Anyone know the make of this car?

praymont

The photo was taken in 1922 or 1923 in southern California.

fintail

I don't know the make, but I love the "California top", a fixed accessory top attached to touring cars that was trendy around 1920. They are very rarely seen today.

For the car, I think it is a middle-upper middle level of car. Maybe a Buick or Olds or something in that range. Doesn't appear to be a Cadillac. The flat base on the windshield might be a clue, I should do more research.

fintail

In the meantime, the AACA "What is it?" forum (Click here ) can probably provide a correct and fast answer - some real experts there on cars of this era

PF_Flyer

I love detective work like this! Thanks to the additional clue from fintail of "California top", I came across this photo of a 1920 Chalmers on a Pintrest page



What really sells the connection for me is the smooth, rounded curve of the bodywork transition from the hood to the side panel. It's a little hard to tell if the back end of the California top is the same. Looks a little more square in the first photo, but that could just be that the second photo is in complete profile. What do ya think?

PF_Flyer

Now that I look at it again, the window in the top is a different shape, so perhaps there were different models of California top that could be chosen. The car looks a close match though

PF_Flyer

Found another 1920 Chalmers pic If you click on the link you get to a large, very detailed image. Zooming in on the original photo, you can see the seam at the back edge of the front door. A lot of body details are starting to match up for me. Also appears to be another style of the California top in this photo

fintail

The pictured car could be a Chalmers, which was a solid middle class brand, but maybe a different year. I notice the car in the original pic has shorter hood vents than the 1920 models, and a flat windshield base. A lot of the other details are very similar. This is a tough one, as there a huge amount of makers around 1920, and most of them did not survive until the depression, not to mention through it.

Mr_Shiftright

The California Top even had collapsible "B" pillars that you could insert, so as to support tandem side curtains on each side of the car. These tops were popular but rather heavy and not easy for the city-dweller to store anywhere.

It's interesting that in just 5-7 years, in the 1920s, cars started out being produced 90% open and ended up being produced about 90% closed.

So many of these old car photos lack the two best hints for identifying them--a shot of the front grille and a closer look at the hub caps. Many 20s cars were "assembled" cars---the manufacturer bought pieces from multiple subcontractors--even body panels.

fintail

The California top is an interesting historical footnote, bridging the gap between open and closed cars that Shifty mentions. Around 1920, closed cars tended to be expensive and formal, with curtains and vases etc. There was demand for something more protective than an open car, but not as stuffy as a closed car. Kind of the first four door hardtop, in a way. I don't think I have ever seen one in person, but I remember reading an old car book when I was a kid, and seeing them there, they caught my eye.

I can imagine something like that cruising around LA in the early 20s.

Mr_Shiftright

You had to be pretty tough to ride around in an early 1920s touring car. You had lap blankets and foot warmers and canvas side curtains but they were still pretty wet and drafty.