The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Don't Forget to Czech the Oil

I just realized that the SSS Blog has been suffering from an automobile deficiency of late, so I found the following on the Hemmings blog:  a 1940 Tatra T-87.  These Czechoslovakian-made cars were on the cutting edge of automotive technology in the 1940's, with features like rear-mounted, air-cooled, aluminum block engines and aerodynamic styling that delivered drag coefficients as low (if not lower) than many of today's sleekest cars.  Apparently, Ferdinand Porsche applied many of Tatra's concepts to the very first "volkswagen" in 1938. 

No comments: