Sperry Electric

1900 Cleveland Sperry System Electric Stanhope

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Elmer A. Sperry invented some electric arc lamps and electric mining equipment before he moved to Cleveland in the 1890s. He was there to help establish an electric railway company, but started fooling around with automobiles and produced his first electric car in 1898. The Sperry Electric went on sale in 1899 under the name Cleveland Sperry System. In the car’s final year, 1901, they were just called “Sperry.”

They are powered by a 3.5 horsepower electric motor and could be had in one of eight body styles. This is a three-seat stanhope. Sperry sold their patents to the Cleveland Machine Screw Company in 1901 and they produced the car under the Cleveland marque from 1902 through 1904. Part of Sperry’s electric engineering company still exists today as part of Honeywell.

This car is one of two Sperrys known to exist. It has known history for the last 25 years and has been run in many rallies and shown at many shows around the U.K. It should sell for between $77,000-$83,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $88,151.

1909 Mitchell

1909 Mitchell Three Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1909 Mitchell Three Seater

Mitchell was a short-lived but not extremely rare automobile produced for 20 years from 1903 in Racine, Wisconsin. Sure, it’s not a marque you hear about often – but they are out there and you do see them from time to time.

This is an earlier car and, at the time, the four-cylinder was the largest engine offered (sixes and eights would come later). It’s a 3.3-liter straight-four and power output is not known (but feel free to buy this thing, strap it to a dyno and report back!).

This car was part of the Harrah collection (shocking, I know) and was restored while a part of said collection. It ventured back into the collector car world in the 1980s. Small cars of this vintage don’t necessarily all have highly original coachwork – this is your standard fare, but it’s attractive and would be fun to motor around a small town in. And it has one of the most horrifying early car fads: the so-called “mother-in-law” seat – a single seat behind the rear bench that is just kind of there by itself. It you fell out (seemingly likely) the driver would be none the wiser, because you’re tucked behind the stowed convertible top. Nice.

The pre-sale estimate is $35,000-$45,000. Not bad for something over 100 years old. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup in Connecticut.

Update: Sold $39,600.