Generally credited with developing the signature BMW kidney grille, the Ihle brothers, Frank and Thomas, of Bruchsal, Germany, also built such racing cars as a competition variant of the BMW Dixie. After selling their racing car business to BMW, they established “Gebr. Ihle,” which translates to “the brothers Ihle,” aimed at producing cars for amusement parks and fairs.

These cars are extremely rare and collectible. This particular example is powered by a Hirth two-stroke, single-cylinder motor producing about seven horsepower, accessed through a simulated spare tire cover at the rear. With a length of only 93 inches and a weight of only about 600 pounds, it is a delightfully sprightly little motor car, finished in cream and black with one of two available front nose sections from Ihle, the other of which was simply intended to create some model differentiation in Ihle’s lineup.

Slowing down from a projected top speed of about 25 mph is accomplished via rear cable brakes. As this particular Schottenring car has been restored to perfection and is one of a few examples in existence, it should be considered your grandchild’s first rare and desirable collector car in their collection!

Text from RMauctions

At a jumble-sale this summer I picked up a stack of small cookbooks and among them was the one you can see in the illustration above, “Rumford Bakebok” from 1927. I suspect that it is translated from English as Rumford is not a Norwegian product but who cares. With a bit of fancy PhotoShoping I managed to place both the book and a tin of Rumford into the intro illustrations for the recipes from the little book.

The book had been appreciated as it was obvious that several generations of the woman in the Grindalen family had used it frequently (two generations had scribbled their name inside and one on the outside) before it ended up in my vast collection of old printed matter

The recipe is HERE

Summer is here, at least on my side of the blue planet so it’s time to don the Bermuda shorts and head for the croquet field. And what better to play with than a set you’ve made yourself – Plans in pdf format HERE

Related articles

Jim Morrison, the lead singer of American rock group The Doors has died in Paris aged 27. He was found in a bathtub at his apartment at 17 Rue Beautraillis by his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. A doctor’s report stated the cause of death was heart failure aggravated by heavy drinking.

The rest of the band – keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robbie Krieger and drummer John Densmore – are currently in the United States. Morrison, also known as the Lizard King, was born in Florida in 1943, his father Stephen was in the US Navy and rose to the rank of admiral. He formed The Doors with Ray Manzarek in 1965 in Los Angeles.

Morrison had come up with the name after reading Aldous Huxley’s account of drug experiences, The Doors Of Perception.The group became the first popular "new wave" band.

Their first album, The Doors, released by Elektra Records in 1967, was a number one hit in the US, though only just scraped into the British charts. Their following albums, Strange Days and Waiting For The Sun, provided further American hits and, in Hello I love You, a British number 15.

Arrested for lewd behaviour

But with its ever growing fame, the band lost some of its credibility in the rock underground. Morrison’s behaviour, fuelled by drink and drugs, became more outrageous and in 1969 he was arrested for "indecent exposure, lewd conduct and public intoxication" after a concert in Miami’s Dinner Key auditorium. Though some of the charges were later dropped, the scandal made it hard for the band to perform live for some time.

Morrison used the crisis as a spur to creativity and produced one of the group’s most critically acclaimed albums, Morrison Hotel, in 1970.

Over the past year he has made clear he wanted to drop music altogether to become a writer. He has already published two volumes of poetry, The Lords and The New Creatures, and planned to begin a literary career once his contractual obligations to Elektra were fulfilled.

In Context

Jim Morrison is buried at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where his grave has become a shrine for successive generations of fans. In 1991, the 20th anniversary of his death, the cemetery had to hire extra security after police used tear gas to disperse rowdy fans.

Since Morrison’s death his records have never been out of print and Hollywood, too, has found The Doors music attractive. The End was used in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, and in 1991 Oliver Stone helped cement the Morrison legend with his film biography The Doors, starring Val Kilmer. The film created a whole new generation of fans.

The three surviving members of the group released a new album, Doors Box Set, in 1997. It included three CDs of previously unreleased songs.

Text from BBC’s OnThisDay

1934 Hispano-Suiza Type 68 Drophead Coupé

The largest and most magnificent luxury car to be produced during the 1930s was the V12 Hispano-Suiza, which first appeared in 1931 with a 9424cc power unit, uprated during 1934 to 11,310cc. The wondrously extravagant car shown here is a 1935 example of the 11.3-litre Type 68 bis with two-seater drophead coupe body by Saoutchik, and an overall length of some twenty feet! The last V12 Hispano was built in 1938; after the war, Hispano experimented with a Ford-engined fwd car, but soon abandoned it.

