Tag Archives: rear-entrance tonneau

Turner-Miesse Steam Car

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1904 Turner-Miesse 10HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Broad Arrow Auctions | Monterey, California | August 2024

Photo – Broad Arrow Auctions

Jules Miesse started building cars in 1896, initially using a self-designed steam engine somewhat based on those from Leon Serpollet. In 1902, Miesse entered a partnership with Thomas Turner & Company of Wolverhampton in the U.K. to build Miesse cars under license.

From 1902 through 1906 the Turner-Miesse brand was on sale in the U.K. After the partnership dissolved, Miesse soldiered on in Belgium until 1927 before turning his sights to trucks. After WWII, Miesse built Nash cars under license.

This steam-powered car was built in the U.K. and has participated in quite a number of London-to-Brighton runs. It now has an estimate of $125,000-$175,000. Click here for more info.

Bayard Tonneau

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1904 Bayard AC2K Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by H&H Classics, Duxford, U.K. | June 2024

Photo – H&H Classics

We have covered the story of Adolphe Clement-Bayard here before. Many times. Probably too often. But let’s just say he was involved with a lot of early car companies, including Clement, Gladiator, Clement-Bayard, and Clement-Panhard… and by extension, Diatto, Talbot, and more. He set up Clement-Bayard in 1903, and it would last until 1922.

In the early days, some of the cars left the factory under the Bayard-Clement name, and based on the badging on this car, some may left just under the name Bayard (Adolphe didn’t change his name to Clement-Bayard until later). It’s powered by a 1.6-liter twin that could propel the car to 30 mph.

The car is a London-to-Brighton veteran now has an estimate of $100,000-$125,000. Click here for more info.

1903 Brown Tonneau

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1903 Brown 8HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 3, 2023

Photo – Bonhams

Brown Brothers Ltd was a short-lived automaker out of London. They were around for a about decade, selling cars between 1901 and 1913. What’s interesting is that they company did not have a manufacturing facility. Instead, they had their stuff made elsewhere, including by Star.

This early example is powered by a two-cylinder engine that was rated at eight horsepower. The car is of decent size, sporting a large body for its day. This is said to be the 102nd car the company built. What’s fun is that Bonhams has two from this make in this same auction.

In 1904, the car went to New Zealand. A restoration was begun at some point, and, before it was finished, the car was sold to Brown Brothers back in the U.K. The restoration was obviously completed, and the car has been used in the London-to-Brighton run a number of times over the years. It now has an estimate of $160,000-$200,000. More info can be found here.

Update: Not sold.

First-Year Pope-Hartford

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1904 Pope-Hartford Model B Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Gooding & Company | Lynchburg, Virginia | April 7, 2023

Photo – Gooding & Company

Pope-Hartford was one of several automobile manufacturers under the Pope Manufacturing Company umbrella. It was the longest lived, lasting from 1904 through 1914. The company’s first two products in 1904 were the Model A, a runabout, and the Model B, the tonneau as shown here.

The Model B actually carried over into 1905 as well. It’s powered by a 2.1-liter single that was rated at 10 horsepower at a leisurely 900 rpm. It cost $1,000 when new. The catalog states it was, perhaps, sold new to McKinley/Roosevelt’s Secretary of State.

It’s been under current ownership since 2019, four years after it won a preservation class award at Pebble Beach. It now has an estimate of $75,000-$100,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $103,600.

1904 Siddeley

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1904 Siddeley 12hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

Siddeley is a fairly well-known name in the historical British car world. However, most of the time it is connected to other names, like Deasy, Wolseley, or, most famously, Armstrong. But the first Siddeleys were built by John Davenport Siddeley’s Siddeley Autocar Company, which was founded in 1902. The cars were actually built by Vickers and were based on Peugeots.

In 1905, J.D. Siddeley became the manager of Wolseley and then added his name to that brand. In 1909, he left Wolseley (and so did his name) and took over Deasy, again appending his name to that marque’s as well. In 1919, Siddeley-Deasy was bought by Armstrong Whitworth. Armstrong-Siddeley cars remained in production until 1960. The Siddeley name stuck around on various aircraft companies through a few mergers, eventually winding up as part of BAE Systems.

So that’s the history. Here’s this car. It is said that 31 examples of the 12hp model were built, with this being the only survivor. It’s powered by a vertical twin that can push the car to 28 mph, never exceeding 1,800 rpm (and dropping as low as 80 rpm!). The rear-entrance tonneau body was fabricated in the ’90s to replace a replacement two-seater (previously added in lieu of the original tonneau body).

