Tag Archives: 1913

1913 Mors

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1913 Mors Type RX Torpedo

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 20, 2016

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Mors was a French automobile marque and one of the first major manufacturers, having been founded in 1895. Their first automobile race occurred in 1897 and they were one of France’s premier, early automobile companies.

Émile Mors expanded his company after the turn of the century, opening an American arm. But like a fair number of early automotive giants, the years took their toll and Mors was gone by 1925.

This Type RX Torpedo is a decent-sized touring car. It’s powered by a 12/15 horsepower four-cylinder engine. Mors are fairly rare today and this one looks pretty nice. It’s been with its current owner for almost 30 years and should sell for between $16,300-$21,700. Click here for more info and here for more from Osenat.

Update: Sold $28,135.

Bentley-owned DFP Sports

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1913 DFP 10/12HP Special Sports by R Harrison & Son

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | March 20, 2016

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Doriot, Flandrin & Parant, based in Courbevoie, was a French automaker that was around between 1908 and 1926. From 1906 until 1908, the company was simply known as Doriot-Flandrin. When Jules-René Parant came on board and the company took off.

The 10/12 was produced between 1911 and 1914 and is powered by a 1.6-liter straight-four. It was the smallest car the company offered at the time. DFP exported some cars to the U.K. where the official importer was none other than brothers Horace and Walter Owen Bentley.

The Bentleys were responsible for finishing the cars – getting bodies made, etc. W.O. Bentley tuned some of them and entered them into competition events like hillclimbs and speed trials. This car was actually used by the Bentleys and was later purchased by a museum. The engine has been rebuilt and other bits restored. It is usable and is noted as being the “Oldest car in the world with a Bentley plate.” It’s sort of a part of Bentley history and you can read more about it here. It should sell for between $63,000-$91,000. Click here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $66,641.

Five Pre-WWI Cars

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1912 Stearns-Knight Toy Tonneau Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

F.B. Stearns began building cars n 1901 in Cleveland. The company built big, luxurious cars for a number of years. In 1912, they adopted the Knight sleeve-valve engine – the first automobile manufacturer to do so – and used it until the company went under in 1929. 1912 was also the year that the company became known as Stearns-Knight.

Only one model was offered in 1912 – in two wheelbases. This is the short-wheelbase version and uses a 5.1-liter sleeve-valve straight-four originally rated at 28 horsepower (although 40 horsepower is more likely). The car was original until 2011 when the mechanicals were restored and the body was “restored” to look like a barn find. It’s a very nice, big touring car. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $115,500.

1913 Jackson Sultanic Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Many earlier car makers labeled their models such as “Model 1” or “Model A”, etc. Very few had actual names. In 1913, the company founded by Byron J. Carter and named after its home of Jackson, Michigan, started using words to name their models. The Sultanic was the top of the line model. It was offered as a five-or-seven-passenger tourer or as a Duck – which had bizarre rear-seat steering.

The Sultanic (which is definitely not the same as “Satanic”) was built between 1913 and 1914. The engine is a 40 horsepower 6.2-liter straight-four. This car is all original and has somehow only covered less than 2,400 miles in its 102 years of life. Incredible! Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $30,250.

1907 Thomas Flyer 4-60 Four-Passenger Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

If this car looks familiar that’s because it’s the exact same year, make, and model of the famous Harrah-owned New York-to-Paris race-winning car. That car is one of the most famous cars in the world (and it’s priceless). This car is your best bet at getting to drive it – and own it.

The 1907 Thomas Flyer 4-60 uses an 8.6-liter straight-four making 60 horsepower. This car has an original Thomas chassis and engine but the body was constructed to match the Harrah car when it was restored. Thomas Flyers were some of America’s greatest cars in the early days and this one would be a blast to own. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $330,000.

1916 White Model Forty-Five G.E.D. Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

The White Motor Company was around for 80 years. They started building cars in 1900 and did some pioneering work with steam power. Passenger car production lasted through 1918 but the company continued to build heavy trucks until being phased out by new corporate overlord AB Volvo in the 1980s.

The Model Forty-Five was built in 1915 and 1916 only. This all-original example is powered by a 5.9-liter straight-four making about 29 horsepower (although the factory rated it at 45). Click here for more info and yes, I know this chunk of cars is titled “Pre-WWI” but technically this is pre-end-of-WWI. So there.

Update: Sold $36,300.

1909 Stoddard-Dayton Model 9-A Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

This nicely restored touring car is from one of America’s best manufacturers of nice, early cars. The Dayton, Ohio-area was responsible for some great cars – and motorcycles, with the Flying Merkel being built not too far away.

