Stunning classic in Nottingham - any ideas?
Discussion
More in hope than expectation perhaps, but just a quick post to see if anyone can tell me what I have just seen.
Spotted in Beeston, Nottingham rush hour traffic not 5 minutes ago. Red in colour, 1920s-30s in vintage, long racer style body, no roof, maybe heading to Donington for the GP live event over the weekend?
Sadly no photo as I was going the opposite way, but it did look truly stunning!
Spotted in Beeston, Nottingham rush hour traffic not 5 minutes ago. Red in colour, 1920s-30s in vintage, long racer style body, no roof, maybe heading to Donington for the GP live event over the weekend?
Sadly no photo as I was going the opposite way, but it did look truly stunning!
Aha, from your description, that would be the 1907 Francis Tripeman special, rebodied by Codgers in around 1930. Originally fitted with a twin cylinder steam powered Otis engine from a demolished San Francisco skyscraper that came down in the 1905 quake, and latterly fitted with a Nissan diesel engine from an '89 Laurel. I often see it in and around Beeston, interesting dashboard arrangement, you push the ground floor button to engage drive, and basement for reverse.
Balmoral Green said:
Aha, from your description, that would be the 1907 Francis Tripeman special, rebodied by Codgers in around 1930. Originally fitted with a twin cylinder steam powered Otis engine from a demolished San Francisco skyscraper that came down in the 1905 quake, and latterly fitted with a Nissan diesel engine from an '89 Laurel. I often see it in and around Beeston, interesting dashboard arrangement, you push the ground floor button to engage drive, and basement for reverse.
More correctly 'Tripeman Francis' after Ernest W.Tripeman's successful legal action of 1911.
I'd forgotten all about that. Hell of an outcome and a lot of effort over an argument about a sack of onions, if I was Walter Francis, I would have settled out of court and retained control of the manufacturing rights to the concertina 'lift door' style chassis, that could be shrunk to fit into a smaller parking space. Ingenious.
Barely half a sack, if contemporary newspaper reports are to be believed.
The 'Adjust-a-frame' was probably the greatest of Walt's automotive innovations and drew heavily on the pantographs of his early cablecar designs. It's to our eternal joy that he decided that cars were his destiny rather than his succession of failed funicular railway projects, to be honest.
'Ernie' Tripeman never recovered from the bitter wrangling of the 'Onion Incident'. Cissy left him and took the kids and when the lawyers had finished he died a broken man in solitude in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
The 'Adjust-a-frame' was probably the greatest of Walt's automotive innovations and drew heavily on the pantographs of his early cablecar designs. It's to our eternal joy that he decided that cars were his destiny rather than his succession of failed funicular railway projects, to be honest.
'Ernie' Tripeman never recovered from the bitter wrangling of the 'Onion Incident'. Cissy left him and took the kids and when the lawyers had finished he died a broken man in solitude in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
ferg said:
Barely half a sack, if contemporary newspaper reports are to be believed.
The 'Adjust-a-frame' was probably the greatest of Walt's automotive innovations and drew heavily on the pantographs of his early cablecar designs. It's to our eternal joy that he decided that cars were his destiny rather than his succession of failed funicular railway projects, to be honest.
'Ernie' Tripeman never recovered from the bitter wrangling of the 'Onion Incident'. Cissy left him and took the kids and when the lawyers had finished he died a broken man in solitude in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
The 'Adjust-a-frame' was probably the greatest of Walt's automotive innovations and drew heavily on the pantographs of his early cablecar designs. It's to our eternal joy that he decided that cars were his destiny rather than his succession of failed funicular railway projects, to be honest.
'Ernie' Tripeman never recovered from the bitter wrangling of the 'Onion Incident'. Cissy left him and took the kids and when the lawyers had finished he died a broken man in solitude in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
I think you'll it was Hancock County Tennessee - he was living with the Melungeons at the time
This has had me running for the history books, guys. I was convinced it was Lanesboro, but I can't find the book I'm after to confirm it.
I think we may be at crossed purposes here, are you sure you aren't thinking of 'Fantasic Freddie' Tripeman who worked for Barnum and Bailey under the direction of the Ringling Brothers?? Certainly he ended his days in Tennessee selling 'pieces of the very barrel I plummeted over the falls in' after his infamous Niagara exploits.
Played by Richard Benjamin in the film, if I remember correctly.
I think we may be at crossed purposes here, are you sure you aren't thinking of 'Fantasic Freddie' Tripeman who worked for Barnum and Bailey under the direction of the Ringling Brothers?? Certainly he ended his days in Tennessee selling 'pieces of the very barrel I plummeted over the falls in' after his infamous Niagara exploits.
