help identifying 2 vintage cars - its a long shot I know

northernneil

nowt to do with cycling but my family are researching some history and discovered 2 pictures of George Pond who was mayor of Swange at the turn of the century with 2 vintage cars. The first of which we know was the first car in the town. I'd really like to know the cars actually are for a) interest and b) to help date them.

If anyone knows anyone who is good at this sort of thing or where I could go that would be a great help, cheers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45700088@N08/sets/72157623253056581/

(by the way the soldier was fred pond his son who was killed in action in 1918, we think he is the boy in the second more grander car which dates it about 1908-ish)

softlad

the bigger car - possibly an Opel, although I'm not sure about the mascot on the radiator....

Cheshley

Can't help with the identification I'm afraid but I think your best bet is to email the pictures to somewhere like the Museum of British Road Transport in Coventry.

http://www.transport-museum.com/

Ben6899

Not many production cars knocking about in those years so that will help you narrow it down.

As Cheshley suggests; try the Museum of British Road Transport or the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.

Be sure to post up the answers, I'm quite a fan of older cars.

northernneil

I will do - and thanks for your help so far guys,

is Opel of that era related to Opel/Vauxhall/GM of now ?

softlad

northernneil wrote:

is Opel of that era related to Opel/Vauxhall/GM of now ?

yes, the same Opel....

guinea

It's starburst now - or something

Nuggs

I think the second is an Auburn.

LangerDan

The 1904 car is a Panhard & Levassor

Like this - http://tinyurl.com/ygal8nq
Large square screen, wide front fenders, kink in running boards

northernneil

wow, awesome find thanks !

this forum rocks

Monty Dog

Panhard were absorbed into what has become Peugeot-Citroen - they no longer make cars, just military vehicles

lae

Hehe. As a vehicle design student and someone who has owned five classic cars (at age 22) I thought I'd be able to identify these straight away!

Unfortunately you've got me stumped.

The problem with really old cars like this (usually termed 'brass cars') is that the manufacturers usually only produced the mechanicals - the separate body was built by a coachbuilder and so there was a great variety in body styles. Also car manufacturing really took off in this period and there were literally hundreds of car makers worldwide, far more than there are today.

Coventry Transport Museum might be able to help, as could some vintage/brass car forum people. Cov Transport Museum is pretty interesting if you're ever around there, and it has a lot of bicycles too.

northernneil

well first car is sorted, definately a 1902 Panhard & Levassor - good find that man

have contacted coventry museum but they want £6 to identify it so I have emailed a couple of other transport and vintage mueseums as well as posting on a couple of forums.

I'll let you know but thanks for your help so far

nicklouse

Neil could you actually post up the images (work does not allow direct access to flicker) of the one that is still unknown.

cheers.

LangerDan

Neil

Another option might be to trawl through the on-line photos for the London - Brighton vintage car run.

As finkmakesyouthink has pointed out, there can be many variations on a theme which doesn't help. As was pointed out above, the radiator looks like an Opel. some of the other fittings look a little like a Wolseley-Siddely.

balthazar

nicklouse wrote:

Neil could you actually post up the images (work does not allow direct access to flicker) of the one that is still unknown.

cheers.

Here you go:

nicklouse

balthazar
cheers, we are talking very Vintage.

northernneil

thanks for that balthazar,

yeah Nick the car now in the forum is his second car and we think the boy in the picture is his son who was killed in the war in 1918, he was born in 1898 and looks around 10 in the picture so we assume the year is roughly 1908.

nicklouse

just been around the office with the picture and drawn a blank. I have some reference book i will have a look at later but not hopeful.

softlad

ok - I've found another possibility....it might be a 'Hudson', but if it is, it would probably be later than 1908 - certainly no earlier.

See the link here - I know this is only a two seater, but the rad shape, mascot and badge on the top of the rad at the front look almost identical....

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h ... f%26sa%3DG

sorry for the long link - I don't know how to shorten it....

LangerDan

Perhaps a Humber (unfortuantely I can't view the original photo to compare, but from memory, some of the details aound the radiator and headlamps are similar

northernneil

certainly looks like the hudson in the black and white picture

1908 is only a guide as and we are not certain the boy in the family IS his son so we cant be 100% sure of the date

thanks for helping guys its quite interesting to see how 100 years on people know car makes !

northernneil

LangerDan wrote:

Perhaps a Humber (unfortuantely I can't view the original photo to compare, but from memory, some of the details aound the radiator and headlamps are similar

is this a Humber or a Hudson ?

LangerDan

B&W picture above is a 1909 Humber touring



According to the Hudson website, they starting manufacturing in Detroit in 1909 - I don't know if they were exported to the UK.