Photographs: Anonymous motor vehicle wizbang thingamabobs

 

 

A friend sent these to me and I thought you might enjoy them. He supplied nothing of the vehicle type, country, year, photographer, etc… so I have undertaken some judicious research and surmised the rest. Somehow today’s cars just don’t have the joie de vivre of these earlier contraptions. Enjoy the inventiveness of man and his love of the vehicular device!

Information on any of the photographs would be appreciated.

Marcus

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Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

 

 

 

English amphibious car – by the look of the number plate, 1910s-1920s

 

 

English half-track car c. 1910s-1920s?

 

 

English, probably at a Butlins holiday camp or some such, 1940s-1950s by the look of the cars

 

 

French, 1960s?

 

For a private Africa expedition (London to Capetown) Riley needed a trick to cross the rivers on his journey. The inflatable pontoons did the job but the holding rack was so close to the wheels that steering was impossible when the pontoons where in place. The brand name of the car is Riley to, if you are wondering where Riley got the money for his expedition.

Text from the Amphiclopedia website [Online] Cited 12/03/2013 no longer available online

 

 

Miniature lorry, English c. 1920s-1930s?

 

 

Ian Cameron
Ay-Ell
1964

 

 

16th January, 1964: “On the day after the official opening of the Tay Salmon Rod Fishing Season, Duncan McGregor catches an 8lb salmon from Ian Cameron’s amphibious car ‘Ay-Ell’.”

 

American delivery van 1910s-1920s?

 

Motorised half-track ferry, French?

 

English tricycle ambulance, c. 1940

 

Those mad Englishmen – boat car 1950s?

 

Across Europe on a Monowheel!

The 1920s, however, also saw the introduction of a few more ‘sensible’ motorised monowheels, which were really aimed as useable one-wheeled motorcycles. One of these was the mid-1920s Italian Motorouta that was actually produced in limited numbers. According to an advertisement of the time this machine had a 175 cc engine coupled to a 3-speed gearbox. It must have worked reasonably well, since a Swiss engineer by the name of Gerdes set of with a Motorouta machine for a rather grand trip from Switzerland to Spain in 1931. We know that he made it to Arles in the south of France, but whether he ever reached Spain is unclear.

Text from the Dark Roasted Blend: Monowheels website [Online] Cited 24/10/2020

 

 

English open-air tram – class-ridden scene with the old workers houses, gas container behind, c. 1930s-1940s?

 

 

American, 1910s-1920s?

 

 

Oh wow, love this!
English 1930s?

 

 

 

English tricar, two photographs of the same vehicle, 1920s-1930s? Love the circular door… another three-wheeler!