On Tue, 10 Jan 1995 10:06:16 -0500 (EST) Ray Gibbons wrote:
From: "W. Ray Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Subject: Re: Mini Moke
A british car enthusiast who has heard of the Hoppenstand but not of the
Mini Moke? Well, of course, *everybody* is familiar with the Hoppenstand
and the Tasco Town Shopper. But Gee, Dick, what is a Mini Moke? Next
thing, you'll be asking what a Leaf or a Powell is.
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*** The Hoppenstand was made by Hoppenstand Motors, Inc. of (Greenville or
Greencastle?) PA and had an air-cooled, two cylinder engine located in the
rear. I think the engine was flat like early Crosley engines. The
Hoppenstand was built in '48-49 and caused such a comotion at the time down
at the malt shop that I've never even saw a photo of one! I'd like to find
someone who knows more about the car but.....
*** There was a Powell built in the US in '55-'56 as I remember, but I
never saw any details on this venture. There may have been a Powell built
about 1910 too. As for the Leaf, I have several - in my yard!
*** Thanks for the info on the Mini Moke. I'm not up on things across the
pond. I have enough trouible trying to keep up with things here. When you
get beyond MGB, Bently, Triumph and that one with two Rs in the name,
you're over my head.
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I think your doubt re: the Kurtis-->Muntz is well placed; I question
whether the Kurtis became the Muntz Jet. Kurtis was a race car fabricator
who made a couple of passenger car models. One resembled a
street-modified race car, while the other was a very pretty car with an
indented contrasting color panel on each door as a major styling feature.
Mad Man Muntz owned appliance/TV stores on the Left Coast, and built an
envelope bodied convertible for a little while. Maybe they connected at
some point, but I don't remember it. I have seen a MJ, but never a
Kurtis.
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*** The Kurtis (not the race car version) was built by Kurtis-Kraft, Inc.
(the race car people) of Los Angeles and Glendale, CA. Frank Kurtis was
the man behind this effort and brought out his car in '49. It had a 100'
wheel base and you could select from several V8 engines. It was a
convertible with a single bench seat and had a distinctive grill/bumper
arrangement. Headlights were recessed into the front wings.
*** In '50 or '51 the Kurtis design was sold to Earl (Mad Man) Muntz who
stretched the wheel base to 116" making it a four-seater. He marketed it
for a short time with very limited success. His TV and appliance business
was much more profitable. Mad Man kept and drove one of his cars for many
years.
Dick
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