"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
08/31/2020 at 08:55 • Filed to: None
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"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
08/31/2020 at 08:55 • Filed to: None | 14
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Orange is a town in Massachusetts names after some wig wearing dude from England. I think he was a king at some point but who cares about that. What we’re (oppo) interested in is this building below . I was looking for some inspiration for the front facade of a project we are doing out there and found this:
That building was original the home to Grout Automobiles. Never heard of them? well they didn’t last long, (1899-1912) It was “considered the first automobile built in a factory in the United States”(wiki)
enjoy the copy/paste from Wiki:
In 1900, Grout offered a four-seat steam !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! powered by a two-cylinder engine mounted under the seat. An enclosed body model followed in 1901. An unusual model was the 1903 Steam Tonneau, which was fitted with a cowcatcher at the front.
1904 Grout steam powered automobile
The 1904 Grout Touring Car was a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! model. It could seat five passengers and sold for US$2000. The two-cylinder !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was mounted horizontally at the center of the car, with the boiler at the front under the typical touring car hood. This engine produced 12 hp (8.9 kW). The car weighed 2200 lb (998 kg).
In 1904, Grout introduced a range of conventional four-cylinder gasoline-engined cars, but by then the company had financial problems, and few were made. The last cars were made in 1912.
The steamers were exported to the United Kingdom and sold under the Weston name.
The Grout assembly plant in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , was still standing in 2018 and was also home to Minute Tapioca Company and since 1977, has been the corporate offices of Pete’s Tire Barns, Inc. The initial structure is still intact with additions on the sides of the back of the building. Over the years, Pete’s Tire Barns has uncovered artifacts from the manufacturing facility including wheels, tires, etc.
The Orange Historical Society Museum currently houses two Grout Automobiles.
Screenshot: the google
some photos from around the web:
Screenshot: the google
Jayvincent
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 09:18 |
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Great article, OPPOsaurus NoRoad, I love this kind of industrial archaeology. Thanks for sharing!
boredalways
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 09:23 |
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Possibly, the name Orange came from William III of England, aka The Prince of Orange. Since he was a Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, maybe he was the inspiration for Max Verstappen’s Orange Army?*
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_III_of_England
*Obviously, I don't know. Too lazy to do a deep dive. But I could be on the right track, no less.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> boredalways
08/31/2020 at 09:46 |
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t hats the guy, i dunno about the orange army though.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> Jayvincent
08/31/2020 at 09:47 |
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thanks, I wish i had more time to make a better write up but
I don’
t and I hate writing.
onlytwowheels
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 11:04 |
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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 11:49 |
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Also Orange has a really great drag event every year
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/31/2020 at 12:07 |
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they also have a garlic and arts festival. I can;t imagine how the mixture of garlic and ‘artists’ would smell, but I loooove garlic.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> onlytwowheels
08/31/2020 at 12:08 |
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I sent that first one to my boss. That i s a good find.
Taylor Martin
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 12:13 |
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I miss when cars looked like trains... granted, that styling choice didn’t last long, but still, who wouldn’t want to drive a train?
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onlytwowheels
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 12:20 |
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Source:
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:fb494h40j
krustywantout
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 12:39 |
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And a few miles south was where the first successful
American gasoline automobile
was manufactured and America’s first winning race car. It’s really amazing all the industrial
firsts
that are in
Western Mass and Mass in general.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duryea_Motor_Wagon_Company
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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> OPPOsaurus WRX
08/31/2020 at 12:53 |
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Just imagine what garlic, weed, and patchouli smell like together and you're practically there
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
08/31/2020 at 13:42 |
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i’m thinking at any art festival there is probably a good amount of body odo r as well.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> krustywantout
08/31/2020 at 13:55 |
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never knew either of those. Its really sad what western Mass has become. Orange lost a lot of its industry and is struggling.