What is the accessory on the rear fender of the Roadster? A light or what?
Looks like a parking light.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/80257/117087.html
Whats the square tube thing on the running board?
This picture has been around before.
Note that there is no saddle for putting the top down.
Bob
What a fantastic picture. Apparently the buildings in are long gone, replaced with office buildings. Interesting web site on the photo: http://www.shorpy.com/node/7244
Rich
Tony, I have seen quite a few old photos of cars with that fender accessory. They appear to be an early version of a stop light.
Here are two cropped pictures I have found.
Notice the SLO in the lower section.
You can view the complete picture of one here. Regards, John
http://www.shorpy.com/node/3544?size=_original#caption
Except for the cars, it doesn't look much different than Bluffton Indiana right now. We 'city boys' would call this whole area 'the historic district' where I come from. False front brick and stone buildings, ornate wood carvings on all the structures, an America I thought was long gone. I woke up this morning to the National Anthem being played by a band at the Veterans Memorial right across the street. Got dressed in a hurry and participated in the memorial to our 'Brothers'. Sadly, the only place that's going to have that many people at them at 9:00am on Memorial Day where I come from is going to be WallMart and the (beer and lotto) C-stores. Now, that's a bit of an over statement but none the less the atmosphere in this little old Indiana town made me feel like it was 1945 again for a moment.
Those left rear fender mounted lights are a parking lamp that was required in Washington DC and perhaps Maryland. If you look at old car pictures on Shorpy many of the cars have that lamp because most of the pictures are from Washington DC and the surrounding areas of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Also interesting is that many cars have a Washington DC license plate and a plate from a neighboring state.