The fire is out

 

1941 Studebaker Commander

 

Hoarders on the move

 

Forrest Robinson's Batmobile

Forrest Robinson began sketching the Batmobile in 1960. He and Len Perham began building the car in the Robinson barn. The build continued into 1963. It wasn't until 1965 that George Barris began building the Batmobile that was used in the TV show.

Robinson's car was built on a 1956 Oldsmobile and powered by the Olds 324 Rocket engine. It was 17 feet long and 83 inches wide. It was originally painted silver. Comic book fans of Batman considered the Robinson car to be more authentic than the Barris Batmobile

Robinson used the car as a regular driver. However, as the Batman series gained popularity it was leased by All Star Dairies as a promotional vehicle. At that point it was painted in Batman colors and badged with official Batman labels.

It toured the Eastern US. In need of cash to start another fabrication business Robinson sold the car for $200. Later it was abandoned in a New Hampshire field where is sat for almost fifty years. Bobby Smith discovered the car in 2008.

Smith sold the car to a dealer in Chicago who in turn sold it to auto historian George Albright. In 2013 it was purchased by Toy Car Exchange and transported to Borbon Fabrications to be restored. The vehicle retains the original frame, engine and parts.

              

Stickered

 

Citroen 2CV ice cream car

 

Urbanina

             

One Piece at a Time

In 1976 Johnny Cash released "One Piece at a Time". It was a song about building a Cadillac from various parts from a variety of years. Bill Patch thought it would be a good idea to actually build the car. He used parts from 1949 through 1970. A bit more information and photos can be seen at streetmusclemag.

 

Two down

 

1920 Packard Model E

Packard produced the Model E from 1916 until 1923. They were powered by a four cylinder engine and could carry 7.5 tons.

British threesome

Built in 1991 as a promotional vehicle for the 1 Day Travel Card advertisements. it utilized a 1970's Daimler Fleetline double decker bus, a London Underground tube car, and  British Rail train cab. 

View one of the promotional videos on YouTube.

1972 Citroen GS Camargue

The GS Camargue was a concept based on the Citroen GS. It was 2" wider and 8" lower than the GS. The body was designed by Bertone. It was introduced at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show.

Cathedral

 The Cathedral is a 1959 Cadillac and I believe it has attended Burning Man on several occasions.

1958 McMinn Lemans coupe

 

The McMinn Lemans coupe evolved out of a challenge for an American car to win the French LeMans- something that hadn't been done since Duesenberg won it in the 1920's. It turned into a collaborative effort by a number of people. Read the story at undiscovered classics.

Hopefully an alternate route home

 

Headed for the lake

 

Protective coloration

A person working on their firewood came across the frog that is shown in the first image. Can you find him in the second image after he moved? He can be found in the center of the second image. Apparently this species of tree frog is capable of adjusting his color between gray and green for added protection.

1953 Maico Mobil

The Maico Mobil was produced from 1950 until 1958. It was powered by a 150 cc two stroke engine and had a three speed manual transmission that was shifted by a twist grip on the handlebars. In 1953 the displacement was increased to 175cc and an optional 200cc was added in 1955. It was also in 1955 that the transmission was upgraded to a four speed and shifting was accomplished with a heel and toe action. Notice that it carried a spare tire affxed to the rear. This scooter has a real George Jetson feel to it.

Daihatsu Midget II

 The Midget II falls under the umbrella of Kei vehicles in Japan. The Midget II was perfect for navigating alleyways and making deliveries. Read about limitations on being classified as a Kei vehicle at Wikipedia.

Steam powered motorcycle

 

James Aldridge on his new 1912 Indian

 

Mercedes 300SL

Whenever I see a Mercedes gullwing it takes me right back to about 1959. My uncle had a trucking company in Columbiana County, Ohio.  He had a huge parking lot and his drivers would park their cars there before going to work. My cousin and I would sometimes play in their cars. I specifically remember a silver gullwing and it was a favorite of mine. It had red leather like the one in this picture. When we went on our imaginary drives we had to leave the doors up because otherwise we couldn't deal with the heat build up. I probably would have forgotten about playing in the car if it hadn't been a gullwing, but it holds a special place in my memory because of those unusual doors. Even at eleven years old I recognized that this car was unusual and special.

By the time I was old enough to realize just how special it was no one was able to provide any information on the driver or the car. Production on the gullwing coupe was from 1954 until 1957 so it couldn't have been more than five years old. How did a guy who was employed as a truck driver acquire a Mercedes gullwing?

1963 Studebaker Westinghouse prototype

Westinghouse came to Studebaker with an idea in 1963. They wanted a simple truck with an eight foot bed that they could utilize for their in town deliveries. It was designed with flat panels to simplify the tooling and was a cab over design. It used the 289 cubic inch engine that was used in their other products and a three speed automatic transmission. Studebaker was on the verge of bankruptcy when they took on the Westinghouse project and any hopes that the prototype would save Studebaker vanished when the South Bend, Indiana plant closed in December 1963.

1970 Fiat Ferves Ranger

 

The Ranger was made from 1965 until 1970. The 499cc engine as well as the steering was from a Fiat 500 while the suspension and brakes were from the Fiat 600. It was available in 2 or 4 wheel drive and top speed was 45mph. A total of 600 cars were produced.

Over the river

 

Tesla Cyber Cab

These Cybercabs were introduced at an announcement event in October 2024. Twenty Cybercabs were provided at that time for demonstration rides. They are self driving and do not have steering wheels or pedals. Apparently they began production in February 2026.

Why didn't they simply drive through the gate???

 

1940's Ann Arbor, Michigan

 

Slammed

 

When four blowers just aren't enough

 

Peugeot 203 Camionnette

The 203 was produced from 1948 until 1960. Power was provided by a 1290cc four cylinder engine and a manual four speed gearbox. Horsepower increased in 1954 from 41 to 15. Top speed was about 75mph.

 

Final ride in a vintage Volvo

 

Determined canine

 

A work in progress

 

Lost vehicle

 

1962 Toyota Publica Sports Concept

The car was introduced at the 1962 Tokyo Motor Show. The top slid back to enable entry and it was a lift off design for fair weather motoring. More information and photos at story-cars.com.

Facial recognition

I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon walking the streets of London in May. I came upon this van that indicated live facial recognition was in operation. There was a heavy concentration of police in the surrounding area.

DIY gas door repair

 

1960 Ford Dekalb Lumberjack

Street fighter

 

Happy July 4th

 

The Stanmobile

This well executed conglomeration used 32 different cars and trucks. Learn what vehicles were used at barnfinds.com

Toyota Classic

The late 90's had a number of retro vehicles being offered. Toyota got involved and rolled out their Classic. It was based on their Hilux pickup and styled to look like the Toyota AA from the 1930's. There were 100 made. Read more about the Classic here.

Hauling giraffe

 

New trucks

The Wallace Smith Red Eagle service station (Mason, Missouri) took delivery of these two new Chevrolet trucks in 1927.

Outta my way!

1965 Triumph Bonneville $1100

 

Rock and Roll

 

1970 Isuzu Bellett 1600 MXII

 

Until I read about their offerings at Drive.com I didn't know that Isuzu was involved in this segment of the industry.