Tag Archives: 1919

Sunbeam Tourer

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1919 Sunbeam 16/40 Tourer

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | December 9, 2013

1919 Sunbeam 16HP Tourer

Sunbeam is one of the oldest names in automobiles. Of course, they aren’t around anymore, but the company did date back to 1888, when it was founded as a bicycle manufacturer by John Marston. In 1902, the first cars appeared, under the Sunbeam-Mabley marque, and 1905 brought Sunbeam as a standalone make.

In 1919, the company merged with Talbot and Darracq. That didn’t go so well, and in 1935 the trio became part of the Rootes Group. The final Sunbeam-branded cars rolled off the assembly lines in 1978 and the name continued on as a Talbot model into the 1980s.

The Sunbeam 16/40 was re-introduced in 1919 after WWI ended. It was a slightly updated version of the pre-war 16/20 that dated to 1912. It uses a 3.0-liter straight-four making 40 horsepower.

This Sunbeam is the oldest-known example of the marque backdated to the end of the Great War (in other words, one of the earliest cars made after the armistice). It was parked sometime around 1928 and entered the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in 1957. It spent 11 years on display before re-entering private ownership and being restored.

This is a good-driving old touring car that can be bought for somewhere in the neighborhood of $73,000-$89,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ auction lineup.

Update: Sold $60,369.

One-off Mills Busy Bee

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1919 Mills Busy Bee

Offered by H&H Auctions | October 30, 2013

1919 Mills Busy Bee

What, you’ve never heard of a the Mills Busy Bee? Well maybe that’s because there is only one of them. It’s interesting to me how a company could build hundreds or even thousands of cars and only one or two (and sometimes zero) remain almost 100 years later. And here’s this thing – the only one constructed and it’s still around.

I’ll bet this phenomenon has to do with the fact that J.A. Mills of Mansfield, England, built this car himself for his own personal use. In fact, it was his own personal driver from the time of its completion in 1920 until he died. It has covered over 100,000 miles! Then it was probably passed down or sold to someone who loves the unusual aspect of it.

The original engine is long gone, but in 1928 the current 6 horsepower AJS V-twin was installed. The body is plywood and held on with only 10 bolts. It seats one and has a three-speed transmission that drives the lone rear wheel. It’s a lot like a Morgan of the time. It’s also likely the only shot you’ll ever have at owning this. H&H estimates a selling price between $16,000-$19,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s October 30th lineup.

Update: Sold $15,100.

Waterloo Tractor

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1919 Waterloo Boy N

All tractors offered by Mecum | Walworth, Wisconsin | August 8-10, 2013

1919 Waterloo Boy N

Photo – Mecum

Founded in 1892, Waterloo Boy was the first company to build and sell gasoline-powered tractors. In 1918, they were bought out by John Deere and the brand name disappeared after 1924. This N model is unrestored and all-original. Some specs:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. 25 horsepower.

Production: 21,392.

Produced: 1917-1924.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $68,000.

10 Cool Tractors

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Gone Farmin’

All tractors offered by Mecum | Walworth, Wisconsin | August 8-10, 2013

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1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

1948 McCormick-Deering W-4

Last week, Mecum held their annual tractor sale. Tractor collectors are serious and the market for them is strong. They are finally getting the respect in the collector vehicle world that they deserve. That said, I’m not an expert on tractors – I know very little about them. I thought I’d pull 10 tractors out of their catalog to feature just as something cool and different. I picked ones that I thought were rare and/or interesting. I’ll give you some specs, but won’t go into too much detail.

First up is this 1948 McCormick-Deering W-4. McCormick-Deering was a brand produced by International Harvester. The brand was around from 1923 through 1948. The W-4 was also sold as the Farmall H.

Engine: 2.5-liter straight-four. 23 horsepower.

Production: 24,377.

Produced: 1939-1948.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $2,000.

