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Trivia thread

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2M views 17K replies 198 participants last post by  boothboy 
#1 ·
We started a trivia thread over at another forum and it has been a lot of fun.

Here are the ground rules. It starts with one question. The first reply with the right answer gets the floor for a new question. It continues like that unless, A) the person who has the floor doesn't ask a new question, or B) no one gets the correct answer. In that case, the person with the floor asks a new question. No more than one question on the floor at a time, and discussion/clarification is welcome until the floor is taken over by a new question.

See this thread for an example of how it goes: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/trivia/1454/page1/

First question: In the 1952 Indy 500, what type of fuel was burned in the record-setting pole-position #28 car? Hint: it won pole position by a full 4 mph over the second-place Ferrari
 
#9,087 · (Edited)
Sorry, Bruce. Not a Nedsel neither! :D

Hint # 3 It was, for its time, one of more expensive cars around, and was designed to compete with some of the best Grand Touring/Luxo-cars in the world! Prototypes were built, and the last one was actually considered (by some folks) as "a production car" since the design was then finalized. No body was ever produced for the last chassis built. The car company was founded by two brothers, and the designer was quite well known.
 
#9,088 ·
It was, for its time, one of more expensive cars around, and was designed to compete with some of the best Grand Touring/Luxo-cars in the world! The car company was founded by two brothers, and the designer was quite well known.
It sounds like you're talking about a Duesenberg, and I know August tried to revive the marque a couple times in the 50's, but the only mention of a car actually being built was one in 1959 that looks more like the Packard Request

August's son tried again in 1966, but that prototype was based on an Exner design and bears only a passing resemblance to this
 
#9,090 ·
Ta-Dah!!!!

Joe, you got it!

The Gaylord brothers conceived an advanced, modern interpretation of a classic car. They wanted a car that would handle and run with the best that Europe had to offer, but with American power and reliability. The car had an advanced suspension with huge amounts of suspension travel.

Powered by a Caddy engine.

It had a retractable hardtop, (several years in advance of Ford's Skyliners) that was powered by ONE motor - not the many motors that Ford eventually used.

It had variable ratio power steering - decades before anyone else had that feature. The 1957 (final) design had "dual-quad" headlights and was the first American car to do so. The rear did not change much in the various designs, but the front was "tamed down" a bit and the 1957 final design looked a LOT like what the Rolls-Royces of the late 60's became

It was designed by Brooks Stevens

4 Chassis were built, and the bodies were then built in Europe (like most major manufacturers did with concept cars), but only 3 bodies were constructed. Spohn (Germany) did the bodies.

A complete car plus a bare chassis are in the Silver Springs (Fla) auto museum

Joe- its your turn to ask one!
 
#9,091 ·
I hope Dave doesn't mind that I add a couple of things concerning the Gaylord Gladiator. This car was absolutely amazing and tremendously ahead of its time. That variable power steering was dash controlled. The chassis was tubular constructed like that of a race car. This was to be a $17,500 automobile! Here's a couple of links for more info. Take the time to read the article by Langworth and the letter by Gilmore. Great reading indeed!

BB :thumbup::thumbup:

Gaylord (1956): A Gran Turismo In The American Manner - Blog

GATSBYMagazine
 
#9,092 ·
Thanks, Dave. That was a great question. :thumbup:

One thing that astounds me about the Gladiator is this:
It had a retractable hardtop, (several years in advance of Ford's Skyliners) that was powered by ONE motor - not the many motors that Ford eventually used.
As someone who has worked on a lot of '60s Lincoln convertibles and a few Skyliner retractables, I would love to see how they pulled that off. Somehow they (1) unlocked the top, (2) opened the decklid, (3) retracted the top, and (4) closed the decklid all with one motor. I can't imagine how they did that. :confused:

Next question (this should be an easier one):

What is this rare, low-production American car?

 
#9,097 ·
Now that is a very interesting question.The car you show probably did not start out with those chrome side pipes.The model you show is a JN which was the last model they built and only a few were made.The model the functional chrome side pipes were designed for was the SJ and the two SSJ's. These were all supercharged cars with functional chrome exhaust side pipes exiting the hood.
The chrome side pipes on all the other models were added after or special ordered at the purchase time. Some of the added pipes were non-functional, just for looks.
So that being said unless you raise the hood you can't tell. I have visited the Cord Auburn Duesenburg Museum a couple of times and all those beautiful cars are beautiful!!!

BB :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#9,108 ·
The car you show probably did not start out with those chrome side pipes.
I was kind of in a hurry, so I just opened my pix folder and grabbed the first one I saw.
OTOH, I have a picture of it from the late-30's, and it had the pipes (as well as the Bohman & Schwartz modifications) then

The model the functional chrome side pipes were designed for was the SJ and the two SSJ's. These were all supercharged cars with functional chrome exhaust side pipes exiting the hood.
As I was telling Dave58210 in a PM yesterday, at the time I posted the question, I was thinking they ran from the supercharger. >> insert "brain fart" emocon here <<
But the more I think about it, you're right, the supercharger mounted beside the engine, and the exhaust pipes ran over the top of it

The chrome side pipes on all the other models were added after or special ordered at the purchase time. Some of the added pipes were non-functional, just for looks.
I understand that was quite an expensive option, although I have to wonder how much that would be for someone who could afford a Duesenberg :confused:
 
#9,098 ·
I was just reading a article about Clark Gable's 1935 Duesenburg JN and the car you have shone is his. Gable took his car to Bohman & Schwartz in Pasadena, Calif for a complete rework after buying it. All of the JN bodies were originally built by the Rollston Company. One of the modification Gable had done to his JN was removing the side mounted spare tires and putting them in the rear. So if that is Gable'e car he also added the chrome side pipes. They did not come from the factory originally.

BB :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#9,102 ·
Double overhead cam, supercharged. It took the rest of the world another 70 years to catch up to the Deusenberg's engineering! This car was developed before Ford even brought out a (flathead) V8!

It won LeMans - the single most prestigious race in the world - because it also had hydraulic brakes! It could out-accelerate and outbrake all the M-B's, Blower Bentleys, Bugattis and all the others!
 
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