My first post in this forum
Hello.
I found this forum while Google-searching an obscure piece of automotive history (actually a photo) for a book I'm working on regarding the industry. I also work in the auto industry and have an above-average knowledge of its history. Although my initial search had nothing to do with conspiracy theories, I'm planning a chapter that debunks a lot of automotive myths (Suppressed 100 MPG carburetors, etc.*) Alternative History is also a subject that I find absolutely fascinating, so I joined the board.
Allow me to suggest many have also forgotten that the rich would eventually tire of their toys, and then what? Certainly many a servant has benefited from the hand-me-downs of an employer. (Watch Diving Miss Daisy) J.P. Morgan didn't need to sell his Pierce-Arrow to purchase another. But it's likely he would assign the task to an assistant. The assistant isn't going to burn and/or abandon the car in an alley. Thus somebody of lesser wealth gets a functional (if slightly outdated) rich-toy at a bargain price.
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* Years ago, a co-worker was closing down an major automaker's engineering operations in Detroit, moving to a newer facility in the suburbs. He made a point to take a complex looking piece of hardware, placed it in a box, and marked it "100 MPG Carburetor, DESTROY!". He then put this on a shelf in the building which will likely sit abandoned for decades. I fully expect to see pictures of this, along with a conspiracy theory, posted on the internet as soon as an urban explorer-type finds it.
Hello.
I found this forum while Google-searching an obscure piece of automotive history (actually a photo) for a book I'm working on regarding the industry. I also work in the auto industry and have an above-average knowledge of its history. Although my initial search had nothing to do with conspiracy theories, I'm planning a chapter that debunks a lot of automotive myths (Suppressed 100 MPG carburetors, etc.*) Alternative History is also a subject that I find absolutely fascinating, so I joined the board.
Allow me to suggest many have also forgotten that the rich would eventually tire of their toys, and then what? Certainly many a servant has benefited from the hand-me-downs of an employer. (Watch Diving Miss Daisy) J.P. Morgan didn't need to sell his Pierce-Arrow to purchase another. But it's likely he would assign the task to an assistant. The assistant isn't going to burn and/or abandon the car in an alley. Thus somebody of lesser wealth gets a functional (if slightly outdated) rich-toy at a bargain price.
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* Years ago, a co-worker was closing down an major automaker's engineering operations in Detroit, moving to a newer facility in the suburbs. He made a point to take a complex looking piece of hardware, placed it in a box, and marked it "100 MPG Carburetor, DESTROY!". He then put this on a shelf in the building which will likely sit abandoned for decades. I fully expect to see pictures of this, along with a conspiracy theory, posted on the internet as soon as an urban explorer-type finds it.