Photos by author.
As a vintage car enthusiast, your eyes are always darting about, looking for that one piece of automotive treasure that – for some reason – you just can’t live without. Some might call it a sickness; others, a blessing – but in our demented minds collecting tantalizing trinkets from our four-wheeled past is as second nature as, say, breathing. It happens.
And so it was when – on a whim – I joined a close friend on a very recent, exceptionally short, impromptu road trip to a mid-week estate sale. Tucked in among the furniture, dishware, floor lamps and other assorted bits of creature comfort necessities were a couple of vintage auto parts: a first-year Mustang wheel cover, and the detachable spotlamp pictured above.
Like any good vintage car enthusiast, I carefully studied the object my eyes held captive. No lens; no bulb. Old wires, adjustable clamp, and – perhaps more interesting – a rear view mirror bolted to it as well. When held at what may be a correct angle, it’s clear the entire subassembly was designed for its attachment to a windshield frame below the driver’s chest. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the factory engraving on the backside of the lamp, which read Pittsburgh “Six” (partially visible in the image below).
As luck would have it, the “sickness” got the better of me and I was able to bring the lamp home; clinging to it like a child who has been handed a piece of candy as a reward for good behavior. In the 21st century, technology permitted me to quickly start investigating my new treasure’s origin. More than a few minutes ticked into the past as fluorescent-bulbed ceiling fixtures flickered. Shadows grew longer as the sun set. Page after page of unrelated internet stories passed my eyes: Steeler; Penguins; Pirates; the Pittsburgh Six prison escape. Then, when all seemed lost, a clue.
German emigrant B.G. von Rottweiler was an automobile engineer who had visions of creating the perfect race car. His smooth, natural ability to persuade investors and mechanics to join him led to the development of an incredibly massive six-cylinder engine that featured a 7 x 9-inch bore and stroke and, according to reports, touted some 200hp. Measuring a full six feet long without a transmission bolted against it, the engine was clearly impractical for the time; however it did ultimately lead to the formation of the Fort Pitt Motor Manufacturing Company of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, manufacture of the Pittsburgh Six. A more conventional 72hp production version of the experimental engine served as the mode of motivation for the new car, officially available in 1908 in four body styles.
The Pittsburgh Six was reportedly exceptionally expensive to build, prompting a 1909 reorganization, one failed buyout, an attempt to save it, and ultimately its demise by 1911. Just how many were built – or how many survive – is as much a mystery as my new lamp. So, I pose the question to you: Is my spontaneous purchase just one little piece of an exceptionally rare automobile, or a more common aftermarket solution to early exterior illumination?
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