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Man Builds 1906 Oldsmobile Using Google Books

Vintage plans for building motorbikes, lawnmowers, and old automobiles are fun to browse, but who actually builds them?

A man in vintage attire standing next to a classic automobile.

Meet Bob Ferry, a 51-year-old machinist from Louisville, Kentucky. According to Inside Google Books, Ferry dug through Google's massive catalogue of 3 million+ free books, and collected enough vintage plans to customize his own working replica of the 1906 Oldsmobile Model B Runabout.

Though Ferry had already obtained an initial set of plans for the Oldsmobile through a fellow replica car-builder, he uploaded over 100 additional Google Books to his iPad in order to add original details that were lacking in the original blueprints.

Antique automobile with decorative canopy and American flags.

Ferry says:

"My car is powered by a 17-year-old Briggs & Stratton 12 HP engine and a hydrostatic transmission from a 15-20-year-old Craftsman riding mower. It is steered with a tiller arm (no steering wheel) and reaches a blazing top speed of about 6-7 miles per hour."

What's next? Ferry plans to use Google Books to aid in several future builds, including a 1902 De Dion Bouton French car, a 1920 Norton Racer Motorcycle and an Orient Buckboard.

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