Stoddard-Dayton’s catalog of cars for 1909 was impressive. The Model 9-A fell in the middle of their range with a 35 horsepower 4.1-liter straight-four under the hood. It was available in three body styles (the most of any car they offered that year). The Five-Passenger Touring is a very attractive style. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Hershey.

Update: Not sold.

Jackson Sultanic

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1913 Jackson Sultanic Five-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 8-9, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's
Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Many earlier car makers labeled their models such as “Model 1” or “Model A”, etc. Very few had actual names. In 1913, the company founded by Byron J. Carter and named after its home of Jackson, Michigan, started using words to name their models. The Sultanic was the top of the line model. It was offered as a five-or-seven-passenger tourer or as a Duck – which had bizarre rear-seat steering.

The Sultanic (which is definitely not the same as “Satanic”) was built between 1913 and 1914. The engine is a 40 horsepower 6.2-liter straight-four. This car is all original and has somehow only covered less than 2,400 miles in its 102 years of life. Incredible! Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $30,250.

Five More Cars from Bonhams

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1907 Stearns 60HP Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We will be featuring a Stearns-Knight in a few days. Stearns-Knight is the company that Stearns became in 1912. Stearns started building cars back in 1901 when company founder Frank Stearns wanted to build the best cars in the world. He did it: Stearns cars were big from the get-go and this car is no exception.

This 1907 Stearns is powered by a 8.7-liter straight-six making 60 horsepower. It’s a big car – really big – but it’s perfectly proportioned. It was restored a while ago but looks great. It’s an ex-Harrah car and should sell for between $650,000-$850,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

1913 Napier Type 44 Touring by Cunard

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a lot of cars from the Hershey-area auctions this year (as in the most we’ve ever featured from a single week’s worth of auctions). This is because there have been so many rare cars – most of which have been American. But here is a British tourer. Napier built cars and seriously powerful engines for both marine and aircraft use.

They even had an American arm for about a decade. But this is a British-built Type 44 that features a 4.7-liter straight-six making 35 horsepower. While this car looks nicely patina’d, it has actually been restored (back in the 1960s). It has a great look to it and is a complete driver. It should bring between $150,000-$180,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

1908 Rainier Model D 45/50HP Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Do you find this car to be in terrible shape or in great shape? I guess that’s a matter of perspective. It’s almost 110 years old and although it doesn’t currently run or drive, getting it to that point would win you awards in any preservation class anywhere. Rainier (originally of Flushing, New York, later of Saginaw, Michigan) built cars from 1905 through 1911. It was short-lived, for sure, but the cars were big – and powerful.

The engine in the 1908 and 1909 Model D is a 6.8-liter straight-four making 45/50 horsepower. John T. Rainier’s company was swallowed by General Motors in 1911 but they quickly phased it out in favor of Marquette. This is the only surviving Rainier Model D and it should bring between $250,000-$350,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $253,000.

1910 White Model GA 20HP Tourer

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve become a fan lately of early White motorcars. Steam cars are always interesting, something White heavily invested in for most of its passenger car-building life, but the gasoline cars are interesting too, as they are a little less remembered.

The Model GA was built for 1910 and 1911. It was the entry-level gasoline model and was offered in a variety of body styles. The engine is a 3.7-liter straight-four making 20 horsepower. It’s a nicely-finished driver, perfect for tours. It should sell for between $30,000-$50,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $37,400.

1910 Buick Model 16 Toy Tonneau

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

David Dunbar Buick is one of our automotive heroes. He created what is now the oldest active American automobile manufacturer. It’s because the company started building quality products and continued doing so for decade after decade. Sure, they’ve had their issues in the past thirty years building anything remotely exciting (GNX aside), but these early cars are interesting.

The Model 16 was built 1910 only, smack in the middle of what would even today qualify as a full model range. The engine is a 5.2-liter straight-four making 48 horsepower – which is actually quite a lot for a car in this class in 1910. The restoration is relatively new and very nice. This is a quick car and would be a lot of fun to own. It can be yours for between $50,000-$60,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup.

Update: Sold $68,200.

Napier Type 44 Touring

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1913 Napier Type 44 Touring by Cunard

Offered by  Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 5, 2015

Photo - Bonhams
Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a lot of cars from the Hershey-area auctions this year (as in the most we’ve ever featured from a single week’s worth of auctions). This is because there have been so many rare cars – most of which have been American. But here is a British tourer. Napier built cars and seriously powerful engines for both marine and aircraft use.

