which became influential in new car design – this
striking car was one of the results. The tall, slen-
der grille was a nod to contemporary British
Land Speed Record machines.
Another forward-thinking design is the 1936
Hudson Terraplane Deluxe Series 61, featuring
aviation-inspired Art Deco styling; the first two
Terraplanes went to Orville Wright and Amelia
Earhart. The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 320 drop-
head has its original 3.2-litre straight-six and
optional ‘autobahn gearing’ – an overdrive oper-
ated by a separate gearlever on the floor – but
the cream of the museum’s ’30s crop is the 1934
Duesenberg Model J. Representing the pinnacle
of American automotive excellence, it boasts
a mighty straight-eight putting out 265bhp.
In the post-war display, a 1948 Tucker faces
up to a 1948 Tatra – a pair of kindred spirits with
their matching three-headlamp faces and rear-
engined configurations. The nearby 1954 Kaiser
Darrin was an acquired taste, however, despite
its then-revolutionary glassfibre body, ‘pursed
lips’ front grille and sliding doors.
The comparison between the post-war auto-
motive styling of the United States and Germany
is rendered in stark contrast with a side-by-side
display featuring a leviathan 1958 Ford Fairlane
500 Skyliner – complete with retractable hard-
top – parked next to a diminutive 1958 Zündapp
Janus, which looks as if it would fit in the Ford’s
boot. The Zündapp is often mistaken for an
Isetta but, unlike the BMW three-wheeler, it has
two doors – one at the front and the other to the
rear – and seats that fold to turn it into a camper.
Despite that nifty feature, the Janus didn’t sell
enough units and the project was abandoned.
For taking a road trip in style, the two-tone
1963 Volkswagen Type 2 23-window Super
Deluxe Microbus would have met mid-century
needs, with a nifty split windscreen that opened
to provide ventilation. Stahls’ example is trailing
a matching 1967 Eriba Puck caravan, too. Oppo-
site is a 1951 Kaiser Traveler, which earned its
moniker by being America’s first hatchback car- the bootlid and rear window hinged up to
provide easy access to the luggage area.
For transportation inclinations that are more
nautical in nature, the German 1964 Amphicar
770 could ride the waves in style. Its Triumph
Herald-sourced four-cylinder engine gave it
a top speed of 7mph on the water and 70mph
on land, hence its ‘770’ designation.
While most museums are of the look-but-
don’t-touch variety, Stahls provides four cars
for visitors to get behind the wheel for a photo
opportunity, including a 1910 Ford Model T fire
truck and (for a tight squeeze) a ’61 Isetta.
The knowledge
STAHLS AUTOMOTIVE FOUNDATION
Address 56516 North Bay Drive,
Chesterfield, Michigan 48051, USA
Where? On the outskirts of Detroit
How much? Free entry, but donations
are welcomed
Opening hours Tuesdays, 1pm-4pm; first
Saturday of the month, 11am-4pm
Tel 001 586 749 1078
Web http://www.stahlsauto.comSeptember 2019 Classic & Sports Car 169‘A leviathan Ford Fairlane
Skyliner is a stark contrast
to the diminutive Zündapp
Janus, which looks as if it
would fit in the Ford’s boot’
Clockwise from top left:
1958 Zündapp Janus was
built by a motorcycle
maker; 1936 Auburn
8-852 Supercharged
Speedster with 150bhp;
overhead view shows the
eclectic nature of the
collection; 1907 Thomas
Flyer 4-60, one of only
three surviving examples