Tag Archives: runabout

Curved-Dash Olds

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1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C Curved-Dash Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Hershey, Pennsylvania | October 4-5, 2023

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The CDO, or Curved-Dash Oldsmobile, was the first “mass-produced automobile.” That means it was built on an assembly line with interchangeable parts instead of being hand-built, with each car being slightly different. It went on sale in 1901 and would remain available through 1906, at which time it was woefully out of date. Oldsmobile didn’t even really advertise it that year.

In 1904, the CDO was sold as the Model 6C, and 2,500 were built that year alone (in all, about 19,000 CDOs would be built). Power is provided by a 1.6-liter horizontal single that was rated at seven horsepower.

They all had tiller steering, as this one does. And it retains a folding soft top. It’s got known history back to during WWII. Now it has an estimate of $45,000-$50,000. Click here for more info.

Lozier Runabout

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1914 Lozier Model 84 Runabout

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | August 31-September 2, 2023

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Lozier was one of America’s grand marques in the years leading up to the first world war. Many of their cars were very large tourers and even very large two seaters. This car, however, (and it may just be Worldwide’s photos where the car is a mere spec in an expansive background) looks to be about the smallest Lozier one can find.

The Model 84 was offered in 1914. It was powered by a 6.0-liter inline-four that was rated at just under 29 horsepower when new (but actually put out about 56 horsepower). Lozier built four-cylinder cars off and on, but this had the lowest rated output of any Lozier car.

Two body styles were offered: a seven-passenger tourer and a two-seat runabout. Both cost $2,100 when new. I love the bodywork on this car as there is so much extra chassis, as if they needed the spare tire to be mounted horizontally to look like a fifth-wheel hitch. Anyway, read more about this car here.

Update: Sold $81,200.

Brush Model D

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1910 Brush Model D Runabout

Offered by H&H Classics | Buxton, U.K. | July 26, 2023

Photo – H&H Classics

Detroit’s Brush Runabout Company was founded in 1907 by Alanson P. Brush, who previously helped design the first Cadillac in 1902. Brush was eventually absorbed into Benjamin Briscoe’s United States Motor Company before going out business in 1912.

In 1910, the company offered one product: the Model D, which was actually available in five bodystyles, including three different runabouts. This two-seater was the cheapest available option at $485 when new. It’s powered by a 10-horsepower, 1.0-liter single.

This car won awards at car shows in the U.S. in the 1970s before being imported to the U.K. in 1991. It’s been with the consignor since 2004 and was restored about 30 years ago. It has an estimate of $32,000-$40,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $23,867.

Knox Model C

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1903 Knox Model C Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Amelia Island, Florida | March 2, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

The Knox Automobile Company was based in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was founded by Harry Knox and Elihu Cutler, and they sold their first 15 cars in 1900. Knox would hang around for another decade and a half, with cars trickling out until they went bankrupt in 1915. Tractor and truck production until the Knox brand continued until 1924.

In 1903, they offered just the Model C, which was only built in Runabout form. Power is provided by a 10-horsepower, 2.6-liter single. This car was parked for a long time, with its engine used to power a saw.

Later on, it was restored, with recreation coachwork constructed by its restorer. It now has an estimate of $55,000-$65,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $44,800.

Curved Dash Olds

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1903 Oldsmobile Model R Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Carmel, California | August 19, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

This is the car that revolutionized automobiles. Ransom E. Olds built his first Curved Dash prototypes in 1900, and customer deliveries started late the following year. For 1902 and 1903, the cars were officially dubbed the Model R, but many similar Oldsmobiles built through 1907 are widely collectively known as “Curved Dash Oldsmobiles” (CDO).

1903 was the company’s best up to that point, with 3,924 cars produced. The CDO was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts instead of everything being a one-off crafted by hand. This put Oldsmobile in the #1 sales position in America, with Cadillac a distant second, nearly 1,500 units behind.

