Vintage American Cars in Havanna, Cuba -- Can you Identify Them?

Hi folks -- these photos are taken from the Carol M. Highsmith collection athe Library of Congress and were taken in 2010. There are numerous photo books of American cars in Cuba; at least three of these are in the University of Dayton library. So let's play a game -- can you identify the cars in these photos -- Make and year?

Club Auto Racing in China -- Holy Cow! SCC at the Shanghai International Circuit

Thanks to colleague Chris Agnew who pointed this event and group to to me. Photos are from fall SIC Club Challenge, sponsored by the Sports Car Club of Beijing. The Club has 500 rich members, either corporate heads or 2nd generation rich. This is where the real speed is in China.
Founder of SCC, Zhang Kuan, was quoted as saying "Those who do street-racing are never he real rich people. What they drive are not the4 best sports cars either. The real deals are all babied in the private villas. The real racers are hidden underground."

The Automobile and Contemporary Art -- the Work of Dustin Schuler

Death of an Era -- 1980


Dance -- 2008

Dance -- 2008

Berwyn, IL car Spindle -- 1989

1963 VW Pelt -- 1983

This second intense reaction to a shortage of oil and gasoline unleashed another wave of discontent related to the automobile and its place in American life. One amusing response was the work of California artist Dustin Shuler (1948-2010). On the night of October 23, 1980 at California State University Domingues Hills, a 1959 Cadillac was illuminated, elevated on four oil drums, and then pierced by a 20 foot “nail” that was dropped 100 feet from a boom crane.26 The Cadillac was then pulled on to its side and left on display in an exhibit entitled “Death of an Era.” Schuler saw this act as akin to a hunt for a wild animal, and later he took apart the Cadillac in a way that left it “skinned,” like an animal pelt. So encouraged by this first work, Schuler subsequently skinned and created pelts of a VW beetle, a Fiat Spider and a Porsche 356C! Schuler summarized his activities this way:
"All the cars I have skinned and, for that matter, all the cars on the road can be considered an endangered species. While I am not arguing for the preservation of this species, I notice the ‘evolution’ that is going on right before my eyes [new cars coming off the docks and old cars being scrapped] and I want to collect a few good specimens before they are gone."

Wolrd War II and American Automobility -- Images

Note -- photos taken from Library of Congress photo collection. I wish I would have used some of these in my book, The Automobile and American Life! Perhaps a 2nd edition!


Automobile salvage. When the scrap is sorted, powerful electric cranes load it into freight cars--each type and grade in a separate car. The crane transfers the scrap from the sorted pile to the car in a matter of moments. To conserve railroad car space and time, each car is completely filled before it is shipped
Creator(s): Perlitch, William, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 Sept.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print



Car pooling at Glenn Martin. Car pooling at the Glenn Martin aircraft plant. The personnel manager, who arranges rides for others, has also joined a "car pool" to save gas and rubber. He is shown entering a worker's car
Creator(s): Liberman, Howard, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 June.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-fsa-8e11015 (digital file from original neg.) LC-USE6-D-005019 (b&w film neg.)
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-005019c-P&P
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print



Proposed poster for car sharing. Artist's rendering of a proposed poster to promote car sharing. The true objective of group riding is the maximum use of the minimum number of cars. Effective group riding only begins with the swapping of rides. As more and more cars are not available for use in the future, the necessity for this transportation cooperation will become increasingly vital.




Soldier inspecting new bantam truck at Fort Myer, Virginia. This small light truck, known officially as the "Truck 1/4-ton 4x4," is a small, low-silhouette, narrow-tread, 4-wheel drive car without armor protection, which is designed to carry three men and their individual weapons. It can also be used as an ammunition carrier. It is not currently contemplated that the vehicle itself will be armed. If this vehicle proves satisfactory under the exhaustive tests now in progress, its place in the Calvalry Team will be to furnish road and cross-country transportation for small rifile units whose normal function would include reconnaissance, security and dismounted combat. Frequently these rifle units will be employed with mechanized cavalry elements, such as Scout Car platoons, to extend the reconnaissance and supplement the fire power of larger units. This newly developed 1/4-ton truck has many advantages over motorcycles and moto-tricycles: it can carry three men, where the others are designed for two; it has more cross-country ability and ruggedness than the motorcycles; it is relatively quiet; its light weight permits manhandling; it's to be employed to carry either three men or a cargo weapon; it's easily concealed. With a few exceptions, these small vehicles will replace on a one-for-one basis the motortricycles and motorcycles with side cars now in use
Creator(s): Dixon, Royden, photographer

