Please visit Motortopian chasgould, Newton Massachusetts , to see his Flxible bus, and collection of microcars.

http://www.mo...ars/chasgould


The Flxible Company, not unlike many other companies, had a modest, but unique beginning.
In 1912, Hugo H. Young, the operator of a motorcycle sales agency in Mansfield Ohio. had an idea for a new type of motorcycle sidecar; one which would permit the third wheel to tilt and stay on the ground when the motorcycle leaned while going around curves in either direction.

Young built a prototype sidecar for his own use. The sidecar was attached to the motorcycle with a "flexible" connection. This was a new and basic idea. It also allowed the sidecar wheel to rise over obstructions, or to drop below the road level without affecting the motorcycle's balance. The axle pivot of the sidecar wheel was slightly tilted which caused the sidecar wheel always to follow the direction of the motorcycle, whether rounding turns or on a straight course.

A traveling salesman friend saw the newly designed sidecar, and urged him to patent and manufacture the sidecar. Mr. Young founded and became the first president of the Flxible Company. Young's patent was also the fore-runner of the principle which is now known as knee-action in automobiles.

In 1913, Young founded the Flxible Side Car Company in Loudonville, Ohio to manufacture his patented vehicle. This original company was a partnership owned by Hugo Young and Carl F. Dudte. In 1914 they incorporated the Flexible Sidecar Co. for $25,000.

Young's sidecar went over in a big way. It was such an improvement over the other sidecars that it soon became a favorite. This was especially true for the riders in the dangerous sport of motorcycle sidecar racing. Soon all important sidecar racing records were held by race drivers whose cycles were equipped with Flexible Sidecars.

In 1916, the company built its own factory. In July of 1919 the directors decided to change the name from the Flexible Sidecar Co. to The Flxible Co., and increased capitalization to $500,000. It was then the name Flxible without the first E was copyrighted and that spelling has been exclusive to Flxible ever since. By 1919 the company had gained the distinction of being the worlds largest exclusive manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars.
During WW1, Flxible produced its unique sidecars for the Allied Armies. They were attached to an Excelsior motorcycle, carried a mounted machine gun and were used very effectively overseas.

In the early 1920s, the sidecar market suddenly disappeared when Henry Ford established the price for a Ford Roadster at $360.00 less than the cost of a motorcycle and sidecar! The Flxible Co. was forced to find seek new fields, thus the entry into the bus, funeral car and ambulance markets.

The first Flxible bus, a Studebaker 12 passenger sedan, (the first "stretch limo?") was delivered to E.L. Harter in 1924, who operated a line from Ashland to Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The first Flxible performed so well, that Harter decided to buy a second one in April, 1925. This second coach established an enviable record of long life and dependability. For three years it was used in regular service and accumulated a total of over 275,000 miles. It was traded in on another coach in 1928 and that same year set the new record for the trip from New York to Los Angeles in four days, nine hours and forty one minutes.

In 1936, it was decided that Flxible would concentrate on inter city coaches, and all its resources were devoted to developing a coach that would be outstanding in this field.

In 1939, Flxible introduced its famous 29 passenger Clipper powered by a modified straight-eight Buick engine. Nearly 5,000 of these coaches were in operation at one time serving over 1,000 bus owners. Flxible Airporters were used successfully in limousine fleets in New York & Chicago as well as many other air terminals. Glass-roofed sightseeing Flxible coaches operated in many National Parks including Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and others. Famous resorts such as Sun Valley and Catalina Island used Flxible buses exclusively and many manufacturing and sales concerns used Flxibles as display coaches. Movie studios also maintained a fleet of Flxibles.

In 1936, the Flxible Airway Coach made its appearance on many bus routes throughout the country. The bus was built on a Chevrolet truck chassis using special springs and had many features which made it attractive to both the public and the drivers. Its economical operation and low maintenance costs made it much desired by many operators.

The war shortly reached the stage where enemy subs were becoming a major menace to the coastal areas of the United States. Top priority was given to the manufacturing of every known weapon to help overcome this threat to national security. One of the most effective weapons available for combating submarine warfare at the time was the Blimp. The Goodyear Aircraft Company was given quantity orders for the construction of several types. In order to expedite the manufacture of ten of their "L" type blimps, Flxible was given a subcontract by Goodyear to construct the control cars, fins, rudders and nose cones.

This new Goodyear contract not only utilized the bulk of Flxible's available floor space, but also gave its skilled workers and engineers an opportunity to use their talents to the best advantage. Additional contracts were entered into with Goodyear & Curtiss-Wright for the manufacture of wing flaps for the Corsair, the empennage for the Helldiver and the lower center section of the C-46.

With the war's ending in 1945, Flxible soon returned to coach production, developing a more streamlined version of the Clipper. Mid-' 46 saw the flat windshields replaced with a curved version. 1947 brought more improvements.

