late '20s-early 1930s car designed to look like airplane
 

Need help identifying photo of an actual car (from late 1920s - early
'30s?), which looks something like a wing-less airplane -- extremely
futuristic for the time and two-toned.

It might have been associated with the introduction of Associated
Aviation Ethyl gasoline. The big city (San Francisco?) gas station,
where it is being filled, features clock-faced gasoline pumps topped
with globes. The Flying A has bird-like wings, and gas is 14¢/ gallon.
The gas is being pumped into this car through a nearly triangular
flip-up opening that looks about a good 12 inches per side of
'triangle'- this flap is on same level as the windows of this bizarre
car. The photo shows the car from the side, and it is almost a smooth
arc in design, from front to back. The windows are three (separated)
in front and four along the sides, if you count the flip up gas space
as a "window". These 'windows' are rounded in the corners. It is hard
to tell, but there may be an additional window arc cut into the roof
above the central front window, giving more of a sense of a 'cockpit'
look? There is one door, despite the long length of the car. It
almost looks as if there is only one exterior hinge on the door. The
front and back of the vehicle appear to be white and the white color
frames the windows--this arc of white emphasizes the overall arc
profile of the car. There is a single bent arc of a front metal
bumper and there is a long strip of chrome(?) running from over frton
wheel to over the back wheel. No logo or name visible on side of car.
I can't see the back end of the car due to two men standing there.
(One is my grandfather.) There are two flap like vents beneath the
central front window. These small flaps are raised in the photo.
Across the street is a Shell station with a 'normal'-looking 1920s
car.

Can anyone help with the ID of this car ?
-- or the date when Associated Aviation Ethyl was introduced at Flying
A stations?

Thank you,
Bonnie

I bet you are looking at a Dymaxion (by B. Fuller)

wrote:

> Need help identifying photo of an actual car (from late 1920s - early
> '30s?), which looks something like a wing-less airplane -- extremely
> futuristic for the time and two-toned.
>
> It might have been associated with the introduction of Associated
> Aviation Ethyl gasoline. The big city (San Francisco?) gas station,
> where it is being filled, features clock-faced gasoline pumps topped
> with globes. The Flying A has bird-like wings, and gas is 14¢/ gallon.
> The gas is being pumped into this car through a nearly triangular
> flip-up opening that looks about a good 12 inches per side of
> 'triangle'- this flap is on same level as the windows of this bizarre
> car. The photo shows the car from the side, and it is almost a smooth
> arc in design, from front to back. The windows are three (separated)
> in front and four along the sides, if you count the flip up gas space
> as a "window". These 'windows' are rounded in the corners. It is hard
> to tell, but there may be an additional window arc cut into the roof
> above the central front window, giving more of a sense of a 'cockpit'
> look? There is one door, despite the long length of the car. It
> almost looks as if there is only one exterior hinge on the door. The
> front and back of the vehicle appear to be white and the white color
> frames the windows--this arc of white emphasizes the overall arc
> profile of the car. There is a single bent arc of a front metal
> bumper and there is a long strip of chrome(?) running from over frton
> wheel to over the back wheel. No logo or name visible on side of car.
> I can't see the back end of the car due to two men standing there.
> (One is my grandfather.) There are two flap like vents beneath the
> central front window. These small flaps are raised in the photo.
> Across the street is a Shell station with a 'normal'-looking 1920s
> car.
>
> Can anyone help with the ID of this car ?
> -- or the date when Associated Aviation Ethyl was introduced at Flying
> A stations?
>
> Thank you,
> Bonnie

--
Frank Scully
Beechhurst Inc.

On 20 Aug 2004 02:53:45 -0700, wrote:

>Need help identifying photo of an actual car (from late 1920s - early
>'30s?), which looks something like a wing-less airplane -- extremely
>futuristic for the time and two-toned...
>
==============================
Does it look like one of the cars shown at

http://www.3wheelers.com/dymaxion.html ?

Joe
--
Heather & Joe Way
Sierra Specialty Automotive
Brake cylinders sleeved with brass
Gus Wilson Stories
http://www.brakecylinder.com

Could it be a Stout Scarab?

http://sts.stanford.edu/dymaxion/cars.htm (second picture)

Or an Airomobile?

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/airomobile/airomobile.htm

Or any of these?

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/airomobile/odd_main.htm

Steve H

wrote:
>
> Need help identifying photo of an actual car (from late 1920s - early
> '30s?), which looks something like a wing-less airplane -- extremely
> futuristic for the time and two-toned.
>
> It might have been associated with the introduction of Associated
> Aviation Ethyl gasoline. The big city (San Francisco?) gas station,
> where it is being filled, features clock-faced gasoline pumps topped
> with globes. The Flying A has bird-like wings, and gas is 14¢/ gallon.
> The gas is being pumped into this car through a nearly triangular
> flip-up opening that looks about a good 12 inches per side of
> 'triangle'- this flap is on same level as the windows of this bizarre
> car. The photo shows the car from the side, and it is almost a smooth
> arc in design, from front to back. The windows are three (separated)
> in front and four along the sides, if you count the flip up gas space
> as a "window". These 'windows' are rounded in the corners. It is hard
> to tell, but there may be an additional window arc cut into the roof
> above the central front window, giving more of a sense of a 'cockpit'
> look? There is one door, despite the long length of the car. It
> almost looks as if there is only one exterior hinge on the door. The
> front and back of the vehicle appear to be white and the white color
> frames the windows--this arc of white emphasizes the overall arc
> profile of the car. There is a single bent arc of a front metal
> bumper and there is a long strip of chrome(?) running from over frton
> wheel to over the back wheel. No logo or name visible on side of car.
> I can't see the back end of the car due to two men standing there.
> (One is my grandfather.) There are two flap like vents beneath the
> central front window. These small flaps are raised in the photo.
> Across the street is a Shell station with a 'normal'-looking 1920s
> car.
>
> Can anyone help with the ID of this car ?
> -- or the date when Associated Aviation Ethyl was introduced at Flying
> A stations?
>
> Thank you,
> Bonnie