La Jolla Motor Car Classic, 2010. From HowStuffWorks.com: "As a car-pickup hybrid, the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express predicted by decades the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino of the 1950s. The 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express successfully melded car-like comfort and styling with pickup stamina and utility. It did not, as Studebaker hoped, tap an unmet need in the marketplace. The beautiful 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express combined a coupe cabin and an open cargo bed, predicting the car-pickup category by decades. From the cab forward, the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express pickup was much like Studebaker's Dictator coupe. But behind the passenger cabin sat a double-wall pickup box capable of hauling up to half a ton. Advertising for the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express stressed its strong, all-steel construction and roomy, comfortable cab with passenger-car appointments. For example, the seat, ceiling, and door panels were upholstered in cloth (leather was a no-cost option) and the seatback was adjustable. Dual wipers, sun visor, safety glass, and rearview mirror were standard; so were rotary door locks for safety and easier closing. Studebaker proclaimed that the "fully streamlined open pickup body is built entirely of 16-gauge steel with outer and inner panels, combining strength and rigidity with smart, modern appearance. The 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express was lively, too, with ample power in 1937 from an 86-bhp, 217-cid six and then in 1937 from the 90-bhp 226 Commander six. Styling of the 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express was outstanding, as well -- especially for a pickup. Grille, hood, cab, and fender lines were in flowing harmony. And in line with its "posh truck" image, the 1937 Studebaker Coupe-Express had chrome bumpers at both ends, and a sidemount spare in the right front fender. For 1938, styling was revised by the famed Loewy Studios. Studebaker's 1938 car lineup also got a facelift from the Loewy Studios, which was on contract to Studebaker and responsible for most Studebaker car and truck designs from 1938 to 1956. The 1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express revisions included a prow-front grille in place of the previous slim, lateral-bar radiator. However, the 1938 Coupe-Express eschewed the passenger models' new faired-in headlamps, retaining 1937's pod-mounted units. The 1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express restyle also brought a shorter hoodline that reduced clearance between the doors and the trailing edges of the front fenders. A $44.50 "standard accessory group" included a sidemount spare in the right front fender, bumper guards, and passenger-side windshield wiper. Unfortunately, 1938's shorter hood forced the sidemount tire to sit above hood level, making it look like an afterthought. Other 1938 options were genuine leather upholstery, a metal tire cover, vacuum-control gearshift, "Hill-Holder" clutch, and overdrive with freewheeling. Despite good looks, fine performance, and a workable combination of comfort and utility, sales of the 1937-1938 Studebaker Coupe-Express were poor. Production of the Studebaker Coupe-Express peaked in 1937 at between 3,500 and 3,800 vehicles (sources differ); 1938 saw only about 1,000 copies built."

1899 Locomobile/Steam Style 1 Stanhope: In the summer of 2001, Allyn Kilsheimer was about to fulfill his dream of owning a car from the earliest days of automobiles. He answered an ad for an 1899 Locomobile placed by a man in Bear Lake, Calif., who was looking for a good home for his little steam runabout. The buyer and seller are both engineers, which was helpful during the getting acquainted phase of the initial interview. Eventually, the seller decided that Kilsheimer passed muster and the deal for the then 102-year-old car was made over the telephone. Kilsheimer sent the California man the money and in the spring of 2002, the Locomobile was trucked cross country to Kilsheimer's Washington, D.C. home. He was ecstatic when his little steam car arrived. The 1899 Locomobile is 4 feet, 5 inches wide and 5 feet, 4 inches tall (to the top of the seat back). It is 7 feet, 3 inches long bumper-to-bumper - though it has no "bumpers." The entire rig is supported on a 57-inch wheelbase by white rubber 28x3-inch, four-ply tires mounted on 40-spoke nickel-plated bicycle wheels. With a full load of five gallons of water and three gallons of gasoline the total weight is still less than 700 pounds. The little steamer has a black wooden Stanhope body with a spindle seat. On either end of the dashboard are vertical slots for the reins controlling a horse to pass through, evidence that the body was initially made for use as a horse-drawn carriage. Once Kilsheimer had possession of the car, he corresponded with the previous owner in an attempt to learn how to operate the five wooden-handled valves behind the leather flap located behind the driver's ankles. The six-metal-handled valves on the outside of the car also posed perplexing questions. The previous owner sent him a cryptic message: "Don't try to start it!" Kilsheimer abided by the warning not to light the boiler, but he did hook the Locomobile to a compressed air hose and actually drove his car on the limited tether in his driveway propelled by air under pressure instead of steam under pressure. "I wanted to make sure it ran," he says. Compressed air works just as well as steam to verify the workings of the engine. The horsehair-packed tufted leather seat cushion sits directly over the boiler, Ottawa burner, Maxwell pilot and Mason engine. What would have been cargo space behind the seat in a horse-drawn carriage is a water tank shrouded by a leather cover with a flap for access to fill the tank.