Motoring Monday: 1949 Green Nash 4-Door Sedan

1949 Nash advertisement.
Image from Myn Transport Blog
which has afine article
about Nash automobiles.

"This is it! This is Nash!"

The 1949 Nash was the company's first postwar model, and was completely redesigned from previous edition. It's curvy uni-body construction led to it's nickname of "bathtub." Based on the serial number, Wallace B. Dixon's 1949 Nash was a "600" model, built in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which had the same basic body with a shorter front end than the more expensive "Ambassador" model. The average base price of the Nash 600 models was $1,877. The literature claims that the Nash '600' got over 25 miles per gallon at average highway speed. (1)

I have actual photos of my grandfather's own Nash parked in front of my grandparent's house at 1023 Thompson Ave. in Roselle. They moved into that house in 1952, so the Nash was still fairly new, and would continue to be a feature in that driveway for six more years after these photos were taken in 1953.

The green Nash 4-Door Sedan, parked in front of the Dixon home in 1953.

The Nash, smiling from it's driveway in front of the Dixon home. 1953.

Wally must have bought the Nash when it was brand spankin' new. I can see why he kept it for so long. Seriously, look at this beauty. And windshield wipers come standard! I wonder if he paid for the add-on turn signals. (1)

Standard equipment included:

• cloth and vinyl interior trim
• reclining front seats
• rubber floor covering with front carpeted inserts
• front door armrests
• wind-up clock
• dual sun visors
• dual windshield wipers
• stainless steel trim, molding and window surrounds
• small hubcaps

 Custom add-ons:

• electric clock
• turn signals 
• full wheel covers 

Here are a few more Nash photos from the Barrett-Jackson website, just to give you a some more views of a similar car.

A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan. Oh, the grille of it all!
Image from barrett-jackson.com

A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan.
Behold it's bath-tubby glory!
Image from barrett-jackson.com

A 1949 Nash '600' Four-Door Sedan. The round thing on top of the steering
wheel is the "Uniscope" - all your gauges in a single "pod." How spiffy is that?
Image from barrett-jackson.com

License and Registration, Please

If you care to look at the legal documents, you'll see that Wally hasn't changed much, though the look of the driver's license did. I'm including the images here just for form's sake.

That amazing car had two homes, 214 Inslee Place in Elizabeth, and 1023 Thompson Avenue in Roselle. I'm sorry I don't have a registration to prove that, but the photos at the top of the page tell that story.

The Inslee Place address is right on "down the Port" and is a neighborhood that I remember from my childhood - going to pick up my grandmother from work at Singers, and Sunday Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul church.

The house on Thompson Avenue was the first home that my grandparents owned, and it is, essentially, the place where I spent my childhood after school, on weekends, and during the summer. My mother and I lived just across the street.

The Nash was gone before I was born, and I'm grateful that I have some photos of it!

Sources

 Photographs of the Dixon home, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann.

New Jersey driver's licenses, auto registrations, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann.

 
(1) American Cars, 1946-1959: Every Model, Year by Year. J. Kelly Flory, Jr. McFarland. Viewed on Google Books;  21 November 2016. Pages 229-232.

1949 Nash Super 600. SMClassiccars.com : Classic Cars for Sale. http://smclassiccars.com/nash/46468-1949-nash-super-600.html ; accessed 21 November 2016.

"Nash Motors." Myn Transport Blog. http://myntransportblog.com  ; accessed 21 November 2016.



Images of driver's licenses and car registrations, as well as those of the Dixon home and vehicle are from my private collection. Happy to share, just ask.



 

Motoring Monday : 1941 Chevrolet Coupe

Rolling right along...

From 1947 to 1948 Wallace B. Dixon owned a 1941 Chevrolet Coupe. I'm not sure which version of the Coupe it was, but I did find a nice photo of a Deluxe Business Coupe which, I trust, is fairly representative of my Grandfather's vehicle. [I'm not sure what would make a coupe "business" as opposed to "regular." If you know and would care to enlighten me, leave a comment1"]

A nicely restored 1941 Chevrolet Deluxe Business Coupe.
Image from Wikimedia Commons, under Creative Commons usage license.
Details here.

License and Registration

As we can see by the 1947 New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration, Wallace B. Dixon's car was a black six-cylinder coupe.