Power is from a single-cylinder engine displacing 1.6 liters and producing seven horsepower. The cars have a strong following and are used often by enthusiastic owners. The pre-sale estimate is $65,000-$80,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $30,240

Fortin-Jourdain

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1907 Fortin-Jourdain Runabout

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | March 28, 2022

Photo – Osenat

Fortin-Jourdain is a car that you will not find much information about. It’s not even mentioned in the grandest of automotive encyclopedias. What can be deduced, mainly from the catalog listing, is that Jules Fortin, a Frenchman born in 1856, was an electrician.

He partnered with his son-in-law, Charles Jourdain, to form Fortin-Jourdain. The company sold its first cars in between 1907 and 1909. It’s thought that as few as seven were built, and this is the only known survivor.

Power is from an inline-four sourced from Sultan-Lethimonnier, and the bodywork is sort of a small runabout/convertible with a pickup-y rear end. Hard to tell, as this is the only full-frame angle that Osenat has provided. So you know, bid blind. The pre-sale estimate is $21,000-$27,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $23,368.

1909 Packard Runabout

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1909 Packard Model 18 Runabout

Offered by Worldwide Auctioneers | Auburn, Indiana | September 3-4, 2021

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

Packard’s Model 18 went on sale for 1909 and would remain in production through 1912. Launch-year body styles included a limousine, landaulet, touring, and demi limousine, in addition to the runabout. While Packard was known mostly as a luxury car manufacturer, this one has a twinge of sportiness.

It’s powered by a 5.3-liter inline-four rated at 18 horsepower. The two-seat body is finished in white, with a matching fuel tank, trunk, wheels, and tires. It’s a lot of white. I can’t imagine it was ever this clean back in the day.

Only 802 Packards were produced for 1909, and this is said to be one of a dozen Model 18s known to exist across all model years and body styles. It would’ve cost $3,200 when new and will sell at no reserve for much more next month. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $102,150.

1906 Haynes

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1906 Haynes Model O Runabout

Offered by Bring a Trailer Auctions | Online | March 2021

Photo – Bring a Trailer Auctions

Elwood Haynes and the Apperson brothers (Elmer and Edgar) were American automotive pioneers. In 1894, they built one of the country’s first gasoline-powered automobiles. Four years later, they were selling cars to the public under the Haynes-Apperson brand. But it wouldn’t last long, as it appears Haynes wasn’t all that easy to get along with (he would later take credit for building America’s first car… by himself).

The Appersons started their own company, and Haynes soldiered on with the hyphenated marque for about two years until he dropped the Apperson name in 1904. Cars built thereafter were just known as Haynes, making this 1906 Model O a very early example of the marque, which lasted through 1925.

The Model O was only sold in 1906 and was offered as a touring car or a runabout. It’s powered by a 4.6-liter inline-four rated at 30 horsepower. This particular car has been in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection since 1968, having been restored about a decade earlier. It comes with its “winter body” – a closed coupe sort of thing to keep the weather out when it was cold. The bidding is off to a strong start, and the auction is slated to end tomorrow. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $85,584.

Cadillac Model K

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1907 Cadillac Model K Runabout

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | March 6-7, 2020

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Cadillac was founded in 1902, and by the 1930s they were known for their large V12 and V16-powered cars. But single-cylinders were an important part of their history. It was all they made until their first four went on sale in 1905. But at that time singles were still selling, so they stayed on through 1908.

The Model K was sold in 1906 and 1907, and in ’07 you could’ve had a $3,500 Runabout like this car, or a $3,700 Runabout with a Victoria top. Power is from a 1.6-liter single-cylinder that was advertised at 10 horsepower.

This one retains its original body and is said to be set up for touring. It should sell for between $60,000-$80,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $53,200.

1901 Winton Runabout

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1901 Winton Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

It’s great when a catalog lists two great Wintons, including this one from early in the company’s history. Alexander Winton’s company was the first to actually put a gasoline-powered car into “production.” He sold 22 cars in 1898, including one to a guy named James Ward Packard.

New models arrived for 1901, both powered by single-cylinder engines. The horizontal unit in this car displaces 2.4-liters and produced eight horsepower when new. You could only get the Runabout body with this engine, and it cost $1,200 when new.

Almost every early Winton is in a museum or locked in a private collection. This one was in a private collection, for the last 30 years. It’s now on the market with an estimate of $125,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $142,800.