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Topic starter
07/03/2012 2:26 am
PICS (1:1) Another Big Brass Beastie.......
Odds & Ends....
I've run through all the photos of Brass Era cars that I've found in my digital and 35mm files for the moment, so here are a few stragglers to wrap things up. First, the odd, and it has rarely gotten "odder" than the 1913 Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo in all of automotive history....
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This incredible oddball was the brainchild of James Scripps-Booth, scion of the E.W. Scripps publishing empire. Weighing in at 3200 pounds, this beastie was powered by a 45 horsepower 332 cubic inch flathead V-8 of Scripps own design that predated Cadillac's milestone V-8 by a full year. It also featured an electric starter, itself a relatively revolutionary advance for it's time. It's the only one that was ever built. I would say that the "car" was way ahead of it's time except for the fact that it's time never came! 😉
Scripps-Booth went on to build a number of more conventional four wheel cars between 1913 and 1922. I saw the Bi-Autogo many years ago at the wonderful Owl's Head Automobile Museum in Maine, where it was on long term loan from the Detroit Historical Museum.
I found my pix of an incredible 1906 Stanley Vanderbilt Cup Racer recreation after I had already posted my Stanley story....
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Besides being able to conquer the steep grades leading up to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, the versatile 30 horsepower Stanley engine also powered a number of very successful racers. While the most famous is the "Rocket" that ran 127 m.p.h. on Ormond Beach Florida in 1906,...
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....a small number of very special cars were built to compete in the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup races. This series was a contest of both speed and endurance held on the public roads of Long Island, New York between 1904 and 1916. Some liken them to the Mille Miglia or Targa Florio events held in Italy a few years later. Here's a link to some history of this legendary American road racing series....
...and one to 14 pages of some of the incredible cars that ran there on my friend David's wonderful blog, The Old Motor....
To my knowledge, none of the original Stanley Vanderbilt Cup cars have survived, but a few steam car enthusiasts (including Jay Leno) have produced wonderful replicas. I saw this one at the New Hampshire International Speedway Concours the same year as those Panhards were displayed....
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You might just be able to make out the huge swath of brass sheet that covers the entire bevel edge on the hood. Lighting conditions made it very difficult to get a clear image of all this brightwork. That's the owner/builder of the car with his hand on the fender, doing his very best impression of one of the Stanley brothers. Never did figure out if he was doing F.O. or F.E.!
And lastly, here's proof positive that sometimes the stuff in the parking lot at a car show is as interesting as what's on the show field....
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As I was leaving the Hemmings Concours a few years ago, I came across this magnificent Simplex Sportster sitting amongst the Subarus and SUVS....
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The owner was preparing to head out as well, so I stuck around long enough to hear him fire it up and motor away. A great way to end the day for me and, I hope, a fitting end to this brief series for you guys.
And, as always, thanx fur lookin'! 
07/03/2012 4:45 am
Thanks for all the great pics and info, Gene. I'm for sure gonna have to add a few baby beasties to my collection.
07/03/2012 5:14 am
Whew! The Scripps car is quite interesting. I've never seen it before. I'm curious how...
... horsepower numbers were determined in those days. Does anyone know the methods used?
Topic starter
07/03/2012 6:03 am
I'm pretty sure that it's the same SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) brake horsepower...........
rating that was used before the present net horsepower ratings were adopted in recent years. Remember that compression ratios were MUCH lower back then (4 or 5 to 1), engine revs were also MUCH lower and the available fuel yielded WAY less power per gallon.
So you needed 332 c.i. to yield the 45 horsepower in the Bi Auto-go or 1,452 c.i. to get 200 horsepower out of that crazy Darracq V-8. The trade off is that these old engines were ALL about the torque, which they had by the bushel full.
07/03/2012 6:39 am
I'm not sure the Scripps can be classified a car.
Originally, it had one wheel in front and back with side wheels to keep it from falling over when stopped. More a motorcycle than an automobile I think.
07/03/2012 6:54 am
"Training Wheels"...... :o)) ..... on a 1 1/2 Ton motorcycle,,,, YEA Baby...
Topic starter
07/03/2012 7:02 am
Yeah, you're both quite right. Those little white tires just behind the doors were meant to be......
lowered by the driver when stopped, and raised once a sufficient speed was reached. This was done with a lever inside the passenger compartment.
The black tire all the way at the back is actually one of two on a dolly that supported the car while it was on display. It's not part of the car. There is a rear wheel similar to the front one barely visible just under the seat,