Oldsmobiles, Locomobiles and Fruitcake

Well that peaked you interest didn't it :-) Yesterday (Monday) I think promised to be a pretty mundane day. The skies were grey and threatening rain, laundry HAD to be done as clean clothes were .... well actually almost non-existent. Glenn wanted to do an oil change and lube on the A, so that was the plan for the day. To get it off to a good start we had breakfast at one of my 3 favourite breakfast spots in Stowe, The Dutch Pancake House. Just before we arrived my blackberry beeped with an email from our neighbour at the Car Show Bill, asking us if we would like to drive up and see the "Locomobile". Of course this sounded MUCH better than laundry, so we contacted him and arranged to go up.

We had some time to kill, but thankfully not enough time to do laundry so did some touring around before heading North East through some amazing scenery to his stunning hillside home, sitting all alone in a picturesque 160 acres, with views all the way to Killington and Sugar Bush mountains. He greeted us as we pulled the A up in front of a beautiful centurion wood barn. Bill was kind enough to explain to us when he bought the property the house had looked like a scud missile had hit it and the barn was leaning this way and that. With a lot of work, designing and planning, he has turned his house, barn and office into hillside home that looks like it has been sitting on the hill forever, with stunning perennial beds scattered throughout. This is the type of home that nobody would ever want to leave to go anywhere.

We were taken into the office with stunning carved wooden beams and shown where he does his fundraising for under privileged children and shut In's.

After a brief walk around the property we saw the trailer that took the 1904 Oldsmobile to the Stowe show and that he trailers most of his vehicles in to Concours shows all over the US. BTW did I mention that the Oldsmobile won best in Show at Stowe this year? You will see some photo's on the picture page once I get them tagged. As impressive as the trailer was the vehicle that hauled it was equally impressive. Neither Glenn or I can remember the name of it, but it looked like the type of cab that would pull an 18 wheeler but with all the luxuries inside of a limousine. Bill asked me to climb up and take the wheel, WOW - I felt like king of the road!!!!

Then the barn door opened to the work shop which contained 4 motor vehicles and 1 bike. The first being a "modern" vehicle, 1934 Ford Deluxe Fordor V8, completely original which he is looking to sell and was dangling the carrot in front of Glenn's nose.

I truly wish that we could remember all the vehicles that were in the workshop, as each one was more stunning than the next. Bill's interests are brass era cars built from 1901- 1914. One of the vehicles was a race car from the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. Car # 41 built by Veile and finished 17th in the race. This was incredible to see, and imagine this racing around a track at 70MPH in little bucket seats, with no seat belts, no roof, no roll bar, no windshield - Yikes talking about putting your life in your hands. Another interesting feature about this historic vehicle is the fact that when not racing fenders were added and you had a street car. Bill is almost finished completely restoring this car and is hoping to take it to the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 in 2011.

Next there was an brass era electric car, which was again completely original, interior and exterior. The plans are to clean it up but keep it original as possible. The uniqueness of the car and the detail to the interior is exquisite, we only with we could remember the make, model and year as well as the other car in the work shop.

Just when we thought we had seen it all - well except the Locomobile, another door opened. I am not kidding when I say that both Glenn and Bill's eyes welled up with tears as a display of cars, all over 100 years old, all American and all in mint, MINT condition. These are cars that museums would give their first Born's for. Again, out of respect we did not take any photographs or take notes. We just looked in awe and appreciation and soaked up history that Bill told us, his knowledge on each vehicle, it's history and legacy is unsurpassed. Some of the companies I had never heard of like the Winton Motor Carriage company, Steven Druyer. There was a stunning 1902 Ramber Model C that can be seen here http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10512/Rambler-Model-C.aspx. and of course the piece de resistance the 1914 Berline Locomobile which can be seen here when it won best in show at Hilton Head and a few other Concours shows http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12356/Locomobile-Model-38.aspx the photographs do not do it justice at all, however, give an idea of the detail, love and care that has gone into the restoration. I should add time as Bill showed us his binders full of research into each and every detail of the cars. Just to find one small part can take years, to get it lovingly restored to it's original condition, more years.

I have more to add but shall do so later, as I do not feel like typing anymore :-) Also maybe with some more time some of the manufacturers, makes and models will come back to us.

More later