Halftrac scout cars. Another engine for an Army halftrac scout car begins to take form. They're coming through faster and faster every day--engines and cars, both--as the Midwest plant turning out the complete jobs gives everything it has to speeding production. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Creator(s): Palmer, Alfred T., photographer
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-003219c-P&P Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Answering Some Questions about the Rise of the Japanese Auto Industry, its Future, and Impact on America

On 12/27/11, Jonah Belser <jbelser.94@gmail.com> wrote:> Dr. Heitmann,>> Thank you so much for your prompt reply! Here are our questions:>>

1) What do you see in the future of the American auto industry with respect> to Japanese competition?
My sense is that the Japanese challenge has peaked, and that we have reached an equillibrium stage in terms of competition and market share in the rivalry between American and Japanese automobile firms. Japanese innovation in terms of production and quality no longer has an edge in the global market place. Everybody uses insourcing and lean, and the Americans are just far more competitive since bottoming out in 2008-9.

2) To what extent are the stereotypes of inefficient American cars and> efficient Japanese cars true? I think the steroetype has broken down the past few years, although Americans still prefer large cars and horsepower. Americans are genrally too fat; consequently they are comfortable in larger cars and SUVs, and like it that way. Additionally, Japanese cars rarely are "cult; cars; rarely do we want to keep a Japanese car -- we dispose them like appliances.

3) How has the American automobile shaped American culture?>Wow -- read my book The Automobile and American Life -- in music, film, literature, and of course the shaping of society and social habits.

4) What do American cars symbolize to the American people? What do Japanese> cars symbolize to the Japanese people?It used to be status, freedom, mobility for Americans, particularly to about 1970 although to some degree that is changing among younger Americans.

5) How may the American identity be affected by the increased demand for> Japanese cars over American cars? A great question. For the longerst time, we wer influenced by ideas that touted American exceptionalism -- that we were somehow different from others, and that included our values and virtue. Since the coming of the Japanese cars we have been emphasizing pluralism far more in discussions concerning the future of our society. Are these two phenomenon connected or not? I am not sure, but perhaps the sue of mateiral goods reshape our thoughts about the people who make them.

6) How does the rise of Japanese auto manufacturers relate to the American> and global economies?Certainly their rise is part of the story of deindustrialization in America post-1973, and the decline in per capita income and the working middle classes in the U.S.

An Electric Car from the 1950s -- the "Pioneer" from Nic-L-Silver Battery Company

From an article published in Sports Car Illustrated, January, 1960, p. 32 ff.

The two seater body was made of laminated fiberglass, and it had a removable hardtop. Behind the bucket seats were 12 4 -volt series wired batteries made by Nic-L-Silver. These lead cell batteries have two cells each with 31 plates per cell and a capacity of eight hours at 235 ampere hours.

A box frame construction carried a full torsion suspension similar to that a of a VW of the era. Top speed was 50 mph. A hydraulic brake system an conventional steering system was also featured in this 95 inch wheelbase vehicle.

The inventor-entrepreneur for all of this was George Lippincott, who hoped to build ten cars a day with the market being power companies and postal authorities.

The car had two electric motors and a stated range of 100 to 150 miles, depending on how the vehicle was driven. Price was stated at $1995, with a $300 cost to replace batteries when that happens.

Syllabus: HST 344, The Automobile and American Life, Spring, 2012

Sorry folks -- formatting went crazy here upon moving from Word to this blog. Dates and assignments are correct, however.

HST 344 -- Science, Technology and the Modern Corporation: The Automobile and American Life

Class Meeting: MWF 1-1:50 p.m., HM 125

Instructor: John A. Heitmann

Office: 435HM (x92803).

Office Hours: 2:00-2:50 MW or by appointment
E-Mail: Jheitmann1@udayton.edu
Blog page: http://www.automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com

Texts: John Heitmann, The Automobile and American Life.
Jack Keroauc, On the Road.
Ben Hamper, Rivethead.
Tom Wolfe, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

Grades: The final grade for this course will be based on two hour exams, (60%), occasional quizzes, and final exam (30%). The grade scale is as follows: A 94 to 100; A- 90 to 93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80 - 83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73. A similar pattern applies to lower grades. Letter grades are assigned a mid-point numerical grade. Additionally, attendance can influence your final grade: if you miss more than 3 classes, one letter grade will be deducted from your grade; if you miss more than 6 classes, a two letter grade reduction will take place. A good grade for this course is a C+. Grade averages may be influenced by such factors as trends over the time of the course; for example, how you finish is far more important than how you start. Policies for exams strictly follows History Department Guidelines, and make-ups will only be offered with a valid, documented excuse.