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1919 Waterloo Boy N

1919 Waterloo Boy N

Founded in 1892, Waterloo Boy was the first company to build and sell gasoline-powered tractors. In 1918, they were bought out by John Deere and the brand name disappeared after 1924. This N model is unrestored and all-original. Some specs:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. 25 horsepower.

Production: 21,392.

Produced: 1917-1924.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $68,000.

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1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

1948 Massey-Harris 44-6

Massey-Harris was one of the two predecessors of Massey-Ferguson. Massey-Harris was founded in 1891 in Canada as the result of a merger. In 1953, they merged with Ferguson to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson. In 1958, the Harris part was dropped. The 44-6:

Engine: 3.7-liter straight-six. About 80 horsepower.

Production: 6,657.

Produced: 1946-1950.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,800.

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1924 John Deere D

1924 John Deere D

John Deere is the most famous of all tractor manufacturers with their iconic green and yellow paint scheme. The company, which is still technically Deere & Company, can trace its roots directly back to its founding by John Deere in 1837. Here’s some info on the D model:

Engine: 7.6-liter two-cylinder. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 160,000.

Produced: 1923-1953.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $42,000.

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1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20/35

1927 Rumely Oilpull M 20-35

Rumely Oilpulls were a type of tractor built by Advance-Rumely, a company that was organized in 1915 and acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1931.

Engine: 9.9-liter two-cylinder. About 35 horsepower.

Production: 3,671.

Produced: 1924-1927.

Update: Sold $35,000.

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1950 Ford 8N

1950 Ford 8N

Henry Ford had his own brand of tractors called Fordson, which he merged with his automobile company in 1920. Ford used the Fordson brand into the 1960s, but they also built tractors under the Ford brand. The N Series was in production from 1939 through 1954. Here’s some info on the 8N:

Engine: 2.0-liter straight-four. About 27 horsepower.

Production: about 524,000.

Produced: 1947-1953.

Update: Sold $2,800.

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1952 Minneapolis-Moline GTC

1952 Minneapolis Moline GTC

Minneapolis-Moline was founded by the result of a merger in 1929. The brand name was discontinued in 1974 – 11 years after the company had been acquired by the White Motor Company. About the GTC:

Engine: 5.6-liter straight-four.

Production: about 1,100.

Produced: 1951-1953.

Update: Sold $2,900.

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1957 Ferguson F-40

1957 Ferguson F-40

Ferguson was a brand of tractor founded by Harry Ferguson and David Brown (they guy who owned Aston Martin) in 1934. In 1953, the company merged with Massey-Harris to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson. Massey-Ferguson survives today. The F-40:

Engine: 2.2-liter straight-four. 33 horsepower.

Production: about 9,097.

Produced: 1956-1957.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $6,000.

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1937 Oliver 70

1937 Oliver 70

Like many tractor manufacturers, Oliver was formed by the result of a merger. In their case, it was four companies that came together in 1929 to make Oliver a reality. In 1960, they were bought by the White Motor Company who discontinued the brand in 1974.

Engine: 3.3-liter straight-six. 27 horsepower.

Production: unknown.

Produced: 1935-1948.

Update: Sold $3,200.

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1957 Farmall 350

1957 Farmall 350

Farmall was a brand developed by International Harvester to target a certain market. That market was “General Purpose Tractors.” The Farmall name first appeared in 1923 (as a sub-brand of IH) and they dropped the brand in 1973. You can check out more tractors here. Here’s some info on the short-lived 350 model:

Engine: 3.2-liter straight-four. 39 horsepower.

Production: about 17,000

Produced: 1956-1958.

Update: Sold $7,500.

Pierce-Arrow Touring Car

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1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Series 4 Seven-Passenger Touring

Offered by RM Auctions | Phoenix, Arizona | January 18, 2013

1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 48 Series 4 Seven-Passenger Touring

This big seven-passenger Pierce-Arrow is interesting because it was specifically ordered without jump seats. So, if you wanted to fit seven people in it, five of them would’ve had to sit on the back bench. Good luck. I’m not sure why they didn’t just call it a “five-passenger touring” – but I guess the body is the same.

