Tag Archives: 1902

1902 Flint Roadster

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1902 Flint Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams
Photo – Bonhams

The Flint Roadster (yes, that was the name of the marque) was built by A.B.C. Hardy and his Flint Automobile Company between 1902 and 1904 in Flint, Michigan (if that wasn’t obvious). Only one model was available and it cost $850 when new.

The engine is an eight horsepower single-cylinder displacing 2.3-liters. Hardy didn’t play by the rules of the day and faced numerous lawsuits that effectively shut his business down. Only 52 Flint Roadsters were ever built. It is unknown how many remain but this car is entirely original (although the tires look to have been replaced). It spent much of its life in storage and would need a thorough mechanical overhaul to become roadworthy. It should sell for between $34,000-$39,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $40,273.

Clément Tricycle

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1902 Clément Tricycle

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | June 14, 2015

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Clément is a fairly well-known brand among early automobiles. We’ve documented the tangled history of some of Adolphe Clément-Bayard’s companies before and this is kind of a different branch. He founded Clément cycles in 1878 to build bicycles. Motorized bicycles and tricycles came in 1902 after he merged with Gladiator.

This tricycle is powered by a single-cylinder De Dion engine and it is a runner. Use it in the next London-to-Brighton run, if you wish. Clément Cycles morphed into part of Clément-Bayard in 1903 and vehicles like this pretty much disappeared from the automotive landscape shortly thereafter. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $39,900.

1902 Rattler

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1902 Rattler Runabout

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Houston, Texas | April 25, 2015

Photo - Worldwide Auctioneers

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

The 1902 Rattler (which, let’s be honest, makes it sound like it wasn’t put together all that well) is a mystery. No one really knows where it was built, nor who built it. It is one of many such one-off prototype cars built by men who wanted to get into this new automobile industry around the turn of the century. But it didn’t work out. Not for the Rattler, or numerous other early one-offs built.

But unlike many, the Rattler survived. Its setup is much like that of other early high-wheelers: large, wooden wagon-like wheels with a buggy-style body and an engine located under the seat. This probably isn’t a runner or driver, having spent many, many years in a museum. But it is original and complete.

It’s an interesting piece of history, that’s for sure. If you want to own it, it can be yours for between $40,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $9,900.

1902 Autocar Type VIII

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1902 Autocar Type VIII 10HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Autocar is famous for being the oldest continually operating motor manufacturer in the United States. They haven’t built road cars since 1911, but they’ve been producing trucks since 1899.

Autocar offered quite a number of vehicles in their short passenger car producing lifetime, but the 1902 line was limited to just a few body styles. This car uses a two-cylinder engine making 10 horsepower.

The restoration here dates to prior to 1978 and the car was dated as a 1902 in the 1970s but it could be a 1904. Anyway, the engine was rebuilt in 1980 and it has been part of numerous tours and events. It will do a comfortable 25-30 mph, for you speed demons. It’ll sell for between $120,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this awesome sale.

Update: Not sold.

1902 Rochet

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1902 Rochet Type D

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Rochet name shows up in a few places in the early days of motoring, most notably as Rochet-Schneider, of which this car has no relation. Rochet (and later, Rochet-Petit) was active in Paris from 1899 through 1905.

At the turn of the century, Rochet built front-engined cars that followed the current trends of popular automobiles, but in 1902 they introduced a retro model, the Type D seen here. It was a vis-a-vis style arrangement (where the driver and passengers faced each other). You see a fair amount of De Dion-Boutons from this era in this configuration.

The engine is also at the rear. It’s a single-cylinder making 4.5-horsepower. This car has twice completed the London to Brighton run and is entered this year. It’s a well-presented veteran car that is usable from a short-lived manufacturer. It should sell for between $80,000-$96,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

1902 Panhard et Levassor

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1902 Panhard et Levassor 15hp Model KB Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Panhard et Levassor was one of the first automobile manufacturers in the world. They’re still around, too, even if they haven’t built passenger cars in decades. They began selling cars in 1891 – becoming the first company to offer a production model. And they sort of came up with the whole “put the engine in front and have it drive the rear wheels via a transmission” thing.

