There were no new cars being built during WW-2, so nearly anything with 4 wheels was used for transportation. This included some of the glorious wooden spoke wheels limousines of the 1920s. I was the after school clean up guy at the Chevy garage.
I remember a customer telling the mechanic that he was going to keep the wooden spoke limo he was driving because it was one-of-a-kind and would be worth a lot of money as an antique after the war. It was a fabulous vehicle with a huge engine. There was a glass partition between the front seat and the luxurious rear seats, and even a microphone connected to a speaker in the front seat area so the passengers could give orders to the driver while maintaining their privacy. The mechanic thought about it a while and then ask the owner: "How much is a carriage and four worth nowadays?" "Nothing.", said the owner, "They're all probably rotting away behind barns." "And you think this limousine will be any different?", said the mechanic. I don't remember the rest of the argument, but after the war the wooden spoke wheel cars rapidly disappeared. A few, such as the Oakland, have survived but that was probably because many were built. You can buy one in good condition (according to the seller) for $20,000 nowadays. I would be tempted if I had garage space to keep it. An ultra "cool" Oakland "sports model" was our families first automobile. (scroll down the page to the green Oakland.) It had a rumble seat and a permanent, non-retractable cloth roof. The whole family would pile in the car with four of us kids in the rumble seat and four in the front seat with my teenage sister sitting on someones lap. During the 1930s we would drive 'way out to the Frozen Custard drive-in on Sunday afternoon and eat hot dogs hamburgers and their famous frozen custard. For us kids, this was second only in popularity to a trip to Fountain Ferry Park with its giant slides and ferris wheel. The only treats we got otherwise were Hokey Pokey "popsicles" made in ice cube trays. Anyone remember those? Gerry Curley wrote: > Anyone want beanie babies? (Case in point) They were supposed to > appreciate forever because of "limited" quantities. Only problem is, > nobody wants em now. > I do predict some shiny objects, particularly thin, round, shiny > objects, will maintain some value forever. (may or may not have more > buying power than now) > > Randy Bennell via Mercedes <mailto:mercedes@okiebenz.com> > > June 2, 2017 at 4:28 PM > > I suggest you need to be careful with that guarantee. > > I predict that these vehicles are going to be of little or no value > > within a few years. > > The old duffers like us who like these vehicles will all be gone and > > our children could care less. > > It has already happened with a lot of things that used to be quite > > collectable. > > > > RB > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > -- arche...@embarqmail.com <arche...@embarqmail.com> --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