1950 ushered the VisiCoach into production. A heavier duty enlarged version of the famous Clipper, with new large passenger windows, and most importantly, extra space in the engine compartment for larger engines to replace the earlier Buick Straight 8, White, and Fageols. This particular "Clipper"was a stepping stone into the production of the larger heavy duty intercity buses.

In 1951 Flxible joined forces with the Fageol Twin Coach Co. in Kent Ohio, the two companies cooperating in the production of 1,590 "Convertibles" for a contract with the US Army.

After successful cooperation on the Convertible program, the two companies contracted to build 22 deluxe intercity buses for Viacao Cometa S/A, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Shortly after, Twin Coach chose to concentrate all production on trucks and aircraft parts, after which Flxible gained sole interest in the city bus product line. The company then developed important modifications leading to its first big city Transit Bus contract for 300 buses from the Chicago Transit Authority. Delivery of this order began to flow from Flxibles Loudonville plant in 1954.

Progress brought the expansion to Millersburg, where "VisiCoach" shells transported from the Loudonville plant were made into numerous specialty buses. These included "The Land Cruiser" (a home on wheels), and the X-Ray bus. This bus did not have the aisle way of the standard Clipper and so was 6" taller, as were the Post Office bus, the Bookmobile bus, and many of the other specialty coaches. Coin operated parcel lockers, and cigarette machines were also made at Millersburg. Flxibles resourcefulness in designing, engineering and manufacturing led to a variety of products.

The two level "VistaLiner", or VL-100, was first introduced in late 1954, with first delivery in 1955 to The "Blue & White Lines" in Altoona, PA (sn 10101). This vital departure from the Clipper line offered new comfort for passengers and reliability for operators. It was the "King Of The Highway" with torsilastic springs, independent front suspension, air conditioning, comfortable seating and individual loudspeakers for recorded music, this coach was designed to give operators the vehicle needed to maintain service which could compete successfully with other types of inter-city transportation.

In The following years, Flxible increased production, adding the assembly plant in Delaware. They also added several models of buses, among them the Starliner, the Hi-Level, the Flxette, and the FlxLiner. In 1961, the "New Look" transit coach was introduced. This edition was soon accepted as an industry standard, and continued to be so for the next 18 years. The coach featured a rear mounted Detroit Diesel engine, an enlarged reflection free windshield, double bay passenger windows, and fluorescent lighting. These coaches were later equipped with wheelchair lifts and special features to make them more accessible for handicapped and elderly patrons.

1964 brought to an end to production of funeral cars, and in 1967 the 29 passenger StarLiner coach was phased out. The Flxliner was discontinued in 1969, and in 1976 production of the Flxette ceased. The last "New Look" coach produced was delivered to the city of Akron Ohio in October 1978.

1970: The End Of An Era
In 1970 the Flxible Company was acquired by Rohr Industries, who pioneered development of a new transit coach that evolved into the 870 Advanced Design Bus (ADB). The "870" was designed to meet Federal accessibility guidelines for handicapped individuals. In 1974 the corporate headquarters and final assembly were moved to Delaware, the Loudnville facility maintaining manufacture of sub-assemblys, and parts. In 1978 Flxible again changed ownership. Purchased by Grumman Allied, Flxible became known as Grumman Flxible Corporation, and in April 1978 the first 870 ABD rolled off the assembly line. The ABD 870 features aluminum extrusion sidewall construction, with no external fasteners, 40% fewer parts, lighter weight, lower floors, more window area and many other improvements over the previous model. Grumman Flxible quickly accumulated an order backlog of over 2,500 units from 28 transit systems including an order for 1,013 ABDs for New York City. In 1981 the company introduced the new Grumman Metro, which featured nearly 100 changes throughout the bus including a 6V-92TA engine and improved steering and suspension. The first order for 20 went to Spokane, Washington in early 1983 Flxibles 70th year, and in the same year Grumman Flxible was again sold to General Automotive Corporation who continued the line until closing operations entirely in late 1995.

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Can you find the year, make, model, and owner? Quote from the owner "This car was found in a barn after 29 years, i bought it from the guy who found it, i drove the car for one summer whit a lot of dissapointments. My son and me decided that this is not what we wanted so now were going to do a full custom of it."

Good luck,
Jerry

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Wow! We actually had to look at over two hundred garages this week to find ten that were complete enough to choose the "Cool Ride of the Week" from. Many had only one ride photo, most had not filled in their about, specs, factory options or Mods, sections of their garages. Some we have passed on were advertising other sites ....... Just to give you a small idea of what is taking place with the selection of the "Cool Ride of the Week". With that being said it was easy to choose Str8upChevy's 1956 Chevrolet Pickup (Pro/Street) as the "Cool Ride of the Week" for Nov 5th, 2009).

