Peace and Progress: 1924

The car pictured is undoubtably a circa 1920 McFarlan. These were produced in very low numbers in Connersville, Indiana from 1910 - 1928.

Several engines were available including a "Light 6" on a 127" wheelbase, a straight 8 with a 131" wheelbase, and a "Twin Six" with four valves per cylinder along with three spark plugs per cylinder on a 140" wheelbase.

These cars were massive often exceeding 3 tons in weight. With production often less than 100 per year it is amazing that about 20 still exist today.

A photograph of a later model from 1922 is shown below.

That almost looks like an armored car. That huge visor is reminding me of the metal plates they could swing down across a halftrack windshield. And those intakes look like snorkels on a Land Rover or APC. But it's probably just oddly designed to look that way, 9x13 cake pans and all. And criminy, long men's coats and knickers were not two things one should wear at the same time. In fact, knickers should never be worn.

What kind of car is that? Two air intakes in the cowl?

I'm in love with the kid under the "Peace" sign with the enormous white collar with his tongue sticking out. Is he also wearing glasses? A possible candidate for a Shorpy zoom perhaps?

Can Shorpy readers help me identify the unidentified flying "steering wheel"-looking thing above the flowers on the right-hand car? It seems too high to be a steering wheel and it doesn't appear to be a part of a musical instrument. It looks like it's about to hit that woman in the head.

[It's the steering wheel of a car. - Dave]