MTFCA Forum

Look at those # tier sidelights on the touring car in the no. 9 photo.
I have seen some like that on some Model S cars. Were these common the early T's?
I assume those were E&J sidelights.

Then there is the Torpedo photo. It has a trunk and gas tank you don't see on other Torpedos.
Would that be aftermarket?

I have never seen that arrangement before. I have also never seen a period photo with a hood pinstriped with "boxes"

Do I seen an auxiliary horn as well?

Herb,
The 3 tired side lamps were used on early 1909 cars.

The glass of the lamp does not appear to be clear and the lamp appears to be extended out far enough to be visible from the front or back. Was the glass of each lamp equipped with colored glass? Green on the right side and red on the left side to help other drivers tell if the car was coming or going or which side of the car they were looking at at night? This crucial signal is still used on the front of boats.

Jim -
I'm pretty sure to lamp glass is just sooted up from a dirty flame.

Aircraft have red and green wingtip position lights for the same reason....to let you know if they are coming towards you or going away.

I am certainly with Dan H on this! It is not uncommon to spot darkened sidelamp glasses on automobiles in era photos. While good quality kerosene burned fairly clean, especially in that era when many homes used mostly kerosene lamps for all their night lighting. Ever try to clean the soot from a badly adjusted kerosene lamp? (Not fun!) Even good quality kerosene will smoke and soot up the lamp if the burning wick is improperly adjusted.

Years ago, I got a home type glass kerosene lamp. Curious to try it out, I got the only thing I could find at the time, some outdoor Tiki lamp oil. Cleaning the glass chimney was not fun. Not all kerosene burns cleanly.

The torpedo has electrified headlamp inserts too. Given the sooty side lamps, that’s just as well.

Taking another look at this torpedo... Notice the door is square, not rounded at the back. Which body manufacturer did that?
Compare to Mark Eyer's torpedo:
Here is another photo from the era of what appears to be an open runabout with aftermarket fore-doors. The doors are square, but sloping floor board area indicate it was an adapted open runabout.
Things that make me go, "hmmmmm."

: ^ )

Keith

Apparently that Eureka Country Club is still there, on Country Club Road, the area is much more wooded now and Streetview won't let me get up the drive