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1

I believe it is time...

...for a "Report Comment" option to be added, as it seems the spammers have discovered CreativePro. It was a wonderful decade plus run, but unless you intend to manually police the comments on a daily basis it would behoove you to allow your readers to help out.

As I've noted for more than 11 years now, I love the site... and I especially love Gene's glimpses of art & lifestyles past.

Let's keep it clean around here!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sanity is a relative concept.
If you don't believe me,
let me introduce my relatives.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2

"Tongue-in-cheek or not" - that is the question!

Is this column meant to be "tongue-in-cheek" or do I detect a touch (just a touch mind you!!!) of extreme pro-Americanism here? Or am I just imagining things?

In reality some of the comments have absolutely no justification and are not based on any facts at all, just heresay.

Just a few examples from the article:
"The British are somewhat notorious for making attractive but unreliable cars." or,

"questionable reputation of British vehicles influence me" or,

"I have no idea whether British cars are any better or worse than many others, and I suppose, just as with American cars, you shouldn't lump all the brands into one mechanical stereotype." or,

"British electrical systems are supposed to be particularly bad; Jaguar owners will tell you about tearing their hair out over some electrical short."

May I ask: "Says who?"

I have no "axe to grind" - I am from Australia!!

3

Decidedly British

I have a soft spot for the sunbeams. The Alpine was the first car James Bond is seen driving on the screen in Dr. No. A friend in high school had a Tiger. It's the same as the Alpine but it has a Ford V8 in it and goes like stink.

4

current production

Sadly, Rover is no longer produced in England. They were bought by a Chinese company and are now marketed only in China as "Rov-ahs" as they did not purchase the name.

5

At last...

...I get to see what a Humber Super Snipe looked like. As a teenager in 1960, my wife saw one on the San Francisco Bay Bridge, but never again, though every now and then when the name comes up we have a chuckle about it.

Thanks, Gene! This is rare stuff.

6

British Car Electrics

There's an entire automotive (and motorcycle, too) subculture related to 'Lucas, the Prince of Darkness'.

Lucas Industries is/was the main supplier of electrical parts and sub-assemblies for many British motorcars and has (in my experience) a well-deserved reputation for being unreliable.

It has been said that the only Lucas Electric device that didn't suck was their short-lived home vacuum cleaner. 8-P

7

Illustration vs. Photography

I just recently read the memoir of writer/illustrator Bruce McCall. He spent the early part of his adult life in an art studio that worked exclusively for car companies in Detroit. He explains the reason illustration was preferred: It let the car makers lie about the appearance of the car. Typically, they were made to look longer and lower to the ground. When auto makers started making cars that actually looked longer and lower, illustration was out, photography was in, and a lot of illustration studios went out of business.

8

Large scan links now working

Thanks for the head's up!

Terri Stone
Editor in Chief, CreativePro.com

9

Links Not Working

Yes, please, I WOULD like a larger version! I click, I get a "Page not Found". Please fix! Gene's finds are too awesome to NOT see the big scan!

10

British cars

Did you reveal a window to your psyche when you referred to the Humber as a "Humbler"?
With Smith's Instruments and Lucas electrics, no self respecting British car had a chance in hell to to avoid breakdowns and other inconveniences. That said, the long past, ten year romance with my Austin-Healey and MG still stirs each Spring when rag-top lust sets in.

11

Brit cars

Rover doesn't exist anymore. Brit cars were no more or less reliable or prone to rust than American cars...AMC Gremlin anyone? at least ours didn't explode...

12

I wish a car like these ones

Another era of cars! ;)

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