From the Registration and from the Driver's Licenses we can see that the Wally had returned from Florida and was living back "down the Port" on Inslee Place.

Motoring Monday : 1933 Pontiac Coupe

The 1933 Pontiac Straight Eight Standard Coupe.
From a newspaper advertisement. Original source unknown.

The 1933 Pontiac Coupe was the Dixon family car between 1942 and 1945.(1)  My goodness, Gramps did like the sporty cars! This is another two-seater, but I believe it may have come with a rumble seat. The car Wallace B. Dixon purchased was likely well broken in since it had been on the road for nine years by the time he purchased it. Still, it's quite a looker!

Since this was the family car while my mother was in high school, I wonder if she ever got to drive it.

License and Registration (2)

The only registration that I have for this vehicle tells us that the car was a green Pontiac Coupe with an 8-cylinder engine. It also shows a new family address : 763 South Broad Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

1942 NJ Vehicle Registration for the
1933 Pontiac Coupe.

The driver's licenses for 1942 and 1943 have the same residence. Also, they have reduced my grandfather's height to a much more realistic 5'5" from the 5'7" of previous years.

Wallace B. Dixon's 1942 NJ Auto Driver's License.

Wallace B. Dixon's 1943 NJ Auto Driver's License.

But then, in 1944 and 1954...

Hello Miami!

For at least part of World War II the Wallace B. and Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon lived in Miami. Or at least I'm assuming Sophie was there as well. But perhaps not, with a daughter in her last years of high school.

I knew that my grandparents had spent a good bit of time in Florida, but I had assumed it had been for my Grandfather's health. He had contracted emphysema while working in a soap factory (or so I believe he told me) and I'm sure the warm winter air in Florida would have been beneficial for him.

This new evidence makes it look like he was working while in Miami, as an "inspector" of some sort. Since he had a long career with Standard Oil, I wonder if he worked for them in some capacity. More research is certainly required!

In any case, according to these documents, he was issued a Florida Driver's License on 13 March 1944, at which time he was living at 340 NE 17th Terrace, Miami, Dade County, Florida.  On 28 September 1944 he renewed that license for 1945.

1944 Florida Driver's License issued to Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

1945 Florida Driver's License issued to Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

 So now I have some Florida research to do. I know there are photos somewhere of the Dixons in Florida. Stay tuned!

Sources
(1) Wallace B. Dixon, handwritten note listing all the cars he owned and home addresses. Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by his grandaughter, E. Ackermann, 2016.

(2) New Jersey driver's licenses from 1926, 1928, 1929, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann. 

Motoring Monday : The 1928 Star Coupe

Most likely a Durant 1928 Star Coupe, or darned close to it!
From the 1928 Star M2 Fact Sheet at DurantCars.net.

1933 - 1934 : Back to Durant

As far as I can tell, because it seems that nothing is straight-forward as far as the production information of vintage automobiles, the car owned during the years 1933-1934 by Wallace B. Dixon(1) looked something like the image on the left. You can see lots of pictures of a modern restoration  of a 1928 Star Coupe at the Texas Transportation Museum website.

It certainly makes a change from the huge family-sized cars that my grandfather owned in previous years. I guess the kids rode in the trunk.

The Star Line

Wikipedia image.
Public Domain.

We covered the Durant Motor Company in a previous post featuring my grandfather's 1923 Durant Touring Car. I will just add a few comments about the Star. This Durant line was intended to compete with the Ford Model T. According to this Wikipedia article, it was in production from 1922 to 1928. The six-cylinder engine was first offered in 1926. Prior to that the Star line featured a four-cylinder engine. Star vehicles were produced in several Durant assembly plants around the country, including the one in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The serial number on the Vehicle Registration is missing the letter code that would indicate where this car was assembled. Too bad. It would be very cool if it had been made in Elizabeth!

License and Registration

1933 New Jersey Auto Driver's License issued to
Wallace B. Dixon. Privately held by E. Ackermann.

As you can see on the 1933 Auto Driver's License and the 1933 Passenger Vehicle Registration, the family is living at 239 Marshall Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the site of Wally's Confectionary. My grandfather was 27 years old when the license was issued. It looks like he's put on about ten pounds since his 1930 Driver's License was issued, but he's still standing tall at five feet, seven inches. (2)

1933 New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to
Wallace B. Dixon. Privately held by E. Ackermann.

Resources

• DurantCars website : http://www.durantcars.net
• Durant Motors Automobile Club [see Technical Page  > Serial Numbers :  Star Autos]
• Texas Transportation Museum website : 1928 Star Coupe

Citations

  (1) Wallace B. Dixon, handwritten note listing all the cars he owned and home addresses. Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by his grandaughter, E. Ackermann, 2016.