This car uses a 3.3-liter straight-four and has a four-speed transmission, which seems pretty cool for 1902. It was purchased new from Panhard’s Paris showroom by Ricardo Soriano, a Spaniard who would later have his own car company (for a few years, anyway). It was the 18th car ever registered in Madrid.

It remained with that family until 1945, when they had the car moved to a collection – where it stayed until 1975. It was restored in ’75 and it passed into another collection that year. The new owners held onto it until 2007. It is being offered from the third owner. It’s a very early, running, driving, and complete automobile. Many parts are entirely original, which is incredible. It can be yours for between $960,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Covert Runabout

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1902 Covert Runabout

Offered by RM Auctions | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 9-10, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This resembles a car that you’d see on permanent display in some historic automotive museum, locked away, never to be seen in public again. But it’s for sale. It comes from the collection of John Moir, who had a car for every letter of the alphabet (just wait, we plan to feature many of them).

Byron V. Covert & Company built cars in Lockport, New York, from 1902 through 1907. He built a steam car in 1902, but those from 1902 were gas – including this launch-year single-cylinder model that makes three horsepower. The Runabout was the only style offered for 1902.

Covert changed his business in 1908, switching to manufacture of running gear parts instead of full cars. This is a very rare example of a little-known marque and it’s a wonderful example of early American motoring. It’ll cost you between $30,000-$50,000. You can read more here and see more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $44,000.

1902 De Dietrich

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1902 De Dietrich Type 8 “Paris-Vienna” Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

In Alsace, De Dietrich is more than just a short-lived, early car manufacturer. It’s an old family that owned lots of land and had lots of titles. They entered industry in the 1840s and in 1897 they sold their first automobiles. Strangely, as beautiful and well-engineered as these cars were, the De Dietrich marque would be gone after 1905 as the cars were then sold as Lorraine-Dietrichs.

This particular car has an interesting history – it was discovered during WWII when a German bomb blew apart the barn that this thing had been stored in since 1912. This model is identical to those that De Dietrich entered in the 1902 Paris-Vienna race. It uses a 4.1-liter straight-four that puts out 16 horsepower. It can power this fairly large car up to speeds of 55 mph on level roads.

This car was bought new by a member of the Guinness brewing family. He sold it and it was parked in 1912. In the 1940s, after it was unearthed by the aforementioned German explosive, the car was rescued from outdoor deterioration and a restoration was started in 1946. It has had a few owners since (and spent time in a museum) and a second restoration. This thing is beautiful. I wish I had the $1,300,000-$1,400,000 necessary to acquire it. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $1,700,349.

Ache Freres

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1902 Ache Freres Type TM

Offered by Osenat | Fountainebleau, France | March 16, 2014

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

This is one of those early motorized vehicles where not much is known about it because only a handful were built in a shop somewhere. Well we know where the shop was: Agen, France. We know who built them: the Ache Brothers. Well sort of. The company could have also been called something else.

The engine is a 669cc single-cylinder De Dion – and at least one other example of these is powered by an Aster engine. As you can see, the layout of this three-wheeler is bizarre compared to modern vehicles. Similar trikes were constructed by companies like La Nef.

The Ache was built from 1902 to 1904 and between 15 and 20 were built in total. This is one of two or three known to survive. It should sell for between $83,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Osenat’s lineup.

Update: Not sold.

Warwick Stanhope

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1902 Warwick 6hp Four-Seat Stanhope

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 1, 2013

1902 Warwick 6hp Four-Seat Stanhope

Warwick was a very short-lived automobile marque. They introduced their first car toward the end of 1901 and were out of business by 1905. The company was based out of Springfield, Massachusetts, which was kind of a hot bed for early automobile manufacturers.

In 1902, Warwick introduced their most powerful car, the six horsepower model powered by a 700cc De Dion engine. This example was a barn find of the late 1980s and was restored in the U.K., where it has resided since. Yes, the third and fourth seat are rear-facing, for those of you wondering how this is a “four-seat” Stanhope.

Only being in production for a little over three years will make any car rare. It was once noted that this may be the only surviving 6hp Warwick. It should sell for between $97,000-$110,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.