Need Help Identifying Car (Probably 1920s)

tedh7

Hello from America's Dairyland. Anyone have an idea what make and year the car in the photograph is? It was taken in Janesville, Wisconsin, which for many decades made Chevrolets. Thanks for any help. TedH7

PF_Flyer

That text in the lower left does sort of correspond to a Majestic Theater in Milwaukee that existed from 1908 to 1932. And it says "West Mil." and the theater was on the west side of the Milwaukee River, so I'm guessing the photo may have taken in Milwaukee. On the other hand, River & Franklin IS a cross street in Janesville.

The car does sort of resemble the 1927 Chevy Series AA Capitol 4door sedan

tedh7

Thanks, PF_Flyer. Shot definitely was taken in Janesville, which also had a Majestic theater.

PF_Flyer

Yea, I saw that Janesville also had one. Population of Janesville in the '20s was around 19,000. Milwaukee was about 50,000. Hard to tell which for sure from the photo. More info needed!

So what's the significance of the photo/car?

fintail

I can see the car being a Chevy, but I suspect with those wooden artillery wheels, it is maybe 1923-24. Chevy really ran with disc wheels by 1926-27.

tedh7

PF_Flyer. Nope. Definitely Janesville. Photo is part of a larger shot provided by the Rock County Historical Society. ( Janesville is in Rock County.) The car does resemble the 927 Chevy Series AA Capitol 4door sedan you mentioned. I'm doing a story about theaters in Janesville and the Majestic existed until at least the 1920s. (Website is tswrites.com.) The entire photo shows the theater although there is no sign. I have a second shot from the RCHS that also shows the theater but again no sign. I'd like to be able to list the make, model, and year of the car when I write about the photo.

fintail

Really specific info might not be possible, due to photo quality and at the time, many cars did not change from model year to model year. It might take a really obsessive expert to know what it is with a degree of accuracy.

has some people like that - eventually a 20s Chevy expert will come along and confirm it.

tedh7

Thanks, fintail. I appreciate what you're saying. It would be good to narrow it down to, for example, "Chevrolet, 1920s." BTW, given your forum name, have your noticed the Caddy with wee fins? Find an image attached. I saw this one in a parking lot in Iron Mountain, Michigan a couple of years ago. First fins (albeit small!) I'd seen on a car in a lonnnnnnng time.

fintail

That's cool, modern Caddys do have little fins. The new CTS and ATS has those little ones, too.

Looks like I goofed up that link,

This is the one I was trying for - lots of experts on old cars there.

tedh7

Many thanks, fintail.