BlaRo
Little Nudger
Pictures from the Toyota Museum, as promised. C'mon, let's go on an adventure!
Part 1: European and US Cars
The Toyota Automobile Museum is a 5-minute ride from Nagoya on a maglev train, and it's conveniently in front of the station. Admission is 1000 yen, or about $10, and it might have been the best $10 I spent in Japan!
Aston Martin V8 Vantage that screamed past. It's shaping up to be a good day after all...
Toyota AA, their first passenger car ever, production started in 1936.
This one was a reproduction assembled from original drawings for the 50th anniversary of either the Museum or the company, I forgot.
The entrance to the 2nd floor, European and US Cars. Look at that cute little Fiat 500!
Benz 3-wheel, first car ever built (besides Cugnot's steam car). Replica.
Close-up of the engine.
1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash, the first mass-produced automobile. It sold 5,000 units in 1904, when the European companies were just breaking 1,000.
1901 Panhard et Levassor B2, the first car to pioneer the front-engined, rear-drive FR layout. Was raced as well, Nick Mason owns one.
1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. It was so utterly magnificent, I loved it.
I really couldn't get enough of it. It's not a vehicle, it's a sculpture, a work of art.
1909 Ford Model T. I thought they only came in black...
Another view, with that lump of coal they called an engine back then.
1902 Cadillac Model A. I believe this was the car that they did the famous demonstration where they took apart three Cadillacs, mixed the parts around, and rebuilt them and they worked.
1909 Stanley Steamer (not to be confused with a Cleveland Steamer). This car set a world record for steam-powered cars in 1906, going 127mph at Ormond Beach in Florida.
Simple diagram on how steam cars work.
Here they had some odds and ends, like penny farthings, kiddie cars, and a few gas station signs.
Duesenberg hood ornament, which I thought was neat. 1930 Flying Wheel.
Packard hood ornament, which I thought was neater. 1930 Goddess of Speed.
If the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost above is the Mona Lisa, then this is the Venus de Milo. An equally stunning work of art. The Delage Type D8-120.
Cord Model 812 and Benz 500k convertible, respectively. The rare, sleek Cord was one of the first front-drive cars, and the Benz has a supercharged inline-8 engine that reinforced its image as a sophisticated luxury sports car.
Morgan 3-Wheel. Sorry, but I couldn't help laughing. :lol:
Jaguar SS 100 convertible. Behind it is an MG Midget Type TA.
1936 Lancia Astura Tipo 233 C2 convertible.
Three of the most famous Le Mans cars below:
Bentley 4 1/2 liter, won 5 Le Mans races. "The world's fastest lorries", according to Ettore Bugatti. Spectacular beast of a car.
Bugatti T35B, another Le Mans legend. Nick Mason owns one of these as well.
Alfa Romeo 6C. Nick Mason owns one of these, as well, lucky bastard...(technically, it's the 8C featured in the book Into the Red, however)
A brochure for the 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom III.
And here's the real thing!
Cadillac Series 452A next to it, with a massive 7.4 liter V16 engine producing 165hp. Today's 16-cylinder Veyron produces 6 times that: how's that for progress?
Packard Twelve that belonged to Franklin Roosevelt.
1913 Renault Type DJ.
The luxury interior. Nothing but a big couch, lots of wood, lots of carpet. I'd love to ride inside something like that!
1911 Delaunay-Belleville Type HB6, note the unusual round grille on the front.
1914 Stutz Bearcat. The original, classic one, not the hideous neoclassical seafaring freighter built on your grandfather's 1988 Buick LeSabre.
Charcoal-powered Buick!
It's Sarge! WWII Ford army jeep. Yes, Ford: Willys-Overland won the contract with their jeep over Ford, but when they couldn't produce enough Ford was contracted to build the rest.
Beetle, back when it was called the "KDF-Wagen" and built in "KDF-Stadt".
Lincoln Zephyr next to the Caddy above. It was a popular entry-level car in Lincoln's portfolio that made up 80% of Lincoln's sales in the first year alone. Also, it influenced the designs of both Volkswagen's Beetle and Toyota's AA (seen above).
Rear view.
The famous 1937 Citroen 11B, world's first mass-produced (the Cord 812 above as well as the 810 had come slightly earlier, but were expensive and rare) FWD car.
Morris Eight and Herbie's great-grandfather.
Neat poster showing the evolution of automobiles. Right around now, we should be driving Buckminister Fuller's Dymaxion Car, which would be terrific!
De Soto Airflow, cruelly called one of the ugliest vehicles ever produced. That's too harsh, as it was very ahead of its time and influenced a lot of future cars.
Peugeot Bebe, designed by Ettore Bugatti. It was tiny! Looked so fragile, like it would collapse if I exhaled too deeply.
Side view of Bebe (cute name!) with Morris Oxford in the background.
Ford Model 40, with the famous Ford V8 that was admired by Bonnie and Clyde, next to the strangely-named Chevrolet Confederate.
And that's my trip so far to the Toyota Museum. Parts 2 and 3 coming soon: The Parking Lot/Intermission and Japanese Cars.