1935 MG PE

Typical of the MG sports cars of the 1930s and 1940s is this 1935 PE, introduced at that year’s Motor-Show. With a 939cc engine, engine, the PE was a development of the 847 P-type of 1934, itself a refined version of the 1932 J-Type Midget. Again, it was styling which sold the little MGs for, although they had good acceleration and roadholding, they were not particularly fast in a straight line.

1935 SS 90

In 1935, the first SS sports car, the SS90, appeared , with a sixcylinder, 2.7-litre Standard 20 power unit in a special 104 inch wheelbase chassis. The ’90′ in its name suggested, perhaps a little optimistically, the designed top speed. The SS90 sold for only £395, but was a transitional design. Just fifty had been built when it was replaced by the meretricious SS100.

1935 Triumph Southern Cross
 

The Southern Cross was a sports version of the 1935 Triumph Gloria, a range of cars named after a glamour girl of the day. Built on an 8ft wheelbase. the Gloria was available with a four-cylinder 1232cc engine or a six-cylinder 1991cc power unit.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Teresa is based in Los Angeles where she has assembled a group of some of the top LA based touring and session musicians in her band, The Rhythm Tramps. They have been working in the LA area and at blues festivals and clubs throughout the US and Europe for many years. For the last 12 years, the band has also been a favourite on Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise.

She has released 8 CDs  – her most recent, COME ON HOME, was released in August, 2012 and has been getting regular airplay on stations around the world and charting for weeks at a time on the Roots Radio Charts (topping off at the #3 spot). It has been listed on many ‘best of’ lists for 2012 and has been receiving raves reviews from writers and DJs everywhere.

Her 2008 release, THE BOTTOM LINE, garnered her a nomination by the Blues Foundation for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and her 2010 CD, YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT,was a finalist for an Independent Music Award (IMA).

She has performed live with such legendary artists as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Eric Burdon, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Big Al Anderson, Kirk Whalum, and many others. Her voice is featured on albums by Randy Newman, Eric Burdon, Tommy Castro, Bill Medley, and Walter Trout, among others. She has also sung for television and movie soundtracks; She and her band were featured in the Disney movie and soundtrack for “HOLES“.

Teresa’s band is an eclectic mix of Los Angeles based musicians who have worked with a wide range of artists including: Jimmy Reed, Eric Burdon, Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Jennifer Warnes, Was Not Was, Johnny Nash and many, many others.

Text from teresajames.com

The Mazda K360 (Japanese: マツダ・K360) is a three-wheeled light truck made by Mazda. It first went on sale in 1959 in Japan. Production ended in 1969. In total, 280,000 vehicles were produced.

The vehicle is 2.975 metres in length, 1.28 metres wide, 1.43 metres tall, weighs 485 kilograms, and has a top speed of 65 km/h.

Text from Wikipedia

…….. to change the records in that jukebox.

I know the French love those utterly sad and desperate love songs that tends to put you in the drabbest of moods, but filling the whole jukebox with songs like that was maybe not a very good idea – Ted :’(

Picture taken by Ed van de Elsken in Paris sometimes in the fifities

I’ve spent the first 19 parts of this series dissing members of the advertising profession so since I have been at least semi part of the profession for about 30 years I thought it was time to show an ad I have nothing what so ever against. (Apart for the fact that I wouldn’t be found dead in a ditch in a BMW, but that is more because the kind of people that usually choose to buy one around here than the car itself.)

The ad is clear in its concept, straight to the point and best of all, cruel enough to drive that point home. Just like a campaign like this need to be. For the first time on this blog; Well done Mad Men – Ted

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…. bastard that keeps tagging all over town. I must say I am a bit surprised – Ted

Image found in GhastlyDelights

Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson

Image from IndypendentThinking

One would think that there was a close relationship between the NSU and the NSU-Fiat companies, but this is not the case. In the late twenties, the majority shareholder in NSU, Jacob Schapiro, held a number of different business interests. He brokered a deal wherein NSU of Neckarsulm would merge with his various companies, which promptly proceeded to go south. This deal caused grave financial difficulties for NSU, so it was decided that the recently built NSU factory in Heilbronn was to be sold. Fiat purchased the plant, which came with NSU shares and the NSU name. Fiat had no dealings whatsoever with NSU in Neckarsulm itself, as the Heilbronn plant and name was purchased from Dresden banks. Fiat, under the name NSU-Fiat, agreed to finish the remaining NSU cars in the new plant and then to manufacture and distribute Fiat cars from there. NSU in Neckarsulm would manufacture only two-wheelers until the mid-fifties, when they returned to car building with the Prinz.