(2) New Jersey driver's licenses from 1926, 1928, 1929, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann. 

Motoring Monday : 1926 Overland Coach

This might be that car! From illustrations I've found on line, it's pretty darn
close to what the 1926 Overland looked like. This is cropped from a photo
that may be of the Payne family country cottage. Wallace B. Dixon Collection
privately held by his granddaughter, E. Ackermann, 2016.

From 1929 to 1934 Wallace B. Dixon owned a 1926 Overland Coach, Model 93.(1)  I wasn't able to find any illustrations of that specific model that were free from copyright restrictions. If you follow this link you will see a 1926 Overland Model 93 Coach from the Willys-Overland-Knight Registry website.(2) It's a pretty spiffy looking car. The photo here may be of that car.

If you happen to be a vintage car buff and can help me out with an illustration for this post, I'd be grateful!

Here's a list of the Overland's fine features according to a 1926 advertisement:

“With bigger, wider doors, more inside room, longer, higher windows, rich Baker Velour upholstery, a longer wheelbase,…one-piece windshield, Sun-visor, windshield wiper, Fisk full-size balloon tires, …this car is a phenomenal buy.”(3)

The Willys-Overland Motor Company

From 1912 to 1918 the Willys-Overland Motor Company was kind of a big deal. Only Ford produced more automobiles in the United States. In 1919, John Willys expanded the company with the purchase of the former Duesenberg Motors Plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The effects of the Great Depression forced Willys to sell that plant to William Durant.(4) We've covered that in a previous post.

It was during World War II that the Willys-Overland Company achieved lasting fame. Under U.S. Government contract, the company began manufacturing the Willys MB, better know as the Jeep. (4)

You can read more about the history of the company in this Wikipedia article.

License and Registration, Please

1930 New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to
Wallace B. Dixon for a 1929 Overland Coach
Privately held by E. Ackermann, his granddaughter.

As you can see from the 1930 Passenger Vehicle Registration, this 1926 Willys-Overland Coach was a six-cylinder vehicle that had a 22 horsepower engine.(5) It appears to be another roomy vehicle suitable for a young family. During the time when my grandfather owned this car, his family lived at 239 Marshall Street. This is also the location of Wally's Confectionery, the candy store he owned, and according to the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, the place where my grandmother, Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon, worked as a "saleslady."(6)

1930 New Jersey Passenger Auto Driver's License
issued to Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, his granddaughter.

Wally Dixon's Auto Driver's License confirms the address. The personal details on this license are interesting, to me anyway. The 1930 license shows that Gramps gained five pounds since 1929, and he grew three inches! It seems incredible to me that he was ever 5'7" tall.(7) In examining the full collection of driver's licenses, I see that he remained at this towering height until 1938, when he dropped back to 5'5" tall. Did a change in fashion in men's shoes cause the ups and downs? Another thing we may never know.

 Extras

Here are a few links if you'd like to learn a little more about the Overland. I'm also including images of the other registrations just for the record. If you click on the images you can view them at a larger size.

• 1926 Overland Model 93 Coach from the Willys-Overland-Knight Registry
• Advertisement for the Willys-Overland Six
• The Willys-Overland-Knight Registry 

1931 Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to
Wallace B. Dixon for a 1929 Overland Coach
Privately held by E. Ackermann, his granddaughter.

1932 Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to
Wallace B. Dixon for a 1929 Overland Coach
Privately held by E. Ackermann, his granddaughter.

1933 Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to
Wallace B. Dixon for a 1929 Overland Coach
Privately held by E. Ackermann, his granddaughter.

Post updated on 23 August 2016 to include photograph of car.

Citations
(1) Wallace B. Dixon, handwritten note listing all the cars he owned and addresses he lived at. Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by his grandaughter, E. Ackermann, 2016.

(2) The Willys-Overland-Knight Registry, Willys-Overland-Knight Registry (http://www.wokr.org/ : accessed 20 August 2016), photo gallery.

