. Nice mirror shine! I gotta get the salt off my ride.
Very cool!
Very cool!
I too am a big "thing-namer". My current car is Hillary (after Sir Edmund), but that's neither here nor there.
I was happy to see the little bit about the girl at the Henry Ford. We're supposed to get there in the next couple weeks, and I'll tell her "hi" for you.
The men in my life would love that rig.
Gloomy damp and cold here...crappy weather right now Allan.
I name vehicles, too! Though sometimes I give them human-sounding names. One I named "Victor," as in the monster in Frankenstein, because by the time I was done with that beater, it didn't have an original part left!
I like the Locomobile, and I really like the original.
A happy Valentine's Weekend to you and Dottie!
Nice truck! It looks almost as nice as mine ;)
Have a great weekend!
As we'd say downunder - What a beaut ute!
Post a Comment