Monday, July 31, 2006
NYC: Early 20thC Motown
The Noma Speedster: assembled on the Lower East Side.
The Brewster: built in Queens.
The Durant: assembled in Queens.
From yesterday's NYT:
"NEW YORK CITY is known for many things — finance, fashion, tall buildings, high rents, yellow cabs, the Yankees and the Mets — but automobile manufacturing never seems to make anyone’s list of the city’s highlights. Yet, from the start of the 20th century until well into the 1930’s, more than 50 makes of cars were built in and around New York.
At that time, all the ingredients necessary to build cars — access to raw materials, cheap and efficient shipping, an inexpensive and skilled work force — were accessible. Towns with railroads and cities with ports were thought to have an advantage over areas without them, and a large population seemed to be a key to success."
Source:
Welcome to New York City, Motown of the Early 20th Century
DAVE KINNEY
NYTimes, July 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/automobiles/collectibles/30YORK.html
Posted at 06:54 AM in Automobiles | Permalink
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Comments
Hello!
Thanks for the Noma pic. This is an incredibly tough car to find. I don't think any have been restored. It *does* look a little like a Kissel Gold Bug (as I have been told). I have been collecting all the cars mentioned in the story 'Second Chance' by Jack Finney in his book 'The Third Level' (Dell 1957).
Posted by: Fred | Aug 11, 2006 1:03:03 AM



















Yeah, that totally explains why Auburn, Indiana was a auto manufacturing nexus in the 20's and 30's. It must have been that railroad track just south of town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn,_Indiana
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=auburn,+in&ie=UTF8&ll=41.355422,-85.049973&spn=0.104887,0.205994&t=h&om=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_Automobile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_Automobile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duesenberg
http://www.acdmuseum.org/index.html
The museum is quite fun if your into old cards, they even have a Tucker there!
Posted by: BottyGuy | Aug 3, 2006 9:59:59 AM