Cars
Asleep in the deep with a jeep
A 1943 AP story about a jeep that traveled around the Pacific tied to a submarine became the centerpiece of an ad for ice cream the following year. The somewhat tenuous connection between the two was that the submarine crew eventually sold the jeep to a warship in exchange for three gallons of ice cream.
Nebraska State Journal - Aug 6, 1943
National Geographic - July 1944
Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 16, 2022 -
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Category: Military, Advertising, 1940s, Cars
Girl Gang Dodge Ads
This campaign was kinda genius, because they never explained what brought these three or four or five or six "wild & crazy" women together. Were they a troupe of actresses? Bank robbers? Insane asylum escapees? Rogue fashion models? You could stare at the ads all day in wonderment.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 14, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Unsolved Mysteries, Advertising, Women, Cars
The Cyclops Eye Speedometer
Watching this great old Studebaker commercial, I was intrigued by the mention of a "Cyclops Eye Speedometer." It turns out that it was a barrel painted with the MPH numbers that revolved behind a lens to measure the speed. Highly imprecise, I would think, perhaps explaining its demise. Apparently, some Citroens used it too (last foto).
Posted By: Paul - Tue Aug 09, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Engineering and Construction, Kludges, Hacks and Duct-tape Repairs, 1950s, Cars
Failed Driving Test
There's flunking your driving test... and then there's really flunking the test.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Apr 26, 1978
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 17, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: 1970s, Cars
Joie Chitwood’s Auto Show
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 13, 2022 -
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Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, 1950s, Circuses, Carnivals, and Other Traveling Shows, Cars
The Volkswagen Beatle
Dave Fambrough made headlines back in 1978 for turning cars into giant spiders. I'm not sure what's become of him since then.According to NV Racing News, as of 2015 one of Fambrough's spider cars could be seen on the roof of Scudder's Performance Racing garage in Sparks, Nevada.
San Bernardino County Sun - Mar 29, 1978
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 08, 2022 -
Comments (5)
Category: Art, 1970s, Cars
A Touch of Magic
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 01, 2022 -
Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Cryptozoology, Surrealism, 1960s, Dance, Cars
The Burial of Sandra Ilene West
May 1977: Per her request, oil heiress Sandra Ilene West was buried dressed in a lace night gown, seated in her 1964 blue Ferrari "with the seat slanted comfortably".More info: Retro Hollywood
Christie's Auction Catalogue 1979
Fort Worth Star-Telegram - May 20, 1977
Jet - July 7, 1977
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jun 20, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Death, 1970s, Cars
German Rocket Car
First attempt: OK. Second attempt: not so much. The way they are covering up the car with a tarp at the end does not bode well for the fate of the driver.The relevant Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 01, 2022 -
Comments (4)
Category: Death, Destruction, Inventions, 1920s, Europe, Cars
The Rolls-Royce Puzzle Car
Rolls-Royce debuted the Wraith Kryptos in mid-2020. It was a very exclusive car (only 50 of them were made) with a unique gimmick. The car was decorated throughout with an encrypted cipher that, when solved, would reveal a message.To date, I don't believe that anyone has solved the puzzle, even though in December 2020 Rolls-Royce released a clue to help people along.
Of course, only a very few people have access to the puzzle in the first place. Though I imagine that the kind of person wealthy enough to afford the car might also have enough money to hire a cryptographer to solve the puzzle.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Apr 30, 2022 -
Comments (3)
Category: Puzzles, Cars
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |