1934 McQuay Norris Streamliner

The McQuay-Norris Company, based in St. Louis, MO, manufactured replacement pistons, rings, bearings, and other engine parts. In the early 1930s, six promotional vehicles were built by the Hill Auto Body Metal Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, for the McQuay-Norris Company. Along with being promotional vehicles, they were used for testing. As such, they were given a plethora of gauges on the instrument panel to monitor the performance of various engine components.

The exterior of the vehicle was as unusual as it was advanced. Its streamlined shape was made of steel and aluminum over a wood framework. The curved windshield offers a panoramic view - except to the rear. The driver sits well back, near the middle of the body, and there is room behind the seats for a suitcase, a blowby meter (to measure how well the piston rings and valves are sealing) and a viscometer (to monitor oil viscosity). Some of the gauges monitored the engine oil level, pressure and temperature, water temperature and ammeter, and an accuracy refined speedometer and odometer.

From 1934 to 1940, the vehicles traveled across the United States and Canada. Powering the Streamliner was a Ford flathead 221 cubic-inch V8 that offered 85 horsepower. It was mated to a three-speed manual gearbox and had a top speed of 80 mph.

The cars were kept until 1940 and then individually sold off. Two cars have survived. One was given a restoration in 1990.