If you want to see this very cool ride take a look here: http://www.mo...2/i/prostreet

Congratulations Str8upChevy on having your 1956 Chevrolet Pickup (Pro/Street) chosen as the "Cool Ride of the Week" for Nov 5th, 2009).

Take care,
Jerry

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This is the kind of vehicle that Mad Max would use for his Sunday drives around town. Nice, clean, yet looking plenty deadly.

Hard to describe this V12 Detroit Diesel powered monster.

Awesome, weird, scary?

Well the judges at SEMA determined this vehicle a winner.

We'll be looking for your comments to help us describe this vehicle. The best description gets a free SEMA2009 Women of SEMA poster.

Have fun now!

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Kartrac3r and BigNuttyPaul were the winners in the "Caped Car" contest.

The Caped Car is a modified 2010 Ford Mustang. Here are some pics.

Good goin' everyone.

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A lot of you know Dave Hall and Restore A Muscle Car from their amazing Trans Am restorations, and especially for putting together the annual Bandit Run.

This time it is a 1972 Dodge Charger getting Restore A Muscle Car some recognition, winning the Mother's Shine Award at SEMA 2009! We caught up with Dave and had him show us the 1972 Dodge Charger.

Check out the video and photos of this awesome car, and see more of Dave's work at www.restoreamusclecar.com. Also, make sure you stop by his garage here on Motortopia, and check out The Bandit Run.

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Trick our Treat is over. . . but it seemed like a holiday to us.

We promise, we'll get your some car stories and pics soon (tonight) but thought you should have these right away.

And, remember to leave those trophy votes on the photo slideshow to show your appreciation.

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It's an annual event. SEMA and the Women of SEMA. Won't write much. Just take a look and your comments welcome!

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Can you find the year, make, model, and owner? Quote from the owner "I first saw what is now my car in the Fall of 1974 in front of Monroe HighSchool. The owner then was a freind of a cousin. Not long after I started dating the owner and he traded the car off for another about a year later. I did learn to drive in the car before it was passed on. "

Good luck,
Jerry

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FRANKFURT/BERLIN - German politicians seethed and unions tore up a deal to cut costs in protest at General Motors' "completely unacceptable" decision not to sell Opel, its European unit, after months of painstaking talks.

Labor leader Klaus Franz rescinded hundreds of millions of euros in cost concessions that workers agreed to on condition that Opel was bought by Magna, the Canadian group the Berlin government had long favored as buyer.

"General Motors' behavior toward workers is completely unacceptable," German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle told reporters the morning after GM's shock news. "General Motors' behavior toward Germany is completely unacceptable."

Germany viewed Magna and its Russian partner Sberbank as most likely to preserve as many German jobs and plants as possible.

Half of Opel's 50,000 staff are based in Germany.

"General Motors' behavior shows the ugly face of turbo-capitalism. That is completely unacceptable," said Juergen Ruettgers, premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, home to Opel's Bochum plant, which is seen at risk of closure.

GM Europe will now revert to a reorganization plan that envisions chopping fixed costs at Opel by 30 per cent, a spokeswoman said.

"Failure to reach the needed restructuring would result in the operation becoming insolvent, an unnecessary and undesirable outcome for all involved," GM Europe said.

She declined to say what that could mean in terms of job losses and plant closures, but German staff feared the worst.

"I don't know what is going to happen here in Bochum if Magna does not take it over," said one Opel worker arriving for an early shift at the plant.

Another Opel worker accused GM of betraying its workers.

"This arises from the mentality of American capitalism. They used to make treaties with the Indians and then quickly break them," he told a German radio interviewer.

In Spain, union spokesman Jose Juan Arceiz said workers would try to negotiate a deal with GM as they had with Magna.

GM abandoned the Opel sale on Tuesday, saying improving business conditions and the strategic importance of Opel had prompted the move by its board of directors.

GM said it expected that restructuring Opel on its own would cost about 3 billion euros, costs expected to cover job cuts and plant closures.

Labor leader Franz said workers would not go along with GM's "blackmail" of European governments and staff.

The GM board decision to keep Opel came after European Union officials challenged the terms of the funding Germany had pledged to support the sale of Opel to Magna.

Germany had promised 4.5 billion euros in aid to help close the Magna deal, which was widely seen as the option most likely to preserve Opel jobs.

But EU officials said GM needed to confirm that it would have agreed to sell Opel if Germany had made clear that the same funding would have been available to any buyer.

GM's board had opted to sell a 55 per cent stake in the loss-making Opel unit to Canadian group Magna and its partner Sberbank after the seven months of talks, which had included a competing bid from Brussels-listed RHJ International.

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