[Flyingwedge]

A while back e_r posted a photo from President Wilson's visit to LA in September 1919. We have a much better
view of the driver than the driver had of what was in front of the car:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

President Wilson, taken on 12th St. near S. Hope. Sept. 20, 1919, Los Angeles Calif.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-191...item5420b978f4

GW posted a few photos from the same presidential visit. Can anyone tell what kind of car Wilson is in?
Make your guess now before scrolling down.

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

All LAT

Wilson's driver, visible in e_r's photo, was a guy named Frank Albright, and the car was a Marmon Model 34:


September 27, 1919, Los Angeles Herald @ CDNC


Here's another photo (there's also a short article at the link):


October 1919 The Marmon News @ HathiTrust


In e_r's photo, Wilson's car has just turned from south on Hope Street to east on 12th Street. The building behind
Wilson in e_r's photo is the green church at the bottom center of the map. Please note the intersection of Hope and
11th Street (at the center of the map), the auto dealerships on the NE and SW corners of 11th and Hope, and the
adjacent empty lots on the south side of 11th between Hope and Grand:


1921 Baist Map @ Historic Mapworks


Just a minute or so before Wilson had his photo taken at 12th and Hope, while passing by 11th and Hope, he saw
and read a sign:


September 27, 1919, Los Angeles Herald @ CDNC


The "bad road" had been planned earlier in the month. All the ads I found said Overland was at 11th and Hope,
so I'm not sure if Overland was on the NE or SW corner:


September 6, 1919, Los Angeles Herald @ CDNC


There was an article on the "bad road" in the February 1920 The Architect and Engineer of California:




HathiTrust

And here's the "bad road," looking south from the north side of 11th Street. I guess it's more like a temporary obstacle
course that would be built for an auto show, but the 1919 version. In the foreground there are steps on each side of
the alley that bisects the property. To the left is a patch of "rough road" and some railroad tracks. To the right is a
33-1/2-foot turning circle. Curbs and other obstacles dot the rest of the course.




This photo looks north at the turning circle and the building on the north side of 11th Street:




The car seems to be driving through some kind of obstacle here. We're looking east, with the homes on the
east side of Grand Avenue in the background:




I don't know how long the "bad road" was there, but it was popular enough that Willys-Overland built one in San Francisco too.