Played by Richard Benjamin in the film, if I remember correctly.
No, it was definitely "Ernie". Following the Onion incident he moved to Hancock County where his explosive banjo playing combined with the "lost tribe" barber-shop style of the Melungeons to create a style which was unique in bluegrass circles. Luckily, Alan Lomax made some 78rpm recordings of it (including the timeless "Sueee - you're the purdiest sow in the Blue Ridge Mountains"
before Ernies untimely death in the tragic Vardy dam burst...
before Ernies untimely death in the tragic Vardy dam burst...I reckon ferg is right with the Lanesboro connection. The Melungeons quartet had such hits as 'Root River Shuffle' and 'Minnesota Mooching' (which was later plagiarised by Cab Calloway and the gentle harmonies were substituted with the manic 'Zoot-skat jazz' treatment). Lanesboro itself is nestled deep in the Root River valley, so the connection cannot be doubted. Sorry Prof. Of course, folks can and do move on. More research needed here methinks. However, we are drifting off topic, as Bens OP was about matters concerning Francis Tripeman Motor Cars, and we've moved onto what came to pass many years later.
Tripeman is an old English name, so maybe Tripeman had family ties/business interests back here in England. How did Englishman Walter Francis & American Ernest Tripeman come to meet anyway I wonder? And whilst we know that Ernie returned to Minnesota after the demise of the Motor car interest. What of Walter? Aristocracy IIRC wasn't he?
Tripeman is an old English name, so maybe Tripeman had family ties/business interests back here in England. How did Englishman Walter Francis & American Ernest Tripeman come to meet anyway I wonder? And whilst we know that Ernie returned to Minnesota after the demise of the Motor car interest. What of Walter? Aristocracy IIRC wasn't he?
Edited by Balmoral Green on Thursday 17th May 21:03
Balmoral Green said:
What of Walter? Aristocracy IIRC wasn't he?
Found him!
thePeerage.com said:
Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott Francis, 10th Duke of Queensberry. Gentleman engineer, inventor of the self sharpening carving knife and joint founder of the Francis Tripeman Anglo-American Motor Carriage Company.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Thursday 17th May 21:09
During the 20s he became interested in airships and invented the Francis Reciprocating Grid Valve which, if it had not been undermined by vested interests, could, by preventing the spread of fire between enclosed sections of dirigible gas flotation enclosures, possibly have averted such tragedies as the R101 disaster...
I've been doing some 'Googling' and now wish I hadn't. It appears our Walter got himself involved with Oswald Mosley and the British fascists, and on a trip to Germany in the mid thirties he was discovered in bed with two blonde blue eyed members of the Hitler youth group that were billeted in the same hotel. His very good freind Diana Mosley defended Walter to the last however, despite the fascists loathing for homosexuality. This was all swept under the carpet apparently. The disgrace in that day & age must have been quite awfull. Although it does shed light on the unusually close and long term freindship between Walter and German engineer Rudi Von Schultzbummer, who was chief engine designer for BMV.
Edited by Balmoral Green on Thursday 17th May 21:39
williamp said:
www.psychiatry.info/
www.psychiatric-help.org/PSYCHIATRIC-HELP/default.asp
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
Hope this helps
W.
www.psychiatric-help.org/PSYCHIATRIC-HELP/default.asp
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
Hope this helps
W.
I'm not sure Psychiatric treatment for homosexuality would be considered appropriate in this day and age. A bit late anyway, as sadly Walter passed away in 1963 following a long battle with John Mills over a hedge dispute.
This item caught my eye and I thought that I'd add a bit more of the history since I believe this car to be a replica, and even though John Mills had a superb hedge fund, this car doesn't have the laurels to match. The original Tripemann special (two n's since he was by origin Austrian) was lost on the pole to pole run when, after traversing the globe from south to north he came into collision with the Titanic. All the rumours of icebergs are false since at the time the car was painted white. Sporting the famous and patented desmodromic suspension, Spykered tyres (the name was changed later due to patent infringement problems) and recycled exhaust for heating purposes the car went down with the driver standing and saluting the Queen as he listed to the band playing "Nearer my God to Thee". I believe the motor was hauled up six years back with the ship's bell and two soup dozen plates. A memorial service was held and a wreath cast. It's a fake snake.
Edited by lowdrag on Friday 18th May 13:28
Balmoral Green said:
Hang on a minute lads, what if it wasn't the Francis Tripeman that Ben saw?
I suppose it could have been Hubert 'Jumping' Jackson's 1932 'Thundercrab special'. The way the aeroscreens are blended into the ermine trim on the scuttle is almost indistinguishable. Wouldn't have expected to see it on the road, though - last thing I heard Jay Leno was using it as a shower cubicle.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff