Post your unidintified vehicle photos here.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Kerry:

Well Mon Ami, it took 6 hours of research and looking at thousands of images on Google and in books etc. etc. (I am not joking, thousands) and I finally have your answer.

The car is a 1939 Fiat 1500 6C with coachwork by the firm Garavini.

I found it through a link on Wikipedia where I was able to get a listing of all Italian coachmakers. I was going through each one and following the sub links when I looked at I think it was Boneschi, I found the car and the only reason it was there was that it said something like "Coachbuilders built many cars on the Fiat 1500 6C chassis including Boneschi, Pininfarina and Garavini. Garavini was not even on Wiki's list so this just a marvelous piece of luck. Anyway, there was your car and when I clicked on the photo it identified it as having a body by Garavini. A further Google search turned up multiple photos of the car.

As a matter of historical interest, of the several photos, all are of a restored car/cars, there are no contemporary photos. In some photos the car looks to be painted Black in others Blue. Based on the "Degree of Difficulty" in tracking this car down, I would bet a good amount of money that there was only one example made and your photo has all the more sentimental value as the car still lives.

Here is a photo of the restored example.

Cheers

Bill

[kerryboo]

Dear Bill, your mastery and sheer dedication is magnificent, I cannot imagine how you do it. More power to you!! And good luck with the cataracts, I had both done in my 40's. The product of too many facial injuries on the rugby pitch, hey-ho, the invincibility of youth! But, I no longer have to wear glasses, which is a plus I guess.
Thanks once again, and here, by way of thanks is another tester,
Cheers,
Kerry.

[S Ballantyne]

Bravo

Bravo Bill,

I was looking at Bertone examples but have never heard of this maker before.


Great job!

Cheers
Steve

[Bill Murray]

Hi Kerry & Steve:

Yes, quite an interesting saga after all.

I am not quite through with this vehicle having spent so much time
trying to track it down and if possible, I will try to find the present owner and share Kerry's photo with him/her.

One small detail, and details are what I live by, is that all of the current photos of this car show just a small difference in the frame of the windscreen compared to Kerry's car. It may be in surviving the war that the windscreen was damaged and repaired/changed a bit but for the moment I do not know.

If I am successful in tracking down the present owner, I will let you know.

Regarding your last photo, Kerry, it looks to me like a late 1920s early 1930s Mercedes. That era is outside my range of research in terms of the time frame, but I have some good reference books on Mercedes so I will take a look tomorrow morning.

Cheers

Bill

[Bill Murray]

Hi Guys:

Jst to keep you up to date, here is what I have found and done.

According to the Italian magazine "Gazoline" the car was in fact a one off which makes the whole exercise more fun.

They listed the source of their photo and I have emailed the Management of that photography company to see if they can help find the present owner. The photo was taken at an old car meeting in Italy.

I have also contacted the editor of an American web site which deals in posting photos of all kinds of cars from all over the world in an identification contest.
They used another photo of the same car at a different old car meeting I believe.

As I sent these emails today, I will most likely not hear anything before Monday but if and when either of them respond, I will let you know.

Cheers
Bill

[Bill Murray]

Hi guys:

I have now been in contact with the owner of the restored car mentioned earlier.
It may be that they are not the same car but certainly made by the same coachbuilder in the same "series"

He sent me several photos of his car and it is obviously a convertible coupe whereas Kerry's car is a convertible 2 door sedan style with a larger passenger compartment and a larger hood/top.

We are discussing the possibility the car may have been damaged or something and rebodied after the war and he is trying to track down Kerry's car by the 4 numbers that we can see on the registration plate.

Even if it is not the same car, the owner of the restored car is ecstatic to have a period photo of a car from the same series.

Thanks Kerry!!!!

Cheers

Bill

[kerryboo]

Bill, it give me a true feeling of pleasure to know that, through your hard work and dedication, this hobby has reached, and pleased, another area of collecting and research. More power to your elbow, sir!
Here are a couple more queries, first what I take to be a Citroen of some sort, butwhat exactly?

[kerryboo]

And now a double question. What is the car, and what are the 2 logos on its side? Thanks for looking,
Kerry.

[kerryboo]

I don't know if this helps, but I tried a bit of manipulation of the logos, Kerry.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Kerry:

Last vehicle is an Opel Admiral.
I can't say for the logos, heraldry is not something I research.

I am just off to the Doctor for my post-operation checkup after my cataract
surgery yesterday. Maybe soon, I will see a lot better

Thanks for the nice thoughts and I will try to ID the other car when i
get back to my house.

Cheers
Bill

[Bill Murray]

Hi Kerry:

I believe the first car in this series is a Renault. I am still trying to ID the style/model.

Cheers
Bill

[Bill Murray]

OK, maybe a Novaquatre like this one.
I was fooled for a long time by the cammo tarp on the roof which
made me think it was either some sort of 'Coloniale" vehicle with
a soft top of an umbau.

Sorry for the small photo but I was looking for just this body
style and this was all I found up until now.

Cheers

Bill

[kerryboo]

Bill, I hope the surgery went well and all will soon be clearer.
What make and model is this smart "woodburner"?
Thanks again,
Kerry.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Kerry:

Outstanding photo and thank you.

The car is a 1938 Pontiac.

A most unusual way to mount the spare wheel/tyre isn't it.


It may have originally been mounted in the front fender/mudguard.
As you can see, there is a tube mounted horizontally at the bottom of the fender/mudguard and another mounted vertically at the rear of the motor hood.

Perhaps the mounting brackets for fuel for the wood burner assembly??

Surgery went find but my vision will still be blurred for another week the doctor says.

Cheers
Bill

[kerryboo]

Bill, that answer nudged me to "Google" these 2, which I think, hope, are of a 1939 Pontiac? Not 100% reliable it would seem?
Thank you,
Kerry.