Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Charles Metz’s Waltham Manufacturing Company of Waltham, Massachusetts began producing bicycles in 1893. Their first automobile was built in 1899 and it was electric. Different cars followed for 1900-1902, and their most famous product, the Buckboard, debuted in 1903. They used “Orient” as a brand name through 1905 when it shifted to Waltham-Orient or just Waltham.
This 1907 model was from the final year of Orient Buckboard production and is quite different from most of their products. Called the Surrey, it features two-rows of bench seating and a surrey top that made it look downright luxurious compared to other two-passenger buckboard cars. Power is from a four horsepower two-stroke single-cylinder engine.
Only 1,020 examples were built. This one should bring between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Update: Sold $27,500.
1919 Briggs & Stratton Flyer
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
When A.O. Smith stopped producing his “Smith Flyer,” he sold the rights to Briggs & Stratton, they of more recent lawn mower-engine fame. The company has been around since 1908 building small engines. When they acquired the rights to the Flyer in 1919, they improved upon it a little and continued production with their motors through 1923.
After that, the design was sold to a different company that produced it as the Red Bug. This five-wheeled car has a top speed of 25 mph and a single-cylinder engine. It should sell for between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
If you’re noticing a trend, yes, Indiana liked their highwheelers before 1910. The Kiblinger was a product of Auburn, Indiana, where they were built between 1907 and 1909. There are a few of them on display at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum. And this car was once on display there too.
The Model D was one of six models produced by the company, and it’s powered by a 10 horsepower, two-cylinder engine that is shared with similar cars from Sears. Speaking of similar cars, company president W.H. McIntyre shut down and re-branded the company as the McIntyre after they were sued for patent infringement by Success. You can read more about this car here.
1905 De Tamble-Miller High-Wheel Runabout Prototype
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Edward De Tamble‘s earliest cars were highwheelers. Series production didn’t start until 1908 in Indianapolis (and later, Anderson, Indiana), and this car predates that time. It carries a stamp calling it a De Tamble & Miller, but not much is really known about it.
Mostly original, it is thought that this was the prototype De Tamble, and it uses parts from the era, including the gearbox from a Ford Model F. It’s a one-off piece of early automotive history, and you can read more about it here.
Update: Sold $26,400.
1907 Kiblinger Model D High-Wheel Runabout
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
If you’re noticing a trend, yes, Indiana liked their highwheelers before 1910. The Kiblinger was a product of Auburn, Indiana, where they were built between 1907 and 1909. There are a few of them on display at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum. And this car was once on display there too.
The Model D was one of six models produced by the company, and it’s powered by a 10 horsepower, two-cylinder engine that is shared with similar cars from Sears. Speaking of similar cars, company president W.H. McIntyre shut down and re-branded the company as the McIntyre after they were sued for patent infringement by Success. You can read more about this car here.
Update: Sold $28,600.
1908 Mier Model A Runabout
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The short-lived Mier was built by the Mier Carriage and Buggy Company of Ligonier, Indiana in 1908 and 1909. Solomon Mier, and his son A.B., built about 100 cars during that time before returning to the horse-drawn buggy industry, where they managed to stay in business into the 1920s.
This Model A Runabout was one of two models offered in 1908. Power is from a 10 horsepower inline-twin. Of the 100 built, only two remain, making this a great chance to get your hands on a truly rare car. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $55,000.
1917 Elcar Model E Cloverleaf Roadster
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Elcar actually traces its roots back to Pratt-Elkhart, which was one of Indiana’s highest-quality early cars. That company later became Pratt, which was quickly reformed as the Elkhart Carriage and Motor Car Company in 1915. They built the Elcar through 1931.
This was the only model available in 1917, and it is one of four body styles offered. The Cloverleaf Roadster retailed for $845 and is powered by a 34 horsepower, Lycoming inline-four. Prediction: this car sells for what would appear to be a great deal. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $37,400.
1931 Auburn Model 8-98A Sedan
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Somehow we’ve only featured one Auburn car prior to this. Indiana was a force in the early days of the automobile industry, and Auburn was one of its star products, which were offered between 1900 and 1937. They built some pretty fantastic cars in the mid-1930s, but everyone seems to forget that they built “normal”-looking cars like this alongside those wild boattail speedsters.