They even had an American arm for about a decade. But this is a British-built Type 44 that features a 4.7-liter straight-six making 35 horsepower. While this car looks nicely patina’d, it has actually been restored (back in the 1960s). It has a great look to it and is a complete driver. It should bring between $150,000-$180,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold.

Pope-Hartford Portola Roadster

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1913 Pope-Hartford Model 31 Portola Roadster

Offered by Auctions America | Santa Monica, California | July 18, 2015

Photo - Auctions America

Photo – Auctions America

When one thinks of early 1910s sports cars, names like Stutz, Mercer, and even Marion spring to mind. But not necessarily Pope-Hartford. Yet, of all the companies that bore the name of Albert Pope (and there were many!) this is perhaps the sportiest.

The Model 31 was built in 1913 only (Pope-Hartford only lasted from 1904 through 1914) and the Portola Roadster was the sporty variant, named for Oakland, California’s Portola Road Race. Pope-Hartford did do some factory racing, just not in this particular event.

It is powered by a 40 horsepower 4.9-liter straight-four. This restoration on this car finished in 1999 and it has covered a remarkable (and kind of saddening) 200 miles since. It should sell for between $175,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $181,500.

Renault DP Coupe-Chauffeur

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1913 Renault Type DP 22/24HP Coupe-Chauffeur by Renaudin et Besson

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 6, 2015

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

What you can’t see in this image (and what you’ll have to go to Artcurial’s website to check out) are pictures of this car’s interior. It looks like a haunted house in there (and it’s kind of frightening in a kids-in-Victorian-clothing kind of way from the outside too). We sometimes think of the Twentieth Century as “modern times,”  but if you think about it, our knowledge of pop culture doesn’t really go back any farther than the 40s or 30s, or, in some cases, the 20s. But pop culture in the 1900s and 1910s is a mystery to most of us – and so is what they considered stylish and what constituted general day-to-day life. Look at the interior of this car and you can see how far we’ve come.

That was a bit of rant, but here’s some info about this car: the Type DP was built between 1913 and 1914 only. It uses a 5.0-liter, water-cooled straight-four making 24 horsepower. The body here is by Renaudin et Besson of Paris and it is mostly wooden.

This was Renault’s flagship car prior to WWI and this example has been in the same family since new (it is now owned by the great-great grandson of the original owner). It has never been restored and is ripe for preservation awards the world over. It’s really an incredible time capsule and can be yours for between $350,000-$590,000. Click here for  more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Sold, Gooding & Company Pebble Beach 2023, $78,400.

Spacke Cyclecar

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1913 Spacke Cyclecar Prototype

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

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

Indianapolis, Indiana’s Spacke Machine Company was responsible for a great many of the small, one-and-two-cylinder cyclecar engines that putt-putted around America and Europe during the 1910s.

One thing they did not do, however, was build their own production automobile. Fred W. Spacke died in January of 1915 and his sons soon sold the business. In 1919, the new company built a car and offered it for sale. No takers. They tried it again in 1920. Nothing doing. There are only three known cars carrying the Spacke name. And this one is unique.

It was built either in 1912 or 1913 and is a cyclecar, unlike the later examples. It uses one of Spacke’s own 13 horsepower, 1.2-liter engines. It’s the only Spacke automobile built prior to WWI and it never entered production. The car has been recently restored and looks beautiful. It should sell for between $30,000-$50,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s Hershey lineup.

Update: Sold $38,500.

1913 Minerva Tourer

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1913 Minerva Type DD 14HP Victoria Tourer by Cann & Co

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 6, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Minerva built very nice luxury automobiles between 1902 and 1938, with production of other vehicles picking up after the war and continuing until 1956. Their cars of the 1930s are right up there with Packards and Rolls-Royces and the like, except they were from Belgium. In fact, the Minerva dealer in London in the early years was Charles Rolls (who would become half of Rolls-Royce).

Minerva offered a range of vehicles in 1913. The Type DD uses a 2.1-liter straight-four making 14 horsepower. Minerva cars from 1910 used Knight sleeve-valve engines, this car included. The body is said to be by Cann & Company of London as it wears that company’s tag on the body.

But the history of this car says it was discovered in Australia in 1962 and taken to California. The Australians said the body was local and the rear half of the body had been removed and replaced with a pickup-like rear end. A Minerva Ute. But it has been restored to what it should have looked like in 1913. It is road-ready and should sell for between $67,000-$100,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $66,726.