Flathead Powered Military vehicle...

[Jason M.]

My work takes me to some interesting places, I found this quietly resting minutes from down town Vancouver a couple weeks ago, almost walked right past it. I don't know if it's a Bren but it appears complete as far as running gear goes, hard to see but it has a complete flathead and special air cleaner set up still intact.

 

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An old Italian guy, long dead, lived in Milwaukee with his brother. John Baseddi [sp] and in his alley shop half dug into a hill in the yard was a 'shrine' picturing all of John's creations. The brothers had built a huge Pabst Blur Ribbon beer can for a parade down Wisconsin Ave. Right under the corporate windows of Schlitz Beer. And John had built a flathead, mid engine, winged and finned, custom purple car with two separate plastic bubbles. One for the driver and one for the passenger. All the car controls were on one 'joy stick'. Push fwd and she motors fwd. Pull back and she brakes, Go right and it progressively turned and same for the left. Twist the vertical top-o-stick and she accelerates. I don't know if was a stick or automatic shift. That car was featured on a Popular Mechanics Magazine cover driving down the Pan-American Highway in South America.

About 15 years later in a long railroad, dirt floored warehouse full of cool stuff in Northbrook, Illinois was the same car but with no heads on the block and very little 'shine' left on her. A pity. During WWII John and his brother pounded out B-17 engine cowls for the war effort. It was an honer to have been in his shop and shared a few lunches with these fellows.

In Racine, Wisconsin there is a junk yard of military tracked things, some powered by flattys and some two man radial aeroplane air cooled engined floating landing type craft just rusting away. It's all neat.

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[HotRodmicky]

Hey Jason,
buy it!

 

[George G]

Looks like a stripped down Bren Gun carrier

 

[Manuel]

Where is Big Mike??