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New York mystery motor

There are old pictures and there are contemporary ones, right? Well, with PreWarCars as a subject, they are now all on their way to the centenary, but there may well also be an in-between category. And this mystery photograph fits that group. The car shown here on the lawn of what seems to be a show looks to be a late-1920s, early 1930s motor. The photograph itself was taken somewhere in the 1960s (no further information known) when the car was yet to be considered a classic. The picture itself is now some 60 years old.

But it’s the car itself that attracted us in the first place. What is it? With those steel wheels our first thought was it could be a Packard. But perhaps not. Yes, it seems safe to say the picture was taken in the US, and with its New York plate an American make would certainly make sense. But hang on, this one is a right-hand drive. That had us mystified. And then there’s that unusual rear, with a kind of fastback-shaped roof with two bulges ending in low rear windows. It makes it look very wide. It’s definitely unusual. And how about that framework? Meant to hold what?

Fact is it was admired by many at this show in the 1960s, which also makes you wonder how special it was — and possibly still is 60 years later. We’d love to hear from you.

 

Words Jeroen Booij. Picture Ebay.

 

Pubblicato:
mercoledì giugno 1st, 2022
Steve Diggins
09 Giugno 2022, 09:53
I doubt any professional coachbuilder would do something like that.
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David Scott
02 Giugno 2022, 10:15
Looks more like an armoured car than a hunting vehicle, was the intention that one shot from inside the vehicle? Was that the function of the little "trap door" on the rear and the strange split side windows? I would have thought it was designed by someone indulging in substance abuse, maybe it was Dali, it's weird enough?

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erler Thomas
02 Giugno 2022, 08:26
According to information from all-andorra.com:

This model was ordered as a hunting car by Mr. Astor, owner of the Hotel Waldorf Astoria in New York. Its surrealist colours are inspired by the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí.

But why is the old picture showing a black car and the museum displaying a yellowish? Who was the coachbuilder?
regards from Tyrol
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Bernard Corrège
02 Giugno 2022, 08:22
I don't think it's about Hershey but rather the underside of the Montlhéry ring

Je ne pense pas qu'il s'agisse d'Hershey mais plutôt du dessous de l'anneau de Montlhéry
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A.J.
01 Giugno 2022, 16:39
The picture is taken at the AACA Hershey meet sometime in the 60s. The stadium is in the background.
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wizzy
05 Giugno 2022, 13:55
That was my thought as well: Hershey. That would be the old stadium. I attended for 44 years in that period. I'll have a look at all my old photos.
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Francisco Carrion
01 Giugno 2022, 10:19
The car is a Renault Nervastella apparently rebodied to be used for hunting. The car was restored and is currently exposed in the Malaga Classic Car Museum in Spain.
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Jeroen Booij
01 Giugno 2022, 21:01
Francisco to the rescue! Thank you very much for this, I would never have guessed this.
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Joop Terpstra
01 Giugno 2022, 08:22
Decorated on the back of the car by a plumber with a lot of free time?
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Larry Lewis
01 Giugno 2022, 05:10
I don't know what kind of car it is, but the blue license plate with yellow letters was standard in New York state up until 1972.
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Mark Roberts
01 Giugno 2022, 04:26
What intrigued me was the little light on the rear guard, the octagonal petrol cap and the sloping of the front radiator. Is that a Lincoln style mascot showing through the windscreen? Very hard to tell. Looks very European. I'm thinking something like a 1931 Renault LG1...
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