If history is just a story of us told from the perspective of the victors, whose story does this old hulk tell? It resides neither in a museum or collector’s garage, but instead sits at the bottom of a deep ravine neighboring an old mine site. Though gutted and stripped with its rusty frame left bare, this old vehicular contrivance stands tall and proud. It almost appears to still be sitting on the curb, waiting to transport its passengers to some far off destination. Only no passengers will ever arrive, and the rotting skeleton that remains has no place to go.
I know very little about cars, except that this particular model is an old one. I would guess the 20s or 30s, but I suppose it could also be as new as the 40s. Whatever its age, there was one thing I was sure of. People must have been incredibly short a century ago, considering how impressively small the whole thing was.
I took this shot of its interior from above its roof – a spot a good foot below me as I stood. Granted its tires and undercarriage were missing, but even with those the entire vehicle couldn’t have been any taller than six feet off the ground. Worse yet the interior was only a good four to five feet across at best. From this angle the car looked like it could barely fit one modern adult, let along two side by side. I knew for sure that two men of my size wouldn’t be getting in there at all.
The car was a four door model, with the doors opening opposite each other much like french doors. While a steel bench marked the front row of seats, the back row of seats had nothing indicating any seats were there at all. But even if there were, I don’t know where they would have sat. There just doesn’t seem to be much leg room back there.
In addition to the forward two rows of seats there was a third pair of windows at the back of the car that seemed to indicate a cargo space of some type, almost like the back compartment in a modern SUV. It’s also possible I suppose that this area was just an extension of that back row of seating. Maybe there was a bit more leg room back there than it would appear.
Since the upholstery was gone inside the car, you could get a good look inside all of the doors. Here we could make out what appeared to be a mechanism for opening the windows.
Up front the engine compartment of the vehicle was gone, with only a short foot of car still intact protruding forward of the passenger compartment. Atop this section of hood was this small hinged plate. I have no idea what this was for, perhaps some type of storage locker or vent?
Besides that, there really wasn’t too much of interest to find on the old rusting hulk. The most amazing part of all was the fact that it existed at all, relatively intact and sitting up right in the middle of this ravine. It looked almost as if it was driven here, turned off, and no one ever came back to get it. And the car still stands, waiting, for that passenger to arrive that never will.
to me, this is a piece of art. albeit, it does not belong in the woods. but, on my front lawn..in the county. “smashing”.
I have no idea what make or model this would be, but I do know it’s just the body. That vintage of car would have had a frame under it where the axles and engine would have been mounted, and the body would have been bolted on top of the frame. When the rear doors open like that, it’s called “suicide doors”. We had an old model A on the farm that had been cut down just behind the front seat and converted into a pickup, and still ran well into the 1970′s. It had about just as much room across the seat as this car body seems to show – not exactly spacious..
Should have searched before I wrote. A very brief Google search resulted in this page, which seems to have something that looks very similar to the car body in the woods. The drawing on the web site is a 1930 Ford Model A, complete with the 3rd window in the rear, suicide doors, and the sun visor over the windshield. http://www.1920-30.com/automobiles/model-a.html
Here’s another site with a photo of many model A’s, scroll down to the sixth photo in the left column, the blue one. Sure looks a lot like our junker in the woods. http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/ModelTFord/ModelA.html
I think we got a winner there. Thanks Dale. I thought it looked like a gangster car…
There is a 1940s or 1950s car in a ravine in Lower Pewabic, too. It looks like it was pushed down there, and just came to rest. I never went down to check it out up close, but it is visible from the road.
The Ford Model A didn’t have a cowl vent like the one in the picture, they had the gas cap there.
It’s definitely from the late 1920′s, and it may be a Model A, but my bet is that it’s a Chrysler. Here’s a picture of a 1927 Chrysler Imperial:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2364/1847772527_112ebd9353.jpg
Of course, we can never be sure on the exact year of production, so well never know exactly who owned it, or when… but who knows, maybe it was even one of the many Chrysler’s driven off the deck of the shipwrecked City of Bangor in 1926. Not many cars were running around the Keweenaw at that time, so it’s always possible.
As a side note though, I’ve rode in several Model T’s at Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village, and they’re definitely cramped for space. The width is comfortable for two people, but there is zero legroom… it seemed like the seat was just inches off the floor.
My bet is a late 20′s imperial as well… I almost bought one in slightly better shape in ishpeming a few years ago. I would definitely save this one, it would make a great rat rod!
My bet would be on the Ford model A. Note the rain drip edge over the windows. also, the distance between the top of the rear window and the top of the roof.
The little cover in front of the windshield is a vent. They were common in the days before AC. My folks had a ’48 Oldsmobile with one and I remember riding in a couple of ’40′s era trucks with them.
People definitely were smaller back then.
I can tell you this for sure – it is not a Ford Model A. Model A’s have their gas tank located under the front cowl where the vent is located on this body. In a Model A you would see a small round hole for the gas tank filler neck instead of the vent panel as in this body. The layout of the dash is also not like a Model A. The bolt line molding doesn’t match the picture of the Chrysler in the link but it could be a different year Chrysler. The rear seat passengers would be looking outside through the rear quarter windows. There is actually quite a bit of rear leg room in these cars. I own a 1929 Ford Model A Tudor. The front seats are somewhat cramped for by 6′ 1″ height but there is a ton of room for the rear seat.
I typed bolt line molding but meant to say belt line molding above – oops
The first thing I thought of when I sasw it was it may have been off the Bangor too. I don’t know those oldies though. If pops was still around I am sure he could tell us.