Working at 160 ISO to get the smoothest, noise-free image with huge expanses of monochromatic paint work, I found myself working around 1/60 at F5.6, sometimes getting up to 1/125, then at worst I might be down at a 1/30 wide open. The good thing about one of the cars, it had neither a soft top nor windscreen wipers, because the designer, American product designer Brook Stephens drew this one to be his own, a vehicle he personally owned and drove for sixty five years and it never went out in bad weather. That was the beautiful white Cord, an American classic from yesteryear built by Errett Lobban Cord (1894-1974) of Duisenberg and Auburn fame among other holdings were American Airways latterly American Airlines. The museum is also home to other Cord’s, Auburn’s and Duisenberg’s; along with Stutz and Packard, there are even a few I had never heard of before. One car that really amused me was the Paige, a two seater open top that had a mother-in-law seat on the outside of the cockpit. That was one of the vehicles I had to shoot where it stood, even though, in spite of their ages, every vehicle in the museum is a runner and most of them sound better than many brand new cars, this was just too far inside to manoeuvre out. I have to say that the S2 coped very nicely with the hostile lighting indoors, (mercury vapour and fluorescent) I was wishing I still had my old Gossen Sixtycolor Colour temperature meter, but really I needn’t have bothered, the file was just stunning.
Before anyone starts thinking 'Ah old men and their mid-life crises', no I
don’t run some exotic sports car, I am a typical working dad, with a
mini-van to run round all the kids events, I got rid of my snazzy wheel's
passion as a young photographer and yet I was so amused to see one of only
two English cars in the collection, one an American-built Rolls Royce (new
one on me), the other an Austin Healey 3000. Why amused? – it was one of my
all-time favourites and I had a Healey way back when – and I still love
them, sadly that’s the kind of mid-life crisis I just couldn’t afford, the
shear cost of these restored beauties.
The 1932 Marmon V12 was another car I enjoyed photographing, this was the
only one ever built. Howard Marmon had it designed and built in a vain
attempt to save his failing, luxury car manufacturing business, but it was
to no avail. Marmon ran the car for himself for many years and then gifted
it to the engineer who built it. Eventually it found its way to a scrap yard
and just because it was a saloon (Sedan) car, Ed Schoenthaler walked
straight past it, had no idea of its history. It was Judy who wanted to take
a closer look at the scrapped relic. As she started to ask questions about
it Ed also became curious and so he became the first person ever to buy it,
can you imagine it was almost seventy years old, already gone through a
great working life and found its way to scrap yard just before being sold
for the first time.
The Schoenthalers spent quite a sizable sum getting the Marmon back to
concourse condition, moreover they won best of show wherever they took it
from Daytona Beach to California – it even attracted the attention of Jay
Leno. Last year the Marmon sold at auction for $810,000, I have to say I
missed her, I first walked into the museum to shoot the Horch and straight
away asked about the V12 and that was then Ed told me about the sale.
None the less there are still lots of fabulous motors to go at; Ed, Judy and
I are now working on a project to create an 'Autobiography' for the museum.
The idea actually came about four years ago, from Automobile Quarterly, and
a mockup was actually made for the National Corvette Museum, but like many
other projects for busy entrepreneurs and editors, it fell by the wayside.
Of course all the ground work for this project got under way before the auto
industry collapse, I am just hoping that by the time I have completed this
project and finished a new sample from the Corvette Museum, that auto
dealers and distributors will once again have a budget to find this novel
promotion worth looking into.
It really is a privilege that I am very grateful for. To be able to
photograph vehicles like these, that at no time in history would have been
their day’s equivalent of a Toyota Camry, these were to Americans, the crème
de la crème, these were the chariots of movie stars and business barons and
not only did I get to photograph them but I actually rode in many of them.
Moreover most of them are older than I, and that is something.
In late July I will be back in Downers Grove to photograph more great
carriages at the collection, I am hoping for better weather, I certainly
will have nicer backgrounds and a lot more freedom, since that set of images
will all be just for the book, Oakbrook where the Schoenthalers live, is a
village, just a few miles from the museum, with beautiful lakes and
woodlands, but last time I was there I have to deal with barren trees,
except for the occasional evergreen. I plan on taking some of the vehicles
out for a while and capturing them by a lake or gracing one of the lovely
stately homes in that neighbourhood.
One thing is for sure, no matter where, when or how I get the chance to
photograph them, capturing images of vintage classics is for me the
highlight of my long career.
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