Tag Archives: 1903

60HP Mercedes-Simplex

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1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60HP Roi-des-Belges by J. Rothschild

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | February/March 2024

Photo – Gooding & Company

The holy trio of Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Emil Jellinek were responsible for the Mercedes-Simplex, which was the first in a long line of top-tier grand Mercedes road cars. Think of this as the predecessor to the current Mercedes-Maybach sedans.

The car came about because Jellinek, who was Daimler’s Nice-based sales guy, needed a better car than the earlier Daimlers to sell to his rich clients. The new cars were named for Jellinek’s daughter, Mercedes. The first Mercedes was the 35HP model of 1901. It was followed by 1902’s 40HP. The 60HP, which was developed through ’02 and ’03, was even… more.

These were performance cars in their day, used at time trials and other competition events. Even this car was run at the 1903 Nice Speed Trials (setting the fastest time) and an Irish hillclimb later that year (also winning). The car is powered by a 9.2-liter inline-four that was rated at 60 horsepower and a downright low 1,100 rpm. It has a four-speed manual gearbox, and the entire design was meant to be easy to use. Hence the Simplex name.

These were capable of 80 mph and were long and low. Just 102 examples of the 60HP were built between 1902 and 1905. Only five are known to exist. This J. Rothschild et Fils-bodied car was purchased new by publisher Alfred Harmsworth, he of The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror. It was the 740th car registered in London.

The car was inherited by Harmsworth’s son around 1922 and, in the 1950s, was restored and put on display in the Beaulieu Motor Museum, where it stayed from 1956 through 2023. It has remained with two other members of the Harmsworth family since. That is 121 years of single-family ownership. Gooding has an estimate of “in excess of $10,000,000” on this, the ultimate veteran era car. More can be read here.

1903 Brown Tonneau

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1903 Brown 8HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 3, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Brown Brothers Ltd was a short-lived automaker out of London. They were around for a about decade, selling cars between 1901 and 1913. What’s interesting is that they company did not have a manufacturing facility. Instead, they had their stuff made elsewhere, including by Star.

This early example is powered by a two-cylinder engine that was rated at eight horsepower. The car is of decent size, sporting a large body for its day. This is said to be the 102nd car the company built. What’s fun is that Bonhams has two from this make in this same auction.

In 1904, the car went to New Zealand. A restoration was begun at some point, and, before it was finished, the car was sold to Brown Brothers back in the U.K. The restoration was obviously completed, and the car has been used in the London-to-Brighton run a number of times over the years. It now has an estimate of $160,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Knox Model C

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1903 Knox Model C Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Knox Automobile Company was based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was founded by Harry Knox and Elihu Cutler, and they sold their first 15 cars in 1900. Knox would hang around for another decade and a half, with cars trickling out until they went bankrupt in 1915. Tractor and truck production until the Knox brand continued until 1924.

In 1903, they offered just the Model C, which was only built in Runabout form. Power is provided by a 10-horsepower, 2.6-liter single. This car was parked for a long time, with its engine used to power a saw.

Later on, it was restored, with recreation coachwork constructed by its restorer. It now has an estimate of $55,000-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $44,800.

Curved Dash Olds

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1903 Oldsmobile Model R Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 19, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

This is the car that revolutionized automobiles. Ransom E. Olds built his first Curved Dash prototypes in 1900, and customer deliveries started late the following year. For 1902 and 1903, the cars were officially dubbed the Model R, but many similar Oldsmobiles built through 1907 are widely collectively known as “Curved Dash Oldsmobiles” (CDO).

1903 was the company’s best up to that point, with 3,924 cars produced. The CDO was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts instead of everything being a one-off crafted by hand. This put Oldsmobile in the #1 sales position in America, with Cadillac a distant second, nearly 1,500 units behind.

Power is from a single-cylinder engine displacing 1.6 liters and producing seven horsepower. The cars have a strong following and are used often by enthusiastic owners. The pre-sale estimate is $65,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $30,240

Thornycroft Double Phaeton

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1903 Thornycroft 20HP Double Phaeton

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Thornycroft was mostly known for its commercial vehicles, but for a decade in their early years (1903-1913), they also produced passenger cars. The company was founded as a shipbuilder in 1864 and produced its first motor vehicle – a steam van – in 1896. Thornycroft was absorbed by AEC in 1961 and was gone by 1977.