During the thirties, NSU-Fiat at Heilbronn distributed imported Italian Fiats and produced German versions of the Italian Ballila, the Topolino, the 1100, and the 1500, which were bodied by local firms, mostly Drauz and Weinsberg. The Weinsberg roadster on the Topolino chassis was particularly attractive. Post-war, they built the 500C Topolino, the 600 Jagst sedans (171,355 examples), and the 500 Weinsbergs, as well as the 850 Adria, the 1100, and the 1400/1900 series.

In 1955, NSU of Neckarsulm was the world’s largest producer of motorcycles, but they saw the market going soft and began the development of a car that became the Prinz in 1958. To avoid confusion between the two companies, NSU-Fiat changed its name to Neckar, after the nearby river, although cars usually continued to carry the NSU-Fiat badge.

Text and images from RMauctions

These days when most of us reach for a soda on the supermarket shelf our options are limited to a few international brands that have cornered the market. And when we do grab it, it will most likely be in the form of a plastic bottle or aluminum can. But in the early 20th century, the business of soda, like many others, was a local enterprise.

In 1900 two brothers, recent immigrants from Italy, founded a soda and beer bottling plant at 812-14 Washington Avenue. The business went through several product and name changes, often taking on a different name every time there was a new product, according to Robert Esposito, the grandson of James “Giacomo” Esposito, one of the brothers.

The name that is most likely to ring a bell these days is probably its last one: “Primo Gassosa,” an Italian name meaning “First (or first best) Gas Soda.” The soda was popular for many years. Some claim that it’s cola and lemon-lime flavors rivaled Coca-Cola and 7up. However, the changing of the times, the transition from re-usable glass bottles to disposable plastic ones, and shifts from small stores to giant supermarkets, made it too difficult to continue. However, James Esposito’s grandson Robert, and great-grandson Alexander have taken on the historical documentation and research of the family soda business as a labor of love. That Alexander Esposito is a private investigator no doubt helps when unearthing artifacts such as the unopened case of Primo Gassosa he found in a South Philadelphia supermarket basement years ago.

Text found at: philaplace.org/

Help Needed
I need your help visitors, both in suggesting sodas and soft drinks from around the world and in giving your opinion on the ones presented if you know the product. And you can start with giving your opinion on the ones posted already or reading what other visitors have written  – Ted

List of Soft drinks and sodas posted already
Visitors soft drinks and sodas suggestions and comments

Former Foreign Office official Harold Philby has admitted he was the "third man" in the case of British diplomats Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean. Security services are now aware that using information he gained while working for the MI6 in Washington, Mr Philby warned the pair that intelligence services were on their trail. This information enabled them to escape to the Soviet Union.

Kim Philby. Cricket enthusiast, bon viveur, tireless party-thrower
and ace undercover agent

It is now apparent Mr Philby was a double agent working for the Soviet authorities during his time with the foreign office. The news was announced in the House of Commons by the Lord Privy Seal Edward Heath.

"This information, coupled with the latest message received by Mrs Philby, suggests that when he left Beirut he may have gone to one of the countries of the Soviet Block" he said. British authorities had always suspected there was a "third man" and asked if this new evidence confirmed it to be Mr Philby the reply from Mr Heath was, "yes".

Mr Philby, often known as Kim, had been working as a journalist in Beirut when he disappeared four months ago. When Mr Burgess and Mr Maclean defected to the Soviet Union in 1951 Harold Philby was singled out as someone who could have warned them. As a result of this he was forced to resign from his post at the Foreign Office by the then Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. The investigation into the case was never closed.

British spy George Blake, right, with Kim Philby in Moscow in 1975

Today’s revelations have been ridiculed by Mr Burgess, speaking from Moscow he maintained that Mr Maclean had been alerted when "over-eager MI5 sleuths" bumped into his car. Mr Maclean refused to comment.

In Context:

Harold Philby was recruited by the Soviets during his time at Cambridge University. He was a member of a group called Communist International. Once in Moscow Mr Philby became a Russian citizen and re-married.

