Al Capone V-16 Episode on The History Channel

[Currell Pattie]

THC has a new show called AutoManiac. Did anyone see it? They did a piece on gangster cars, with the Capone V-16 Cadillac as one of particular interest.

They had a car on the show that they represented as a V-16, but it wasnt. It might have been a LaSalle, (did not get a good look), and the year was about 1928. What a disappointment, and very misleading to the casual viewer.

The only thing they got right was a quickie, one minute history on the V-16 engine development.

Currell

[Brian Rachlin]

I did see the show, and noted a few inaccuracies, but overall it was pretty entertaining.

Brian

[Yann Saunders, CLC #12588]

Look at it this way, Currell: 99.5 percent of viewers wouldnt know the difference between a thirties Cadillac and any other extant or defunct auto makes of that era.  Only you and I (and maybe a few others in the club) ever heard of the << V-16 >>.

But the world knows Al Capone !  

There are a million things I dont know (or care) about other topics that also have their experts and followers out there.  Sports, for example, or gun collecting.

Pity I didnt see the program.  I always try to make it a point of bringing gross errors to the attention of the poducers. It MAY just help to avoid a mistake repeating itself, although I have my doubts. Most people tend to consider as the Gospel truth the lies spread by the media (involuntarily or deliberately).

[Junior Jones]

History Channel
Auto Maniac
Gangster Cars.
Airs on Saturday, June 18 at 7:00pm ET

They are the cars that appeal to a certain kind of "businessman"--the kind that has a lot of enemies. Smooth, sleek, and glamorous, theyve helped make outlaws like John Dillinger, Al Capone, and John Gotti look like gentlemen instead of killers. Some did zero to 60 faster than any police car could and others were bulletproof. Today, science enables these cars to withstand a bomb blast or the punch from a 9-millimeter automatic. Ride along as we explore Gangster Cars--built to keep their owners from getting clipped!  TVP

An entertaining new series. I just saw the latest episode on Moonshiner and Revenuer Cars

JJ

[Bill Hedge CLC 14424]

Entertaining and enjoyable show.  However,I think it was this show that said that Hundson had the first "self starter".

[Rhino 21150]

Im pretty sure that Cadillac got credit for the first "self starter", but it was actually the first Electric starter. Ive read a few books that have the first self starter from around 1908. It used a special valve setup to introduce acetylene into whichever cylinder was in the power stroke. A couple of others used the ignition to pop off left over gas in a cylinder. Not to successful compared to batteries.

[Currell Pattie]

Saw the show on a rerun, and, with Maurice Hendrys Cadillac History book firmly in hand, determined that the car was c. a 26 Cadillac.

Once again...shame on THC. The "average" viewer cannot appreciate a "real" V-16.

Currell

[Don Boshara #594]

What should we expect from a show that probably is written by a 20 year old. And what about the emcee who, according to his apparent knowledge of antique cars, should stick to pro wrestling.

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Ive also found some misinformation in the History Channels Automobile series, but mistakes turn up in even well-researched books and programs by automotive experts.  Ive enjoyed my 1973 edition of Maurice Hendrys Cadillac bible;in fact, Ive practically worn it out, but there are several pictures in the color photo section that are mis-labeled (1961 Fleetwood listed as Series 62 short-deck sedan, 1966 Fleetwood as 1964, and 1967 and 1970 Sedan de Villes with captions reversed)and this probably happened without Mr. Hendrys knowledge after his work was sent to Dutton for publication and I assume they were corrected in later editions. This makes me realize that we probably daily get wrong information on many topics with which were not as familiar as we are with Cadillacs and other cars.

[Yann Saunders]

As far as erroneous captions go, the worst of the lot, IMHO, is the book by John Heilig, "The Cadillac Century", by Chartwell Books.

It is brim-full of "stunning Cadillac photography, specially commissioned and previously unpublished". I found glaring errors on pp. 9, 10, 13, 28, 34-35, 38, 39, 43, 45, 50, 57, 59, 67, 62, 68, 69, 71, 73, 79, 80, 89, 90, 96, 97, 126. There may be more; Im not an expert on models built after 1970.