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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Josh P on Monday 19 August 13 21:55 BST (UK)
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Anyone able to tell me the type and possible date of this car, being driven here by my great-uncle in London? He was the private secretary of Baron Bliss Barreto at one time, so I am guessing this belonged to his famously car-loving employer as he could never have afforded such a vehicle himself.
Thank you for any insights.
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Note sure of date, but a quick tidy removing the scratches.
Steve
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Thanks for the unexpected tidy-up Steve! Looks good!
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Love looking at Veteran cars - don't know much about them though!
- however I'm wondering if this might be a De Dion of the 1904 variety - found a picture on the Veteran Cars Images website which looks a good match.
I wonder what that contraption out the front is?
- also wonder if some guru will be able to date by the number plate.
I will stand back and wait to be howled down now! ;D ;D ;D
Wiggy ;)
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Love looking at Veteran cars - don't know much about them though!
Me too Wiggy! It's a beauty isn't it? :)
And yes, you can date a car by the number plate - can anyone work out what the (presumably) two letters are before the numbers?
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'CT' ??
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That's what I thought too B-B :D
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ps there is a PDF file here http://www.cvpg.co.uk/REG.pdf (180 KB)
which gives details on all british car registration systems, including one and two letter codes.
if it is CT, then it would be from Boston, Lincs.
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Hi
CT 266 ?
R
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Hi
De Dion Bouton Type 1d ? [ De 2 ? ]
http://worldcarslist.com/photo/de-dion-bouton-type-id-tourer/04/default.html
Ray
Added - Circa 1903 ?
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Top detective work, all. Thank you!
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This may help Josh, http://www.numberplates.com/private-plates-issued/issued.asp
Bill. :)
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I agee with the date and identity of the car, but does anyone else think the tarmac road and kerbstones and other little details might suggest the photo was taken possibly as late as the 1920,s
mike (ever the devil's advocate ;D ;D)
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Judging by the way the boy in the background is dressed I would say early 1900s.
Bill.
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What on earth is that "thing" sticking out at the front of the car?
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What on earth is that "thing" sticking out at the front of the car?
I'm not sure, I think its a lamp, the other one may have gone missing ;D ;D ;D
this seems to be a posed photo taken from an upstairs window, the registration seems a bit late to belong to a 1904 car, and the apparent owner seemingly led an esoteric lifestyle, maybe he brought the car back from Belize at a later date
Added, It must have made winding the starting handle a bit hazardous
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there are two lamps visible further back on the bonnet. :-\
I asked about that thing also, in an earlier post - would be interesting to know wouldn't it. In another photos I found of a similar car, there is a thing poking out the front - but it turned out to be something used to hold the car in position in a display I think! ;)
Wiggy
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Good detective work Ray. :)
I notice a couple of differences between the two cars - bench seat/'bucket' seat, windscreen/no windscreen, front passenger 'door'/no door .... softtop .... (there may be more)
Obviously most could just be missing from what looks like the car in the museum. It is the difference in seats that has me most curious. Does anyone know if they would have made with such differences back in those early days, or did someone get it wrong when restoring the museum piece?
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I suspect that like other manufacturers of the time the bodywork was made to the customers specifications to a certain extent.
Just a few De Dions here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyX5DjDM2aA&feature=BFa&list=UL0kDYm_1bYxs&index=2
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I suspect that like other manufacturers of the time the bodywork was made to the customers specifications to a certain extent.
Makes sense. :)
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The thing sticking out the front is attached to a bracket of some sort on the front offside spring, so it would not interfere with the operation of the crank handle.
It looks to me like a cine camera of some sort ... so is this an early experiment in on-board photography? If so, it could be that an old car rather than a brand spanking new one was used for the experiment - which ties in with the suggestion from the road surface and kerb stones that this was perhaps as late as the 1920s. It would, in any event, need to be late enough that the camera would not have been hand-cranked.
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I cannot see a tax holder, although that doesn't mean there isn't one, just that I cannot see one. If it is not taxed then it would be before 1921.
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I believe that the thing at the front is a headlight. It probably only had one, to the left (as you look at it) of centre. If memory serves, it may have been paraffin fuelled. The other lights by the screen, I think, were "running lights" or side lights. A rear light would have been to the right of centre as only one was required.
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So what are the two lamps back near the windscreen? :-\
Wiggy
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Sorry, just modified my earlier post. I could be way off though.
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;) ;)
You'd think a headlamp way out front like that would be a bit vulnerable wouldn't you? :D
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;) ;)
You'd think a headlamp way out front like that would be a bit vulnerable wouldn't you? :D
It's to illuminate the fellow in front waving the red flag! ;D
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
In which case he'd be vulnerable to a shove in the rear with a sharpish object!! :D
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Good evening,
All three lamps are carbide lamps which run on acetylene. The lower chamber contains calcium carbide, the upper holds water. The water drips on to the carbide which produces acetylene, this is piped to the lamp where it burns extremely brightly.
These lamps were used on cars, motorcycles, pushbikes, mining lamps, caving lamps (still used today by some cavers) and in houses. In the USA they were still in use in the 50s in some areas where there was no electric.
This is a similar size to the one pictured;
John915
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I cannot see a tax holder, although that doesn't mean there isn't one, just that I cannot see one. If it is not taxed then it would be before 1921.
Not 100% sure youngtug but the "tax disc" of that era may have been an engraved or etched brass plate on the dashboard, passenger side.
John915
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http://www.britishtaxdiscs.co.uk/tax-disc-history.php
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What on earth is that "thing" sticking out at the front of the car?
I'm not sure, I think its a lamp, the other one may have gone missing ;D ;D ;D
this seems to be a posed photo taken from an upstairs window, the registration seems a bit late to belong to a 1904 car, and the apparent owner seemingly led an esoteric lifestyle, maybe he brought the car back from Belize at a later date
Added, It must have made winding the starting handle a bit hazardous
Just catching up with this ... I would think :-\ that perhaps it swings in towards the body and out of the way ... well it would if I had designed it, anyway :D