(3) "No car in it's class has such power," advertisement, Wallace's Farmer, DesMoines, Illinois, 16 April 1926, page 9, Advertisement describing the Willys-Overland Six automobile; online images, Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections (http://idnc.library.illinois.edu/ : viewed 20 August 2016); Willys-Overland, Inc.

(4) "Willys." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Jul. 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. 

(5)(7) New Jersey driver's licenses from 1926, 1928, 1929, Wallace B. Dixon Collection; privately held by Elizabeth Ackermann, [address for private use], 2016. Inherited by his daughter, Mary E. Dixon Traina, and then by her daughter, E. Ackermann.

(6) 1930 U.S. Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, Elizabeth, enumeration district (ED) 20-29, sheet 72A, dwelling 152, family 248, Wallis Dixon; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 27 March 2016); National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. T626.

Motoring Monday : 1923 Durant Touring Car

The Durant: Just a Real Good Car

The Durant Touring model was Wallace B. Dixon's second vehicle. After the Model T Ford "Sport Racer" this must have seemed like such a sensible family car.

After three years without a vehicle, Wally got the Durant in 1928. He had this car until some time in 1930.(1) By the time he got the Durant, Wally's wife, Sophie (Karvoius) Dixon, had given birth to their two children, Mary Elizabeth and Wallace Andrew. I'm sure a larger car was needed to tote the family around town.

As you can see, the Durant was pretty roomy.

1923 Durant Touring model.
Photo courtesy of BarnFinds.com,
used with permission.

 

Driving the Durant

I was able to purchase the Instruction Manual for the Operation and Care of the Durant Model A-22 on eBay. It's 60 pages long, plus a two page fold out illustration of the 39 lubrication points on the car. [Grease gun included with purchase of vehicle!] It's actually a pretty entertaining read. Just to give you some perspective on what new vehicle ownership was like in the 1920's, this caution is given to new Durant owners (2 & 3):

Caution
A NEW CAR SHOULD NEVER BE DRIVEN FAST
A new car should be driven at moderate speed for the first thousand miles. During this important period of a car's life it is not advisable to exceed a speed of
25 miles per hour.(2)

 And since you're going that slow it's a good time to learn to drive. Some advice for the novice driver:

"Steering is mostly a matter of confidence,
good judgement and practice."(3)

As with today's auto manuals helpful pictures and diagrams are included, like this one of the driver's controls, that help illustrate the multi-step process required to start the car. Note that the starter button is on the floor, and one apparently drives with one's feet suspended in mid air.

Driver's view of the controls, 1923 Durant.
From the Instruction Manual.

Durant and Elizabeth, New Jersey

1923 Durant Touring model.
Photo courtesy of BarnFinds.com,
used with permission.

Although my grandfather's Durant was not built there, the Durant Corporation has a special link with Elizabeth, New Jersey.

In 1921 a former CEO of General Motors, William Durant, established Durant Motors, Inc. By December of 1922 Durant Motors had factories in Michigan, California, Canada, Indiana, and Elizabeth, New Jersey. Mr. Durant claimed that the Elizabeth plant, formerly owned by the Willys Corporation, had the capacity to assemble six hundred cars per day, or 150,000 cars per year. This plant produced Durant and Star Cars. (4)

Durant was the third auto manufacturer to be located at the plant on Newark Avenue. During World War I, Duesenberg Motors had a contract to build engines for the U.S. military. The Duesenberg brothers lived on Kilsyth Road, just two blocks from their factory. [As an aside, my mother and I once lived at 950 Kilsyth Road, in a two-family home owned by my Great-Aunt Estelle Karvoius.] With the end of the war the facility was sold to the Willys Corporation who expanded the facility and manufactured cars there for just two years. Durant purchased the property around 1920, enlarging the facility yet again.

