1907 Wayne Touring

1907 Wayne Model N Five-Passenger Touring

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.

Update: Sold $184,250.

French Front Oldsmobile

1904 Oldsmobile Model N Touring Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 12, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This attractive Oldsmobile is a little different than the cars the company was famous for in its early years. The Curved Dash was Olds’ signature look in this era, but this Model N has what they called a “French Front” – a more traditional look styled after the cars coming out of France.

Available only in 1904 and 1905, the Touring Runabout was powered by a seven horsepower, single-cylinder engine of 1.9-liters. It was more upscale than the Curved Dash, featuring an Oldsmobile first: a steering wheel! It cost $100 more, too, at $750. It was available in either this green or a dark red.

Oldsmobile built 2,500 cars in 1904 between the Touring Runabout and a related model, the Light Tonneau. So rarity is guaranteed. This car was restored in the 1950s or 1960s by General Motors and remained in their Heritage Collection until 2011, so it has been well cared for. It’s a good-looking, early Oldsmobile. It should sell for between $65,000-$85,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $94,600.

Regal Underslung

1911 Regal Model N Underslung

Offered by H&H Auctions | Duxford, U.K. | October 8, 2014

Photo - H&H Auctions

Photo – H&H Auctions

Underslung is a word most commonly associated with the American Motor Car Company. The term denotes a chassis design that was a novel idea at the time: hang the chassis below the axles. It provides for a sportier ride from a lower center of gravity. But American wasn’t the only company to take advantage of this. For example, there was also the Regal Motor Car Company. Despite its, um, regal, name, the cars were actually produced in Detroit.

Founded in 1907, the company introduced its Underslung model in 1910. The Model N was the base model in 1911 and it uses a 20 horsepower straight-four. It was only offered in two-passenger Runabout form. Two larger models were also sold. The Model N would stick around through 1914 and Regal would close its doors in 1918 due to material shortages during the Great War.

This car shows nice and is a, perhaps, more interesting alternative to the seemingly more common American Underslung. And at a much easier entry point, price-wise. This one will set you back between $40,500-$48,500. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold about $39,477.

Ford Model N

1906 Ford Model N

Offered by RM Auctions | Nysted, Denmark | August 12, 2012

The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 and the Model N was introduced in 1906, making it one of the first handful of models built by the company. It features a 15 horsepower straight-four engine mounted at the front, driving the rear wheels to speeds up to 40 mph. It was Ford’s entry level offering until the introduction of the Model T in 1908. This was also Ford’s final right-hand drive automobile built in America.

The Model N retailed for $500, about $150 less than its competition – a curved-dash Oldsmobile. Listed equipment consisted of twin side oil lamps and a horn. A leather top was a $50 option. The 10 gallon fuel tank was good for a 200 mile range on rough, early roads.

There were upgraded versions of the Model N called the Model R and Model S ($600 and $700, respectively). With 7,000 Model Ns built over a three year span, the model was quite successful – although it was dwarfed immensely by its successor, the Model T. The car seen here is listed as a Model N (the catalog description has yet to be written) but it seems to have a few of the Model S extras on it, including full running boards and the mother-in-law seat behind the front bench. The Model S was rarer than a Model N (only 3,750 Model Ss were built) and the Model R was the rarest of the bunch with only 2,500 sold.

These are very rare, very early Fords and they don’t sell often – especially ones that are coming straight out of a museum as is the case here. Look for it to bring somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000. The Aalholm Automobile Collection in Denmark is being liquidated at this sale and there is an immense amount of fascinating early cars coming up for sale. We’re going to feature as many as possible, but will likely fall short of what we want to feature. But we’re sure going to try.

For the complete catalog description, click here and to see more of the cars from this sale, click here.

Update: Sold $37,000.