Little Mouse

Little Mouse, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Launched in 1937, Fiat's original 500, the "Topolino" (Italian for "Little Mouse") was just about the smallest car you could build and still call a car. Powered by a sub-600cc four pot motor, the Topo put Italy on wheels, and remained in production in one form or another until the 50's. This is the classic earlier "Type A" style, which despite it's diminutive size was still an elegantly styled car. Well, until you chopped the body off and put it on an altered wheelbase drag chassis with a big V-8 sticking out the top.

That's one thing they don't talk about in the Fiat history books-the Topolino's racing history here in the States. Along with old American Bantam roadsters and English Ford Anglias, the Topo was a popular Altered and Gas class drag racer, due entirely to it's tiny size, which combined a low weight with a small frontal area to make a nice racing platform. Though plenty of genuine cars were chopped up, many of the Toplino Altereds were made with fiberglass replica bodies, like this mid sixties example.

Fun fact-you can still buy 'glass Topolino bodies today.

The Studebaker Theatre

The Studebaker Theatre, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Signage for the former Studebaker Theatre in Chicago. Now the Fine Arts Building.

Instant Vintage

Instant Vintage, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A picture perfect T-bucket hot rod, imperfectly pictured.

Sunset With Traffic Lights

Sunset With Traffic Lights, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Shot from the car at a stop light. It just looks hot out, don't it?

Tower

Tower, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Art Deco/Streamline Moderne clock tower at the St. Charles Municipal Building. This is a pretty cool building, and I'm glad that the city has both kept it original and in good condition.

Also, it was an excellent cloud day.

Nothing could be finer....

Nothing could be finer...., a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

...than an Electroliner!

The Electroliner was the North Shore's premier train. Running a swift two hour schedule between Milwaukee and Chicago, the 'Liner was introduced in 1941 in an attempt to bolster the road's ridership. It worked, and proved a popular train until it's retirement in 1963. The two Electroliner train sets were eventually sold to the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Lines, where they were re-christened Liberty Liners, and continued to serve until 1976.

This is train set 801-802, and has been repainted beautifully in it's original livery by the Illinois Railway Museum. Sadly, it is currently non-operable, although plans are afoot to get the 'Liner running again in the near future. It usually lives indoors, but does make the occasional appearance outside at the Museum's restored L platform.

Made in Racine

Case tractor, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Not sure when I shot this, but I do remember where-it was at a tractor dealer in rural Somonauk, Illinois. They had several vintage tractors out front, all kind of beat up and rusty, but still proud. This is a vintage Case, from the fifties or so, and still ran like a top.