The 8-98 and the 8-98A were the only models offered in 1931. They were powered by a 98 horsepower straight-eight. Various body styles were available, and this sedan would’ve cost its new owner $1,195. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 10-11, 2019
Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
The Wayne Automobile Company was founded in Detroit in 1904 by Charles Palms, E.A. Skae, Roger Sullivan, J.B. Brock, and car designer William Kelly. They started with two-cylinder cars and eventually expanded into four-cylinder offerings before they merged with Northern in 1908.
Almost immediately after the merger, the company was acquired by Walter Flanders and Barney Everitt who turned it into E-M-F. In 1910, Studebaker acquired E-M-F and merged it into their line of cars.
This 1907 Model N is the only surviving “big Wayne,” and it’s powered by a 35 horsepower inline-four. It was acquired by the current owner in 1999, after which it was first restored. You can read more about it here and see more from this sale here.
Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | April 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
The auction catalog for this car lists it as an American car, which it isn’t. Arthur Adams teamed up with Edward Hewitt to build the Adams-Hewitt in Bedford, England from 1905 through 1907 when Hewitt left the company. Cars built thereafter until 1914 were known as just “Adams.”
This small two-seater is powered by a 1.7-liter single-cylinder engine pushing out all of 10 horsepower. It was discovered in Turkey, of all places, and brought back to the UK and restored for museum duty. Only a handful of these cars remain.
Bizarrely, Mr. Adams died aboard the Lusitania (not the Titanic as mentioned in the catalog), much like the founder of the Trumbull cyclecar that is being sold from this same collection. It’s either a weird coincidence, or this collector has, um, very morbid tastes. Look for a price between $20,000-$26,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
Frank and Charles Matheson hopped around a bit with their company, which they founded in 1903 – first in their hometown of Grand Rapids for a year, then to Holyoke, Massachusetts until 1905, then finally on to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where they built cars through 1912. After their luck ran out running their own firm, both men remained in the industry for decades to come.
In 1907, Matheson offered two different four-cylinder model lines. This “Big Four” is the larger of the two, and it is powered by a 50 horsepower, 8.0-liter inline-four and bad ass double chain drive. A shaft-driven six-cylinder car would arrive in 1909.
This car wears a large seven-passenger touring body, one of four styles offered in 1907 (though this body is a recreation constructed in the 1980s). The price when new would’ve been $5,500 – a fraction of the $250,000-$350,000 it is expected to bring later this week. Fun fact: William Randolph Hearst owned a pair of Mathesons. Only four Wilkes-Barre-built cars are known to exist today, and this is a pretty nice one. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
There were quite a few Columbus and Columbia-branded automobiles in the early days of motoring. The Columbus Electric was a fairly popular one, and there was another, completely separate “Columbus” that operated in 1913 and 1914. But this car was built by the Columbus Buggy Company, who could trace their history as a buggy manufacturer back to the Civil War-era.
This car is actually a relative to the Columbus Electric, as a few investors purchased the gasoline-powered side of the business in 1905. They sold gasoline-powered Columbus highwheelers like this in 1907 and 1908. The cars were engineered by none other than Eddie Rickenbacker and are powered by a 1.6-liter twin-cylinder engine making 10 horsepower.
They sold these for $750 before moving on the Firestone-Columbus, a more modern automobile. This car has rope drive and, it would appear, a whip in case it all goes to hell and you need a horse to pull you. That, or to scare children and/or peasants out the way. This car should sell for between $30,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 7, 2019
Photo – Bonhams
Thomas Tincher sold some seriously expensive cars between 1903 and 1909 (their 1904 90hp race car model cost $12k… in 1904!). Up until the formation of the South Bend-based Tincher Motor Car Company in 1907, his cars were all built by the Chicago Coach & Carriage Company.
The Model H was the only Tincher offered in 1906 and 1907. At $6,000 it was extremely pricey and was powered by a monstrous 60 horsepower, 7.7-liter inline-four. The company never built more than six cars in a single year and closed their doors in 1909 after being unable to make a profit with such a low production volume.