And the body has those headlights faired into the fenders, which was a Pierce-Arrow patented design. The company introduced it’s 48 horsepower six cylinder in 1909 – at the latest, perhaps earlier. So this should have been a dinosaur by 1919 – except that WWI interrupted auto production for a few years and, by 1919, this thing – while rated at 48 horsepower – might have produced substantially more – like, say around 90. But whatever, you aren’t buying it for speed. The engine is an 8.6-liter straight six – and it went head-to-head with the V12s from Packard and Peerless.

This car was used in the mountains as a chauffeured hunting and fishing car. It was recently restored by the third owner of the car, from whom it is being sold. It’s a cool-looking car – especially with those headlights, which look like some sort of coachbuilt custom touch but were in fact, factory designed. And, of course, those white tires. It should sell for between $190,000-$230,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Arizona.

Update: Sold $181,500.

Purple Pierce-Arrow

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1919 Pierce-Arrow Model 66 A-4 Tourer

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 19, 2013

If I had to describe this car in one word it would be “opulent.” Pierce-Arrows were known as high-quality, high-cost automobiles for most of their existence and it’s cars like this that gave them that well-deserved reputation. It was one of the best cars you could buy in 1919.

And so, legendary film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle purchased this car as a bare chassis in 1919 and had it shipped to Don Lea Coach & Bodyworks in Los Angeles to have this custom body fitted. At the time, the designer working for the Don Lea coachbuilding company was a young Harley Earl. The color is described as “purple-blue” and whatever you want to call it, it is certainly striking. Especially when accented with those impossible-to-keep-clean all-white tires.

The Model 66 was introduced in 1910 and by 1918 it was a pretty old design. This 1919 model was one of the last built. In total, 1,250 were built and only about 14 survive today (only seven are the A-4 type). The engine is a monstrous 13.5-liter straight six making around 60 horsepower.

Tom Barrett (of Barrett-Jackson) acquired the car in 1976 and a light cosmetic restoration was performed before it was acquired by the Blackhawk Collection in 1982 where it remained until 2006. It was restored completely by its current owner, winning first-in-class at Pebble Beach in 2007. This is an exceptional automobile with a storied history and a one-of-a-kind look. For more information, click here.

Update: Not sold.

Locomobile Model 48

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1919 Locomobile Model 48 6-Fender Town Car

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 3, 2012

Locomobile was one of the first big American automakers and the marque is a testament to the importance of the Stanley brothers in the history of the automobile. The publisher of Cosmopolitan magazine, John B. Walker, bought the design of the Stanley’s first steam car and put it into production. The Stanley brothers were General Managers until they left in 1902 to start Stanley, which would become Locomobile’s largest rival.

The Model 48 was introduced in 1911 and it had a wheelbase almost 30 inches longer than that of a modern Chevrolet Suburban. The 8.6-liter straight-six makes around 48 horsepower. Most of the powertrain components were cast in bronze and the chassis was made of chrome-nickel steel – which helps explain  why so few of these imposing automobiles survive to this day: scrap drives during the Second World War made these cars a lot more valuable in pieces than they did as a 20-something-year-old used car. This car was made using only the finest materials – the only thing, I guess, they could have done to make it even more over-the-top would have been to build it entirely out of gold and platinum – although it wouldn’t be quite so solid.

The body was built by Demarest and the layout is one you don’t see that often – a six-fendered town car. The fifth and six fenders sit just in front of the rear passenger compartment and I suppose exist to make each and every passenger feel a little like Cinderella being helped from her carriage. Bonhams claims that this car cost, when new, three times that of an open-bodied Model 48 – which I’ve read elsewhere would have cost around $10,000 in 1920 – which helps explain why Locomobile failed along with parent company Durant Motors at the onset of the Great Depression

This was about as grand a car as you could buy in 1919. And all of this grandeur will set you back somewhere between $60,000-$80,000. Which is a deal. For the complete description, click here. And for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup at the Greenwich Concours, click here.

Update: Sold $70,200.