Attendance at lectures is crucial if you are to expect a good grade in the course, and I want you to be at every class if that is at all possible. On many occasions material presented is not covered in the readings, and so many of the ideas discussed central to the development of modern science are complex and often confusing. Your attitude and what you bring in to the classroom can make the difference between a mediocre offering and a most positive educational experience.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and offenses will be punished accordingly. A first offense will result in a failing grade for the exam or paper in question; a second offense will result in a failing grade for the course.

Course Purpose: It has been said that the automobile is the perfect technological symbol of American culture, a tangible expression of our quest to level space, time and class, and a reflection of our restless mobility, social and otherwise. In this course we will explore together the place of the automobile in American life, and how it transformed business, life on the farm and in the city, the nature and organization of work, leisure time, and the arts. This is a most complex transition that we will study, as the automobile transformed everyday life and the environment in which we operate. It influenced the foods we eat; music we listen to; risks we take; places we visit; errands we run; emotions we feel; movies we watch; stress we endure; and, the air we breathe.



SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS

The week of:

Week 1/January 18 Introduction; What our cars tell us about ourselves.

The car in everyday life: the automobile age and its contradictions. Automotive Pioneers
Reading: Heitmann, Introduction, Chapter 1.
Films: “Wild Wheels”; “Horatio’s Drive.”


Week 2/January 23 Putting America on the Road; Henry Ford and the Model T
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 2.
Film: “Automobile Parade;” “Gussle’s Day of Rest.”


Week 3/January 30 Stealing Cars; The Rise of General Motors
Reading: Heitmann, pp. 54-63.
Film: “Master Hands;” "Roger and Me."


Week 4/February 6 Advertising, Styling, Design and the Art of the Automobile
Reading: Heitmann, pp. 64-71.
Film: “Automobile Advertising 1910-1940.”

Week 5/February 13 On the Road
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 4.
Films: “Grapes of Wrath;” “Route 66;" “Detour;” Keroauc: On the Road"

February 17: Exam 1 -- on this exam you will be tested on the Keroauc book.


Week 6/ February 20 Religion, Courtship and Sex
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 5.
Films: “Thelma and Louise”; “Motorcycle Diaries”




Week 7/ February 27 The Interwar Years: The Great Depression Aerodynamics, and Cars of the Olympian Age
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 6.
Films: “The Crowd Roars;” “Burn Em’Up Barnes.”


Mid-Term Break: Holiday March 2



Week 8/March 5 World War II: Detroit, the Arsenal of Democracy
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 7
Film: “Jitterbugs.”

Week 9/ March 12 The Post War Industry and Technological Suppression

Readings: Heitmann, pp. 133-154.
Film: “Tucker”

Week 10/ March 19 Chrome Dreams of the 1950s
Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys
Readings: Heitmann, pp.154-163.
Film: “American Graffiti”

Week 11/ March 26 The Rise of the American Muscle Car
Readings: Heitmann, pp.164-178.
Films: “Goldfinger;” “Thunderball” “Bullitt.”

Test 2 March 30 -- you will be tested on the Wolfe book at this time



Week 12/ April 2&4 Oil Shock I: Japan, James Bond, and Mobile Lovemaking

Readings: Heitmann, pp. 178-184.
Film: “Easy Rider;” Toby Halicki's "Gone in Sixty Seconds"

Week 13/April 11, 16 and 20 The Automobile World Upside Down, 1980s to the Present.

Readings: Heitmann, pp.185-194.
Film: “Fast and Furious; Tokyo Drift;”

"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"

April 18 Stander Symposium




Week 15/April 23 The Automobile Industry and the Future; Sum Up
Reading: Heitmann, pp.194-206.
Film: “The Revenge of the Electric Car”

April 27 Last Day of Classes
Heitmann, Epilogue.



FINAL EXAM, Friday, May 4, 12:20 --2:10 p.m. On this exam you will be tested on the Ben Hamper Book.