The last week has been a banner one for finding additional
images of long-lost vehicles. First, we found the color images
of the Brooks Stevens FC-150 Commuter, and now, thanks to Bob
Stinnette, we have three more images of the mysterious Mars
Express. Bob wrote on his My Hemmings page that his father,
Robert B. Stinnette, took the photos sometime in the late 1930s
on U.S. Route 1 just north of Richmond, Virginia. We know from
automotive historian Bob Cunningham that the Mars Express first
appeared on American roads in 1934, promoting the Pan American
Petroleum Corporation. As an account in the Tuscaloosa News from
June 14, 1934, reported, Pan American advertised the Mars
Express as a 1,000 MPH car that “follows scientific forecasts of
50 years in the future.” There will be decorated automobiles of
the newest type accompanying the Rocket Car. And a special auto
will carry the “Man from Mars,” who depicts the characters that
we will see journeying to earth perhaps from our neighboring
planets. The car’s comple