The 4 questions are all in the topic's title:
Who is this rather well-known lady, how was this car it called, where and when was this picture taken.
The lady is already established: Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira
The car's name is something I haven't been able to find...and not because I haven't searched!
The same holds true for the when and where, although I think it's probably a publicity/portfolio photo that pre-dates Ms Nurmi's short-lived fame as Vampira.
Car color. The first name that would come to mind would be "Candy Apple Red." However, I don't think candy-color paints were used at the time that photo was done....it wasn't generally used until the mid-50s. I've been doing body work and paint for quite a while, even though it's not something I do all the time. The first time I painted a car was in 1962. At that time, any paint that used a translucent top coat (such as candy or pearl or metalflake) was pretty much reserved for trailer queen show cars, since the clear lacquer used to cover or blend the candy color was very sensitive to UV light and if left in the sunlight would turn milky yellow. So that brings us to the other popular red color of the time, "Fire Engine Red."
Taking a close look at the car, the wheels, bumper and steering wheel all seem to be from a Ford Model A. The wheels appear to be 1928/29 vintage (21 inch vs the 19s used on 1930 and 1931 Model As.) The car seems to have had a fair degree of use, judging by the wear on the inside of the front fender. The rest of the car appears to be a hand-crafted, or perhaps an aftermarket speedster body. The Mercury brand was a popular one in the 30s.
In the photo, Ms Nurmi's hair is her natural blonde color, rather than the black she adopted for her role as Vampira, which began in 1954. That role didn't last very long, but it "sealed her fate", so to speak and she was typecast as Vampira for the rest of her life. I think she got a raw deal, but that's personal opinion.
Returning to the blonde look in the photo, I'd guess that it dates from the late 40s or early 50s when she was doing pinup modeling and about any other job she could get...like working as a hat-check girl at a night club. (How many of those positions still exist? Not many if any at all, I'd wager.) See attached image as a pinup model.
I wish I could provide more info (and find the photo of the damned car.) I think I've run out of creative insomnia. G'nite
RtR
