specific could you get?
It was an old car. A quality car, classic, built long ago. That much he knew. But he wasn’t a classic car buff; old cars didn’t interest him. He had seen an exhibit of them once in a museum; he did not remember where. He’d also seen custom car rallies: the menin those old-fashioned driving caps and wearing big gloves and goggles; the women in wide brimmed hats with the veils coming down over their faces. He’d see them parade the cars along the freeway—Model T Fords, Pierce Arrows, and the like. They belonged to some kind of club, he knew. Met for lunch, attended auctions, watched the ads for classic cars.
But he had the impression that this one, the car he had imagined in his fantasy, was much newer than these museum pieces. His curiosity started to gnaw at him. He couldn’t wait till the plane touched down at International Airport in Los Angeles.
He picked up his car and instead of driving home went straight to the campus. He parked his car and walked quickly past Bunche Hall, Haines Hall, and across Dickson Plaza. He felt impelled now, driven. His heart was beating hard, the excitement whipping his blood.
He entered the Powell Library, and went directly to the desk of the Reader’s Adviser. There were two students ahead of him. He waited impatiently. One wanted to know where she could find a book on the art of embroidery. The other wanted to know where he could find material on energy transfer processes in chemical kinetics. The boy was politely informed that he was in the wrong place, that what he wanted was the Research Library.
Finally it was Peter’s turn.
“Yes?”
“I’d like to find a book on old cars. Classic cars.”
“Oh, yes.” She thought a moment. “I believe we have several.”
She led him to one of the stacks. “You’ll find them on this shelf.”
There were several books on the subject. He began to go through them one by one. He quickly sorted out those which portrayed the very early cars and others which emphasized the ancient Model T’s, the Durants, and the Marmons.
His
car wasn’t that old.
He began to go through the others carefully, page by page.
Picture History of Motoring, Cars of the Early Thirties, Treasury of U.S
.
Cars, Sports and Classic Cars
. He studied illustration after illustration. Cars of the past, with familiar names: Cadillac, Lincoln, Chrysler. Vaguely familiar names: Pierce Arrow, Duisenberg, LaSalle, Daimler, Cord, and Stutz. And exotic and almost forgotten names: De Grand Lux, Hispano Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Marmon, Peerless, and Wills Sainte Claire.
Then he saw it. On page 158 of
The Great American Automobile. His
car.
It was an exact replica—beautifully photographed, both exterior and interior. He’d have known it anywhere.
He read the copy under the photographs.
PACKARD CLIPPER. Custom Convertible. Last of the Classic Packards. Construction begun August 25, 1941. Ended February 9, 1942, by government decree, when all new car models were suspended for the duration of the war. In these five months of production, 33,776 units were produced.
These luxurious and expensive eight-cylinder cars were identified by a long vertical grill with small horizontal bars, and by their large wheels with large disc caps. The fenders were large and rakishly curved. The Clipper was popular with those who could afford it, because of its long, low, racy design.
The interior on this model has true red leather upholstery and a black broadloom carpet. It features a burled walnut-grain instrument panel, and a pushbutton radio mounted in the center of the dash. A special feature, and unique to the Clipper, was a color-indicator speedometer. It changed colors as the car increased speed. From zero to thirty it was green, thirty to fifty yellow, and at speeds beyond fifty, red….
He took the book to the Xerox machine, made a photocopy of page 158, and slipped it into his briefcase.
As he walked out of the library, he suddenly stopped dead
It was an old car. A quality car, classic, built long ago. That much he knew. But he wasn’t a classic car buff; old cars didn’t interest him. He had seen an exhibit of them once in a museum; he did not remember where. He’d also seen custom car rallies: the menin those old-fashioned driving caps and wearing big gloves and goggles; the women in wide brimmed hats with the veils coming down over their faces. He’d see them parade the cars along the freeway—Model T Fords, Pierce Arrows, and the like. They belonged to some kind of club, he knew. Met for lunch, attended auctions, watched the ads for classic cars.
But he had the impression that this one, the car he had imagined in his fantasy, was much newer than these museum pieces. His curiosity started to gnaw at him. He couldn’t wait till the plane touched down at International Airport in Los Angeles.
He picked up his car and instead of driving home went straight to the campus. He parked his car and walked quickly past Bunche Hall, Haines Hall, and across Dickson Plaza. He felt impelled now, driven. His heart was beating hard, the excitement whipping his blood.
He entered the Powell Library, and went directly to the desk of the Reader’s Adviser. There were two students ahead of him. He waited impatiently. One wanted to know where she could find a book on the art of embroidery. The other wanted to know where he could find material on energy transfer processes in chemical kinetics. The boy was politely informed that he was in the wrong place, that what he wanted was the Research Library.
Finally it was Peter’s turn.
“Yes?”
“I’d like to find a book on old cars. Classic cars.”
“Oh, yes.” She thought a moment. “I believe we have several.”
She led him to one of the stacks. “You’ll find them on this shelf.”
There were several books on the subject. He began to go through them one by one. He quickly sorted out those which portrayed the very early cars and others which emphasized the ancient Model T’s, the Durants, and the Marmons.
His
car wasn’t that old.
He began to go through the others carefully, page by page.
Picture History of Motoring, Cars of the Early Thirties, Treasury of U.S
.
Cars, Sports and Classic Cars
. He studied illustration after illustration. Cars of the past, with familiar names: Cadillac, Lincoln, Chrysler. Vaguely familiar names: Pierce Arrow, Duisenberg, LaSalle, Daimler, Cord, and Stutz. And exotic and almost forgotten names: De Grand Lux, Hispano Suiza, Isotta-Fraschini, Marmon, Peerless, and Wills Sainte Claire.
Then he saw it. On page 158 of
The Great American Automobile. His
car.
It was an exact replica—beautifully photographed, both exterior and interior. He’d have known it anywhere.
He read the copy under the photographs.
PACKARD CLIPPER. Custom Convertible. Last of the Classic Packards. Construction begun August 25, 1941. Ended February 9, 1942, by government decree, when all new car models were suspended for the duration of the war. In these five months of production, 33,776 units were produced.
These luxurious and expensive eight-cylinder cars were identified by a long vertical grill with small horizontal bars, and by their large wheels with large disc caps. The fenders were large and rakishly curved. The Clipper was popular with those who could afford it, because of its long, low, racy design.
The interior on this model has true red leather upholstery and a black broadloom carpet. It features a burled walnut-grain instrument panel, and a pushbutton radio mounted in the center of the dash. A special feature, and unique to the Clipper, was a color-indicator speedometer. It changed colors as the car increased speed. From zero to thirty it was green, thirty to fifty yellow, and at speeds beyond fifty, red….
He took the book to the Xerox machine, made a photocopy of page 158, and slipped it into his briefcase.
As he walked out of the library, he suddenly stopped dead
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