1914 Woods Mobilette Tandem Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | October 8, 2012

How cool is this car? It’s a tandem-seat cyclecar. It seats two, the driver in front and the passenger directly behind him or her. This car is long, tall, and skinny and looks like it would tip over if a curve was taken too quickly, but with practically no weight (less than 500 lbs), it would probably stay on the ground just fine.

Francis A. Woods built his first prototype in 1910 but the Woods Mobilette Company of Harvey, Illinois didn’t begin production on this cyclecar until early 1914. Bonhams lists this as a “circa 1913” and 1914 is certainly “circa 1913.” The engine is a 12 horsepower, 1.1-liter L-head four-cylinder. It would do 40 mph and retailed for $380.

Cyclecars were a big thing in the Teens and this is one of the best of the hundreds of different marques produced in the United States. They were affordable and basic, but the Model T managed to undercut them all – and kill off the fad. Production ceased at the end of 1916. This is one of only a few examples of the Woods Mobilette still extant and it’s way cool. It is expected to sell for between $20,000-$30,000. For more info, click here. And for more from Bonhams “Preserving the Automobile” sale, click here.

Update: Sold $48,300.

1913 Humber Humberette 8HP Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Beaulieu, U.K. | September 8, 2012

Like many automotive manufacturers, Humber began as a bicycle company. Founded as such in 1868 by Thomas Humber, their first car didn’t appear until 1898, a three-wheeler. Four-wheelers appeared in 1901. “Humberette” was applied to light (single-cylinder) Humbers in 1903 and 1904 and then it went missing until after 1910.

The cyclecar fad was sweeping the U.K. in the early teens and Humber eagerly opted in, bringing the Humberette name back from the great beyond for their v-twin powered cyclecars, like the one you see here. This has a 996cc V-Twin making eight horsepower. Unlike most of its competition, this cyclecar has shaft drive, as Humber was not a fan of the much more common chain drive.

Humberette was not technically its own marque but the cars are often referred to as if they were. The Humberette name disappeared again at the start of WWI. The Humber name lasted until 1976, being killed during the Chrysler Europe fiasco. This car was restored at some point and has seen little use over the last quarter century in the hands of its current owner. The pre-sale estimate is $17,000-$22,000. For the complete description, click here and for more from Bonhams at the National Motor Museum, click here.

Update: Sold $36,809.