This vintage hauler set was sent to us by Hugh Nutting from Montana. The pickup is his 1947 Hudson model 178 'Big Boy' 3/4 ton towing a trailer with his LaDarwi. At first glimpse both vehicles are post-war, so where’s the pre-war? Look closer at the trailer. It’s a recreation of those often used by dirt track racers in the 1940s. The main frame rails are from a 1917 REO Speedwagon one-and-a-half-ton chassis salvaged from a hay trailer conversion. Hugh often uses it when going to sports car races. His longest trip was from Colorado to Sun Valley Indiana. And if you’ve never heard of a LaDarwi, don’t be ashamed, although the maker of this fibreglass body has many followers. There used to be a website about it, we couldn’t find it anymore. (photos Hugh Nutting) (RB)

UPDATES: Ben Curtis informs us that details of La Dawri can be found here (click!) and both Hugh Nutting and Kit Foster have found information here (click!). 

Ben Thompson (UK) reacts to our earlier Triumph-Triumph towing story from Martin Frosh.
"My father and I use his 1936 3 1/2 Derby Bentley (Sports Saloon ? ) by Thrupp & Maberly, to tow my 1928 Austin Seven to race meetings, seen here setting off for last year's VSCC Prescott. The Derby, one of only 30 or so four door saloon's by T&M - a 1935 car, registered early '36, has been back on the road for about ten years and runs very well indeed, covering thousands of miles a year. The Austin was re-built by myself in 2004, used often for road, hill climbs and trials." (here seen slightly faster than the camera (click)) Next chance to see this prewar combo will be at VSCC Wiscombe next Sunday. (photos courtesy Ben Thompson)  

Normally we publish an unidentified rusty chassis on the Monday morning. Just something for you to chew on during the busy week. However, this time we found a lovely axle hiding in the Brazilian woods. It looks to be a mix of T-Ford and De Dion Bouton parts, but we can always try to find out what it really is for. We couldn’t find a clue on the axle itself, but take a close look at the unusual double-action suspension set-up as photographed from above and there’s also a front view. All kinds of ideas are invited! Mail us (RB)
UPDATES came in form Layden Butler: "Appears to be all Model T Ford with grease seal modification to the axle tubes, the coil springs are Float-A-Ford aftermarket accessories, the wire wheels are 1926-7 Ford with home made adaptation to the 1925 and earlier axle."...and Hugh Nutting:"Only speaking for the Model T bits - The spring is the tapper leaf style used to 1917. The coil shocks are brand - Float-a-Ford that came out in 1918. It has the small brake drums used on 1909 to 1925 Fords. The wheels are 21" Ford wire wheels that could be 1926-27 T or 1928-29 Model A that were likely fitted at a later date."  

Loyal prewarcar fan Bogdan Coconiou from Bucharest, (Automobilia.ro) sends us a series of photos from last weekend's Concorza d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. It was his first time to be present at the 'mother' of all today's Concourses. Enjoy his pictures and you may understand his emotional comment after being in supercar heaven: 'I have no words'. Here a few of the cars he saw: the low profile 1937 Alfa Romeo 2300 B Pescara with a streamline coupe body by Pinin Farina (lead photo). The inevitable 1937 Delahaye 135m Roadster by Figoni & Falaschi. The radical 1938 Mercedes Benz 540 K Autobahnkurier. The more than imposing 1932 Daimler Double Six Saloon by Martin Walter. And so on and on but finally in our eyes the most spectacular of all what we have seen from this concours so far... the 1935 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Roadster by Jankovits ...!  

