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Drivers Wanted: 1924

San Francisco, 1924. "Marmon coupe at Golden Gate Park." Equipped with a Biflex bumper. Latest exhibit in the Shorpy Diorama of Defunct Dreadnoughts. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.

San Francisco, 1924. "Marmon coupe at Golden Gate Park." Equipped with a Biflex bumper. Latest exhibit in the Shorpy Diorama of Defunct Dreadnoughts. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size.

 

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Today’s Top 5

License plate

That gem of a license plate had a green background with white numbers. The pair in near-mint condition today would bring over a hundred dollars; bunged up, perhaps half.

All Early Tires

Were made of white rubber. The tires didn't last long because white rubber is very soft and wears out fast. Eventually it was discovered that if carbon was added to the rubber, it made the rubber a lot more durable. Tire treads were then made of black rubber, and the sidewalls were white on both sides. It was thought that the white rubber stayed cooler than the black, adding to tire life. Double sided whitewalls were common until the late 1930's, as evidenced by car ads of the time. After that, tires were either all black, or with a whitewall on only one side.

Whitewalls

Judging from what can been seen here, it appears the tires may have been whitewall on both sides. Was that ever a standard practice?
Love the radiator cap/temperature gauge.

Bi-

And also fitted with the very practical bi-sided white wall tires.

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