The company produced cars up until the 1930's. The Elizabeth location then became a supermarket. When the supermarket went out of business the site became Burry's, maker of baked goods in general, and Girl Scout Cookies in particular. [Another aside: When I was just out of college and working as a temp for Kelly Services I had a long term job at Burry in their offices. I could walk to work - just like the Duesenbergs! - and the air in our neighborhood almost always smelled like cookies.] Burry closed in 2006. The building was destroyed by fire in December of 2011. (5)

License and Registration Please

Vehicle Registration issued to William Dixon
for the 1923 Durant.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016

I've only got one registration for the Durant. It was issued on 2 July 1929. The registration indicates that the year of this model was  1923.  The Classic Car Database shows that the Durant Company didn't make a Touring model in 1923, but did make one in 1922 and 1924.(6)  However, the 4 cylinder, 24 horsepower engine does match up with the 1922 A-Series Touring model. The Durant Motors Automobile Club offers information on Serial Numbers and shows that Serial Number N 5789 (Touring) was made at the New York plant in 1922. (7)

There are some other issues with personal information on the registration as well. As you can see, the person it was issued to was William Dixon, not Wallace! So, what gives? William A. Dixon, Wally's father, died in 1927 - two years before this registration was issued. I suppose it's possible that Wally inherited the car when his father died and it was just easier to renew the registration with his father's name on it. I'd have to look for probate records to see if that was the case. But read on for another possibility!

You might notice that, according to his 1928 and 1929 Driver's Licenses, Wallace B. Dixon lived at 153 Clark Place. The registration gives 153 Park Place as the address.

William A. Dixon's residence at his time of death was 67 East Jersey Street. According to the 1929 Elizabeth City Directory, the only Dixons living on Park were Alfred and August Dixon. Wallace B. Dixon is listed at 153 Clark Place. (8)

So what gives? Did the clerk at the DMV have hearing difficulties?  Did my grandfather say "Wallace" and "Clark" and the clerk heard "William" and "Park." I don't know that I'll every figure this one out. It just goes to show that even "official" documents can contain questionable information!

Special Thanks and Some Links

I'd like to thank Josh from Barn Finds.com for letting me use the two photographs of the 1923 Durant Touring model that I found on his website. If you like to look at vintage cars, you should definitely check out his website!

You can find more information about the Durant Company and it's automobiles at the following:

• The Durant Motors Automobile Club
• The Classic Car Database
• Durant Motors article on Wikipedia
• DurantCars.net
• Articles about Durant Cars, the company, and it's founder at the Hemmings website

Citations

(1) Wallace B. Dixon, handwritten note listing all the cars he owned and addresses he lived at. Wallace B. Dixon Collection, privately held by his grandaughter, E. Ackermann, 2016.

(2) & (3)  Durant Motors, Inc., Instruction Manual for the Operation and Care of the Durant Model A-22 (New York, New York, 1923), p. 9, p. 15. Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2106.

(4) William C. Durant, Letter to Stockholders of Durant Motors, Inc. Offices of Durant Motors, Inc, New York, New York, for year ending 31 Dec 1922, p. 2. Held by University of Rochester River Campus Libraries, pdf document (http://www.lib.rochester.edu:84/Mergent_AR_Collection/Archive/8400.pdf : Accessed 2 Aug 2016).

(5) Amy Ellis Nutt. "Elizabeth fire claims a storied building." The Newark Star Ledger, 25 December 2011. Online article appearing at NJ.com (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/elizabeth_fire_claims_a_storie.html : accessed 2 August 2016).

(6) Classic Car Database, Prewar Car Model. Beverly Hills Restoration Company website [http://classiccardatabase.com/prewar-models/car-models-D.php : accessed 2 Aug 2016]. Lists Durant models from 1921 to 1932, with links to model specifications.

(7) Durant Motor Car Serial Numbers, The Durant Motors Automobile Club website [ http://www.durantmotors.org/ : accessed 2 Aug 2016.] Website contains a plethora of information about Durant cars.

(8) 1929 Elizabeth City Directory, p. 280 Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 August 2016, image 155 of 616]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Switching Gears : Motoring Monday

Let's take a break from Mystery Photos for a while and switch gears to enjoy a little gem I found in the Wallace B. Dixon Collection [a.k.a. Grandpa's Stuff]. As part of my new archival enthusiasm I decided to try out my shiny new micro spatula and remove some photos and ephemera from one of those awful "magnetic albums" that my grandfather put together. I found some treasures there! Gramps had saved nearly every automobile registration for every car he owned, as well as most of his driver's licenses. Neat.

For the next several weeks we'll be enjoying Motoring Monday as we explore Wally Dixon's automotive history. 

Buckle up!

Motoring Monday : The 1920 Model T Ford Sport Racer

Wallace B. Dixon's first car. This is a blue 1920 Model T Ford "Sport Racer."
At the wheel is Wally Dixon's nephew, Milton "Derby" Moore.
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016.

