Naturally, being a "Car Guy," one
of my frequented reads is the New York Times Automobile
section each 'N every Sunday morning...
Alas, a few weeks ago I enjoyed reading the
stories about another unheard of automobile for Mwah, this being the totally
unknown Ruxton, a forbearer of today's
dominance of Front Wheel Drive vehicles on the road, to which one of the
stories claims is 7-of-10 cars today.
And although I have NO idea if there was any
inspiration from the Indianapolis 500 Front Wheel Drive Miller's, which
appeared at Mother Speedway in 1925, with victories at the very least coming
three years on-the-trot in the late 1940's for another long lost vehicle which
I laboriously chronicled in;
Nevertheless, the Ruxton design clamed it was
America's first front wheel drive production vehicle in 1929, and was followed
closely on the heels by the much more mass produced Cord L-29 before both
vehicles faded into obscurity...
As interestingly, the Ruxton car company had
a far more colourful history than its competitor, Cord, as "Wall Street
Raider" Archie
M. Andrews led a most wicked life, while William J. Muller was
simply the engineering brains behind the
operation, which ironically; SHUHZAMM! Both happened to be involved in the Hup
Motor Company's demise...
As thy Karmic-whip snaps at Mwah, or is that
My 'Gee-tar quietly weeping? Since upon my latest visit to my most
favourite Tacoma haunt, thee LeMay
America's Car Museum, Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen had pronounced her affinity
for two of the museum's Hupmobiles! Which I scribbled 'bout in;
Yet back to this front wheel drive ingenuity,
as unlike the Miller's and Blue Crown
racecars, whose front wheels apparently were only required to turn in one
direction, as Y'all know "4-lefts makes a Circle, right! As presumably
this practice occurred with the latter Blue Crown's? It's interesting to note
how far advanced the Ruxton's front wheel drive was, needing to be able to not
only turn left 'N right, but absorb the myriad of bumps and potholes found on
common roadways!
Thus it's amazing that an unheard of 15 of
the remaining 19 Ruxton's, from a production of 96 will gather upon the
pristine Pebble Beach golf lawns during this year's (Pebble Beach) Concours de
Elegance, which if Y'all can afford the staggering entry fee, is definitely
worth I-T! As obviously, I'd much rather be gallivanting 'round the seaside burbs
'O Monterey, Carmel, 17-mile Drive, etc right now...
