Monday, December 12, 2011

McQuay Norris, USA. weird car



photo from


This is a 1934 McQuay-Norris Streamliner. Only 6 were built, and were made to be  test cars and a promotional vehicle for the McQuay-Norris Company of St. Louis, USA, which manufactured car parts, that  a mechanic needed to rebuild a car engine or body.

The 6 tiny cars were made by Cincinnati, Ohio's Hill Auto Body Metal Company. Using a stock 1932-33 Ford V-8 chassis and engines, they are made of  steel sheet metal attached to wood framing. There's no rear windows or  windshield wipers...so they had to be driven fast !!  to roll the rainwater off the Plexiglass windshields.
To see behind, there are rear-view mirrors mounted on either side.
The McQuay-Norris cars had bigger-than-normal tires, and  McQuay-Norris engineer George E. Leutwiler related that, "These cars were easy to drive, but they had some peculiarities. For instance, you needed good shocks or the car would dance around a lot, because of the donut tires. In those days most of the roads were nothing but gravel."

There's only 2 left, and 1 belongs to Hemmings Motor News.
Read lots more here.



photos from


Why did I need to know this? I snagged this neat tshirt...The neon cobra is awesome enough....and a google search brought me all this info....
Neon. Cobra. Deadstock 80s vintage t shirt !! McQuay Norris

Vintage 80s T shirt, deadstock.