Wallace B. Dixon
in the early-mid 1920's

First, let's just marvel at the wonderfulness that is my grandfather's first car.  Pretty awesome, isn't it? According to a handwritten note (1) that I found in the album along with the car registrations, Wallace B. "Wally" Dixon owned this car from 1922 to 1925. He must have purchased the car when he was 17 years old.

Wally Dixon married my grandmother, Sophie Karvoius, in 1925 (2). This must have been the car he drove when they were courting. Did he have to sell it when they married? Did my grandmother ever ride in it? Did my grandfather actually race this car? So many things we may never know!

The young man pictured behind the wheel is Milton "Derby" Moore, my grandfather's nephew. Derby was only two years younger than his uncle, due to the age gap between Wally Dixon and his oldest sister, Derby's mother, Minerva (Dixon) Moore. [You can read more about the Moore family in this post.]

My grandfather gave the particulars of this vehicle in a note taped to the back of a framed copy of the picture.

He refers to the car as "The Original Green Hornet."
[No doubt he was making a joke,
as the car was blue when he owned it -
if the Vehicle Registration card is correct.]
Privately held by E. Ackermann, 2016. 

In this note that Wally Dixon wrote he calls the car a Ford "Hot Rod." The 1924 and 25 Vehicle Registration cards call it a 1920 Ford Model T Sport Racer. Interestingly, I've found very little on the internet about this type of Model T. I have to wonder if the body of the car was a later addition to the original chassis. It doesn't appear to be a standard production model. At least not that I've been able to find.

The Model T was first introduced by Ford in 1908. It was remarkable for the many "firsts":

• first car affordable for the middle class
• first mass produced on moving assembly lines
• first car with completely interchangeable parts

You can find a nice summary of the history and specifications of the Model T at Wikipedia.

License and Registration, Please

 

1924 Vehicle Registration for the
Ford Model T Sport Racer owned by Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

It was pretty remarkable to find these New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration cards for the Model T from 1924 and 1925.  There is some good automotive information here.

The "Green Hornet" was actually blue. It was a 1920 model with 4 cylinders and a screaming 23 horsepower engine. Zippy! Remarkably, the cost of registering this passenger vehicle went from $4.60 in 1924 to $9.20 in 1925. Highway robbery!

1925 Vehicle Registration for the
Ford Model T Sport Racer owned by Wallace B. Dixon.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

Notice that the street address for the 1925 registration is on West Grand Street. Interestingly, no Dixons are listed at that address in the 1923, 1924, 1925, or 1926 Elizabeth City Directories. The address on the 1924 registration, Julian Place, was previously unknown to me and I believe requires further investigation. A quick look at the Elizabeth City Directory for 1923 and 1925 don't show my grandfather as a resident at that address, although I suppose it's possible that he boarded with someone in the building.

Wallace B. Dixon's Auto Driver's License, 1925.
Privately held, E. Ackermann, 2016.

Finally, we have Wallace B. Dixon's 1925 Auto Driver's License. Here we get a great physical description of my grandfather at age 20 : 5'4" tall, 135 pounds, light hair, blue eyes. His signature is there as well.

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment of Motoring Monday! See you next week.







Citations
(1) Photograph of Wallace B. Dixon's first car, scanned image of original, note taped to back. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

(2) Certificate of Marriage for Wallace B. Dixon and Sophia Karvojius, 26 October 1925, No. 2368 (issued 1984), Registrar of Vital Statistics, City of Elizabeth, New Jersey; Office of Registrar of Vital Statistics, City Hall, Elizabeth, New Jersey.

(3) "Ford Model T." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 July 2016. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_T : accessed 02 Aug. 2016). 

Sources

Photograph of Wallace B. Dixon's first car, scanned image of original, note taped to back "The Original Green Hornet, Date - 1922, Make - Ford "Hot Rod," Enlarged cylinders, special gears under slung springs, etc., Owner - Wallace B. Dixon, Milton (Derby) Moore at the wheel." Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1924, replacing original No. 397464. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Passenger Vehicle Registration issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1924, No. 117471. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.

New Jersey Auto Driver's License issued to Wallace B. Dixon, 1925, No. 378299. Owned 2016 by Elizabeth Ackermann, granddaughter of Wallace B. Dixon.