He worked as a general for the KGB and was awarded the Order of Lenin for services to the country. He died in Russia in 1988 and was buried with full military honours. Mr Philby was nicknamed Kim after a spy character in a Rudyard Kipling book.

Text from BBC’s OnThisDay

Mablethorpe is a small seaside town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.

History

Mablethorpe as a town has existed for many centuries, although part of it was lost to the sea in the 1540s. For example, records of the Fitzwilliam family of Mablethorpe Hall date back to the 14th century. In the 19th century it was also a centre for ship breaking during the winter. Mablethorpe Hall is to the west of the town along Alford Road. It is near the parish church of St Mary (the Mablethorpe church group also includes Trusthorpe)

D. H. Lawrence; Mablethorpe is the destination for the Morel family’s first holiday in the D. H. Lawrence novel, Sons and Lovers, published in 1913. "At last they got an answer from Mablethorpe, a cottage such as they wished for thirty shillings a week. There was immense jubilation. Paul was wild with joy for his mother’s sake. She would have a real holiday now. He and she sat at evening picturing what it would be like. Annie came in, and Leonard, and Alice, and Kitty. There was wild rejoicing and anticipation. Paul told Miriam. She seemed to brood with joy over it. But the Morel’s house rang with excitement."

Sutton-on-Sea is a small coastal village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated at the junction of the A52 and A1111 roads, 6 miles (10 km) north-east from Alford and 2 miles (3.2 km) south fromMablethorpe. The village is part of the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton.

Village facilities include a post office, public houses, a general store and a hotel, and a paddling pool on the sea front.

History

At very low tides it is possible to view the remains of an ancient submerged forest on the beaches of Mablethorpe and Sutton on Sea.

The church, which is a Grade II listed building, is dedicated to Saint Clement. It was built in 1818-19 on a new site after the previous church was destroyed by the sea.

The Alford and Sutton Tramway ran from Alford town to Sutton-on-Sea on rails set into the road. It opened in 1884 and closed 5 years later.

Sutton-on-Sea railway station opened as part of the Sutton and Willoughby Railway. It closed on 5 October 1970 by which time it was owned by British Rail.

In 1897 the village was the subject of a plan by the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway to build a port and harbour at the terminus of its East-West line to Warrington on the Manchester Ship Canal. However, by the time the line reached Lincoln the money had run out and Lincoln remained its terminus.

Text from Wikipedia

As you can see, Aunt Mabel was not at all pleased when she realised that the tour round the Continent she had signed up for was a non boozer. “Not a drop of the strong stuff, but fancy hats and homemade cookies, talk about fur coats and no knickers” she later commented.

Generally credited with developing the signature BMW kidney grille, the Ihle brothers, Frank and Thomas, of Bruchsal, Germany, also built such racing cars as a competition variant of the BMW Dixie. After selling their racing car business to BMW, they established “Gebr. Ihle,” which translates to “the brothers Ihle,” aimed at producing cars for amusement parks and fairs.

These cars are extremely rare and collectible. This particular example is powered by a Hirth two-stroke, single-cylinder motor producing about seven horsepower, accessed through a simulated spare tire cover at the rear. With a length of only 93 inches and a weight of only about 600 pounds, it is a delightfully sprightly little motor car, finished in cream and black with one of two available front nose sections from Ihle, the other of which was simply intended to create some model differentiation in Ihle’s lineup.

Slowing down from a projected top speed of about 25 mph is accomplished via rear cable brakes. As this particular Schottenring car has been restored to perfection and is one of a few examples in existence, it should be considered your grandchild’s first rare and desirable collector car in their collection!

Text from RMauctions

At a jumble-sale this summer I picked up a stack of small cookbooks and among them was the one you can see in the illustration above, “Rumford Bakebok” from 1927. I suspect that it is translated from English as Rumford is not a Norwegian product but who cares. With a bit of fancy PhotoShoping I managed to place both the book and a tin of Rumford into the intro illustrations for the recipes from the little book.

The book had been appreciated as it was obvious that several generations of the woman in the Grindalen family had used it frequently (two generations had scribbled their name inside and one on the outside) before it ended up in my vast collection of old printed matter

The recipe is HERE

Summer is here, at least on my side of the blue planet so it’s time to don the Bermuda shorts and head for the croquet field. And what better to play with than a set you’ve made yourself – Plans in pdf format HERE

Related articles