Part 1: European and US Cars
The Toyota Automobile Museum is a 5-minute ride from Nagoya on a maglev train, and it's conveniently in front of the station. Admission is 1000 yen, or about $10, and it might have been the best $10 I spent in Japan!
Aston Martin V8 Vantage that screamed past. It's shaping up to be a good day after all...
Toyota AA, their first passenger car ever, production started in 1936.
This one was a reproduction assembled from original drawings for the 50th anniversary of either the Museum or the company, I forgot.
The entrance to the 2nd floor, European and US Cars. Look at that cute little Fiat 500!
Benz 3-wheel, first car ever built (besides Cugnot's steam car). Replica.
Close-up of the engine.
1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash, the first mass-produced automobile. It sold 5,000 units in 1904, when the European companies were just breaking 1,000.
1901 Panhard et Levassor B2, the first car to pioneer the front-engined, rear-drive FR layout. Was raced as well, Nick Mason owns one.
1910 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. It was so utterly magnificent, I loved it.
I really couldn't get enough of it. It's not a vehicle, it's a sculpture, a work of art.
1909 Ford Model T. I thought they only came in black...
Another view, with that lump of coal they called an engine back then.
Museum sign said:
1902 Cadillac Model A. I believe this was the car that they did the famous demonstration where they took apart three Cadillacs, mixed the parts around, and rebuilt them and they worked.
1909 Stanley Steamer (not to be confused with a Cleveland Steamer). This car set a world record for steam-powered cars in 1906, going 127mph at Ormond Beach in Florida.
Simple diagram on how steam cars work.
Here they had some odds and ends, like penny farthings, kiddie cars, and a few gas station signs.
Duesenberg hood ornament, which I thought was neat. 1930 Flying Wheel.
Packard hood ornament, which I thought was neater. 1930 Goddess of Speed.
Museum sign said:
If the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost above is the Mona Lisa, then this is the Venus de Milo. An equally stunning work of art. The Delage Type D8-120.
Museum Sign said:
Cord Model 812 and Benz 500k convertible, respectively. The rare, sleek Cord was one of the first front-drive cars, and the Benz has a supercharged inline-8 engine that reinforced its image as a sophisticated luxury sports car.
Morgan 3-Wheel. Sorry, but I couldn't help laughing. :lol:
Jaguar SS 100 convertible. Behind it is an MG Midget Type TA.
1936 Lancia Astura Tipo 233 C2 convertible.
Museum sign said:
Three of the most famous Le Mans cars below:
Bentley 4 1/2 liter, won 5 Le Mans races. "The world's fastest lorries", according to Ettore Bugatti. Spectacular beast of a car.
Bugatti T35B, another Le Mans legend. Nick Mason owns one of these as well.
Alfa Romeo 6C. Nick Mason owns one of these, as well, lucky bastard...(technically, it's the 8C featured in the book Into the Red, however)
A brochure for the 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom III.
And here's the real thing!
Cadillac Series 452A next to it, with a massive 7.4 liter V16 engine producing 165hp. Today's 16-cylinder Veyron produces 6 times that: how's that for progress?
Packard Twelve that belonged to Franklin Roosevelt.
Museum sign said:
1913 Renault Type DJ.
Museum sign said:
The luxury interior. Nothing but a big couch, lots of wood, lots of carpet. I'd love to ride inside something like that!
1911 Delaunay-Belleville Type HB6, note the unusual round grille on the front.
1914 Stutz Bearcat. The original, classic one, not the hideous neoclassical seafaring freighter built on your grandfather's 1988 Buick LeSabre.
Charcoal-powered Buick!
Museum sign said:
It's Sarge! WWII Ford army jeep. Yes, Ford: Willys-Overland won the contract with their jeep over Ford, but when they couldn't produce enough Ford was contracted to build the rest.
Beetle, back when it was called the "KDF-Wagen" and built in "KDF-Stadt".
Lincoln Zephyr next to the Caddy above. It was a popular entry-level car in Lincoln's portfolio that made up 80% of Lincoln's sales in the first year alone. Also, it influenced the designs of both Volkswagen's Beetle and Toyota's AA (seen above).
Rear view.
The famous 1937 Citroen 11B, world's first mass-produced (the Cord 812 above as well as the 810 had come slightly earlier, but were expensive and rare) FWD car.
Museum sign said:
Morris Eight and Herbie's great-grandfather.
You think that explains all those jokes about Lucas electrics and old MG and Triumph roadsters? :lol:Museum sign said:
Neat poster showing the evolution of automobiles. Right around now, we should be driving Buckminister Fuller's Dymaxion Car, which would be terrific!
De Soto Airflow, cruelly called one of the ugliest vehicles ever produced. That's too harsh, as it was very ahead of its time and influenced a lot of future cars.
Museum sign said:
Peugeot Bebe, designed by Ettore Bugatti. It was tiny! Looked so fragile, like it would collapse if I exhaled too deeply.
Side view of Bebe (cute name!
) with Morris Oxford in the background.
Ford Model 40, with the famous Ford V8 that was admired by Bonnie and Clyde, next to the strangely-named Chevrolet Confederate.
And that's my trip so far to the Toyota Museum. Parts 2 and 3 coming soon: The Parking Lot/Intermission and Japanese Cars.
toyota AA