This double phaeton is powered by a 20-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-four. It was owned by a member of the Thornycroft family (supposedly one of the automotive arm founders) from new until 1957, and it’s had three owners since. Bonhams notes that the car has never failed to complete the London-to-Brighton run, but neglects to tell us just how many times it has accomplished the feat. It is entered in this year’s event.

Only about 450 Thornycroft passenger cars were built, and they are exceedingly rare today (this is, perhaps, the first one to come up for public auction in nearly a decade). The pre-sale estimate is $440,000-$470,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $400,020.

Marble-Swift

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1903 Marble-Swift Model C

Offered by The Vault | Online | October 1-14, 2020

Photo – The Vault

The Marble-Swift Automobile Company of Chicago, Illinois, was around for a short time: from 1903 through 1905. It was founded by George W. Marble and George P. Swift. They offered a two-cylinder runabout for the first two years and sold a four-cylinder touring car in 1905.

This car is powered by an inline-three, which is weird because they never advertised such a car. The online lot description notes that it was probably a prototype, but really anything is possible. It could’ve been assembled from random parts in the 1950s. Who knows. Marble-Swift’s big innovation was a gearless twin-disc friction transmission.

Little is known about this particular car, but it’s selling at no reserve out of this collection. The “Model C” portion also seems to have been made up (as if the twin and four-cylinder cars were models A and B respectively). At any rate, it’s a very interesting, 117-year-old car. Click here for more info.

1903 Dyke

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1903 Dyke No. 1 Gasoline Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Andrew Dyke founded the first automobile supply catalog business in 1899. But because no one really yet needed parts, he decided to build some cars (and sell some kit cars) while he waiting for the need to arise.

This is one of the kits, as his early cars were electrics, and the 1904 Dyke-Britton was a four-cylinder touring car. Essentially, you bought the running chassis from Dyke and them went about sourcing a body. This is powered by either a one or two-cylinder engine – the auction catalog does not make it clear, and the photos are not of any help.

Only three such cars remain, and the current owner of this car purchased it directly from a Harrah dispersal sale in 1985. It’s been freshened and modified (slightly) for an improved top speed: 30 mph. You can read more about this no reserve car here and see more from RM here.

Update: Sold $60,500.

Miniature Velox

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1903 Velox Miniature Velox

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 7, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

The Velox Motor Co. Ltd. of Coventry began producing cars in 1902. They offered at least three models during their short history (they went out of business in 1904), ranging from 20 horsepower touring cars to this, the Miniature Velox.

It is powered by a single-cylinder engine rated at 3.5 horsepower. The car included some pretty bizarre features for 1903: a tubular frame, an inverted suspension, and a front-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout, and dual chain drive (one going from the engine to the mid-mounted gearbox, and one going from there to the live rear axle).

Though they were around for three years and offered multiple models, the company only produced 21 automobiles. Total. And this is the only one that survives. It is London-to-Brighton eligible and should sell for between $48,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $64,454.

Rambler Model E Runabout

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1903 Rambler Model E Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 2, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Thomas B. Jeffrey‘s Rambler premiered in 1900 and the first models went on sale to the public in 1902. The Model E was new for 1904 – it was the most basic model the company offered. This car is listed in the catalog as a 1903 model, meaning it was probably built at the end of that year.

Power is from a seven horsepower, single-cylinder engine. This car rides on a 78″ wheelbase, the shortest offered in 1904. It features tiller steering and seating for two.

This car was sold new in Virginia, where it remained with its original owner until 1956. It was restored twice, most recently in 1995 and has competed in the London-to-Brighton run on multiple occasions. It should bring between $60,000-$66,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $62,756.

24HP Darracq

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1903 Darracq 24HP Model JJ Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 2, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

There seems to be a Darracq at Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale every year. And we never get to feature it. Not this year!. This 24HP Darracq was restored in the 1990s and is still winning awards. It successfully completed the 1903 Paris-Madrid race with its first owner, even though the race was halted due to fatalities.

Power is from a 4.7-liter straight-four good for 24 horsepower. Top speed is about 50 mph and this car is actually a little smaller than it looks. Most rear-entrance tonneaus are quite large, but just look at how compact the wheelbase looks for an estimate of this car’s size.

This is a high-quality car, as all big Darracqs of this vintage are. It is one of two in existence and should bring between $730,000-$860,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $779,115.