1918 Rauch & Lang B26 Brougham
Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 6-16, 2022
Mystery. Mecum’s catalog lists this as a 1918 Baker. But I don’t believe it. And here’s why: Baker Electric of Cleveland, Ohio, began producing electric vehicles in 1899, and in 1915 they merged with Rauch & Lang, one of their fiercest electric-car-making competitors. The Baker brand was phased out on passenger cars after 1916 (trucks soldiered on for a little bit afterward).
The Rauch & Lang brand continued on, selling nearly identical cars to the Baker through the late 1920s. The Baker-Raulang name (as the post-merger company was called) soldiered on in various fields and continues to exist as Linde Material Handling, a manufacturer of forklifts, among other things. This car is apparently being sold from that company, having never been titled.
I called it a Rauch & Lang because Baker didn’t exist in 1918, and the model name follows the same structure as other R&L cars. This is about as low-mile (3,211) of a 100-year-old electric car you are likely to find. You can see more about it here and see more from Mecum here.
Update: Sold $55,000.
This is a Baker Rauch & Lang. that means a R&L body on a Baker chassis. There are pics of the chassis plate to show. This car is with the original manufacturer- Baker acquired R&L and produced cars for a few years, the last being in 1918.
Yes, but it was sold under the Rauch & Lang marque. Even the side step plates say Rauch & Lang. No chassis plate pictures are provided by Mecum. Baker, as a brand, didn’t exist when this car was built.
Baker did exist. They moved into industrial trucks during the war. This model was only made in 1918. The car chassis plate displays the “Baker R&L company”. I also have many patents that confirm the timelines from 1893-1920’s. Since we are the manufacturer that has evolved from Baker Car Company the naming stuck with the company calling it our Baker car. Happy to supply the pic of chassis plate if needed. Also willing to look at any paperwork/proof you have to back up claim of not believing the car history.
Hello Lori, My name is Lynn and I purchased the 1918 Baker B26 electric car at the Mecum Auction. As I was an internet bidder I have not yet seen the car. I would very much like to communicate with you and get any information /history you might have.
Hello Lauri,
My name is Lynn. I purchased the 1918 Baker at the Mecum Auction. As I was an internet bidder, I have not seen the Vehicle yet. I would very much like to communicate with you to get any information/history that you have about the car. BTW, I tried posting this before, don’t know if it went through. I didn’t realize I had to sign up at this site to post.
Hi Lynn! I have some information to share with you. What is the best way to reach you?
Phillip