This was the kind of quiz car that either you know or don’t know. All answers we received mentioned the correct make: de Dion Bouton. This one was “found” by Bogdan Coconoiu in the Museum "Casa Cuza Voda" in Romania. It’s been there since the 1990s; unfortunately the museum is almost unknown to the public. The de Dion Bouton, a “vis-à-vis” Type G, was made from 1900 to 1901 and this one arrived in Romania at the beginning of the last century. It was restored locally in the 1980s. We realize this was a tough quiz, as only four entrants, Rupert Banner, Sujit Gupta, Frans Vrijaldenhoven and David Manson had most of the little details correct. In the end we decided that Rupert’s answer was the most complete, so the T-shirt is his. Congratulations to Rupert Banner! (With many thanks to Fons Alkemade, expert in early French cars) (photos courtesy Borcea George Ioan). (RB) 

Martin Frosh is showing off the combination of two of his former cars: ...a regular feature used to appear in Motor Sport - 50 years ago ? - when that nice young Mr. Boddy was fully in charge... Entitled "Perfect Pairs" - or similar, this was a photo series of unlikely cars being towed by even more unlikely other cars. A contribution if so - my mid 70's Triumpph Stag delivering my 1929 Australian bodied Triumph Super Seven - sold on an impulse and regretted to this day. Earlier an Armstrong Siddeley Whitley did tow duties, once notably over 150 miles at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius plus. (photos Martin Frosh)
Editor: do you have/had an amazing 'combo'? Please let us know !  

Peter Harvey sends us this picture of his grandparents with their friends Rose and Jesse. They seem to embark on a long trip, if their luggage is anything to judge by. And from their clothing it looks to be a cold day. Let’s just hope they also paid a visit to the Spirit Merchant. Some of his wares might help them to keep warm along the way. But the real question is of course: what kind of car are we looking at? Can you tell? Peter would very much like to know. (RB) 

As today marks the 2500th issue of PreWarCar, we want to express a HUGE THANK YOU to all readers, visitors, photographers, historians, writers, poets, artists, workers, collectors, dealers, auctioneers, specialists and sponsors who have contributed - and still do! - to the world ’s vintage platform.
April 30 is also the birthday of the late Dutch Queen Juliana (1909-2004), mother of today's Queen Beatrix. As the sun always shines in Holland on this day, Queen Beatrix decided that this would be the Dutch National Holiday.
In the photo we see a very early and always helpful contributor Bas de Voogd. Why him? In this very Model T he chauffeured Queen Juliana back in 1970! The sparsely used bus was not very willing to start so was pushed by the local police force, while the Queen was encouraging them laughing out loud in the back seat. We plan not to drive today, but will drink to the health of our Queen and to you Dear Visitor/Contributor. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! 

Hugh Chalmers was vice-president of National Cash Registers but also had an interest in motoring. He didn’t hesitate when in 1907 he was asked to take over half the shares of small-time car manufacturer Thomas-Detroit. Not much later he became president of the business and renamed it the Chalmers-Detroit Motor Car Company. In 1910 he reorganized the company and the cars became known as just Chalmers. "All you can ask in a Motor Car" was his advertising slogan and indeed the Chalmers became very popular in the US. A good example of what Hugh Chalmers meant with his slogan is this attractive Torpedo Roadster that still has its original two-seater coachwork. It’s to be sold by the World Wide Group during their Houston Classic Auction on May 3rd. Who knows, you might be just in time to help celebrate 100 years of the Chalmers marque! (photos courtesy WWG) (RB) 

During the 1930s the Bombay Cycle and Motor Agency imported only six Bantam’s in India. For a long time it was thought that only one of those Bantam’s survived: a demonstrator car which was a 1937/38 model. Only recently Harit from India found another Bantam in Bangalore. It’s a right hand drive 1938 model that belonged to a garage owner who bought it more than thirty years ago. The garage owner modified the front axle and attempted to convert it to hydraulic brakes with Standard Herald parts. He removed the cylinder head to replace it with one from an Austin 7, but realised these are not identical. He abandoned the project; pushed the car in a corner and piled junk on it. Probably some Bantam parts have been sold for scrap. Can this one still be saved? Harit will do his best. (text and photos Harit)

And while we’re on the subject of Bantam’s, Dutch car historian Frans Vrijaldenhoven is still looking for information about his father’s Bantam. Have a look at the article we published six years ago (click!). (RB)