This is the only Tincher known to exist, and it’s going to be one of the more expensive brass era cars sold from this collection, with an estimate of $500,000-$700,000. Be sure to go to the catalog to check out the amazing paintwork. Click here for more from Bonhams.
Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 3, 2018
Photo – Bonhams
Thomas-Detroit was a short-lived marque founded in 1906 after two former Oldsmobile employees had a chance encounter with E.R. Thomas of the Thomas Motor Company. The two ex-Olds employees, engineer Howard Coffin and salesman Roy Chapin, convinced Thomas to help fund their building of a slightly smaller car than Thomas was currently offering out of his Buffalo-based enterprise.
So Thomas-Detroit was set up in Detroit to build a 40HP car. It was offered in 1906, 1907, and 1908 only because Chapin and Coffin became tired of being managed from afar. They convinced Hugh Chalmers to buy out Thomas and the marque became Chalmers-Detroit for 1909 before becoming just Chalmers in 1911.
This Model C is powered by a 5.8-liter straight-four making 40 horsepower. It was offered as a Runabout, Touring car, Limousine, or Landaulette. This Touring would’ve cost $2,750 when new. Very few Thomas-Detroit motorcars were ever completed and sold before the company’s name changed. This one has been wonderfully restored and should bring between $125,000-$175,000 at auction. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 10, 2018
1907 Chameroy Tonneau
Photo – Artcurial
What? Never heard of a Chameroy Tonneau? Artcurial is presenting a collection of true oddball cars at Rétromobile and I love it. Automobiles Chameroy of Le Vesinet offered automobiles for only four years, from 1907 through 1910.
This 1907 model features a V-4 engine making “at least 9 horsepower.” It is likely an Aster engine and probably the largest car Chameroy built (which would likely make it the Type D, but that’s just an inference on my part). Chameroy was apparently more famous for their own special “non-skid tires” and may have had more success with them. As it is, this is the only known example of their cars to survive. It should bring between $12,000-$18,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $33,585.
1907 Louis Pouron 8HP
Photo – Artcurial
This little two-seat French roadster was not built by an automobile company. Instead, it was built by a French railway employee, likely while he was on strike (just kidding!).
It’s powered by an eight horsepower De Dion single-cylinder engine from 1903. Not much else is known about the car’s history or its builder. The collection of Michel Broual, of which this is being sold from, acquired it after many years of waiting as the car wound up in a shed that had sort of been made smaller around the car so it could not be removed. The owner refused to allow anyone to trample his garden and someone else snuck in and bought it out from under Broual who would have to wait years to buy it from that gentleman. Kind of weird story. But hey, it’s kind of a weird, one-off car. It should bring between $12,000-$18,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $16,062.
1907 Contal Mototri Type B
Photo – Artcurial
Camille Contal’s Mototri was a forecar built in France. Unlike many of its counterparts, this was not a motorcycle fitted with a front-facing chair. It was designed from the ground up as a tri-car.
First introduced at the 1905 Paris Auto Salon, the Contal would be sold to the public in 1907 and 1908. 1907 was a good year publicity-wise for the firm as one of their Mototris competed in the Peking-Paris race (even if it didn’t do very well). The Mototri could be had as you see here or as a delivery wagon. Compared to many of the cars in this collection, this one seems to be in quite decent shape. It should bring between $18,000-$30,000. Click here for more info.
Update: Sold $65,709.
1925 SIMA-Violet Type VM
Photo – Artcurial
Ah, the SIMA-Violet. When I think “cyclecars” this is one of the first cars to come to mind (this is a close second). SIMA-Violet’s name comes from SIMA (Société Industrielle de Matériel Automobile)and the last name of the company’s founder: Marcel Violet.
The company produced their unique take on the cyclecar between 1924 and 1929. Most are two-seaters with the seats offset so that the driver sat farther forward than the passenger. They were all powered by a 497cc two-stroke twin designed in-house that was geared to do 60+ mph (no thank you). If you ever want to see a great example of one of these up close, head to the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville. The blue example on offer here should sell for between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.