A former London-to-Brighton participant, this car should sell in the $125,000-$155,000 range. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $170,857.

10HP MMC

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1902 MMC 10HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 4, 2022

Photo – Bonhams

MMC seemed to have been named in a hurry. The Motor Manufacturing Company didn’t get a fancy name, probably because company backer Harry J. Lawson was in a hurry. MMC was formed out of the remnants of the Great Horseless Carriage Company in 1898. The company went out of business in 1904 when Lawson was sent to prison for fraud. It reorganized twice before disappearing for good in 1908.

The 1902 model line included three front-engined options: a single, a twin, and a four-cylinder car. This car is the middle offering, powered by a 2.1-liter vertical twin rated at 10 horsepower.

This example has known history back to 1951, when it was found in a scrapyard. It took a while to get it back on the road, with the reconstructed body not being completed until the 1990s. It now carries an estimate of $195,000-$250,000. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $281,915.

1904 Brennan

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1904 Brennan 14/18HP Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 5, 2021

Photo – Bonhams

Brennan – or, officially, the Brennan Manufacturer Company – was an engine-building company based in Syracuse, New York. Founded by Patrick Brennan in 1897, the company produced engines for other manufacturers, including Selden. Between 1902 and 1908, Brennan sold their own car. Brennan actually survived as a marine engine outfit until 1972.

Brennan built their cars to suit, which was not very economical. The cars were too expensive despite the engineering behind them. The engines were good though: this car has a flat-twin that made 14 horsepower at 700 rpm and 18 horsepower at 1,000 rpm. Pretty stout for 1904.

This particular example is said to have resided in the Henry Austin Clark Museum before relocating to the U.K. in a sad state in 1990. The restoration was completed in 2005, and the car is a London-to-Brighton veteran. It now carries an estimate of $110,000-$140,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $154,260.

1902 Clement

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1902 Clement 9HP Four-Seater Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Dorotheum | Vosendorf, Austria | July 3, 2021

Photo – Dorotheum

Adolphe Clement-Bayard founded Clement Cycles in the 1870s and would later become an investor in the Gladiator Cycle Company. In 1895, Gladiator produced a motorized tricycle. By 1898, Clement-Gladiator was selling motorcars. These automobiles were offered under both the Clement-Gladiator and Clement marques until 1903 when the brand name shifted to Clement-Bayard (Gladiator went their own way).

This 1902 model is powered by a nine-horsepower inline-twin and features a four-seat body with a single rear door for entrance to the rear seats. It was restored in the mid-1970s and was part of the Michael Banfield collection for some time as well.

Calling a Clement rare is kind of dumb, as pretty much any model from 1902 is “rare” today. But if you are trying to collect “one of each” of the Clement-related marques, this would be a great start. It is expected to sell for between $110,000-$160,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $112,358.

1902 Boyer

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1902 Boyer 9HP Two-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

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

Photo – Bonhams

Boyer was a French automobile manufacturer based near Paris, and their name is thought to first have appeared on a car in 1899. Sales to the general public were underway by 1901, with one- and two-cylinder cars available.

Boyer was related to Clement/Gladiator, as the head of the company was a director of one of their branches. The Boyer was also sold in the U.K. for a hot minute under the name York. The last Boyers were from 1906.

This car is powered by a 1.3-liter twin good for 10 horsepower. It’s been in the U.S. for many years, having been restored under current ownership. It’s also a multi-time participant in the London-to-Brighton run. It is said that this is the only remaining two-cylinder Boyer, and it should bring between $175,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2020.

MMC Charette

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1900 MMC 6HP Charette Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | November 1, 2019

Photo – Bonhams

The Great Horseless Carriage Company was founded by Harry J. Lawson, who would end up in prison by the time MMC, The Great Horseless Carriage Company’s successor, went out of business (for the first time) in 1904.

MMC staggered around until 1908, but it was the early years that they did their best work. Lawson had managed to get his hands on the Daimler patent, and this car’s six horsepower, 1.5-liter inline-twin was a Daimler engine.

The original owner of the car is known, and it remained with his family for 53 years. During WWI, the body was removed and the car was hooked to a bandsaw. In 1927, the original owner’s sons put the car back together and hoped to partake in the 1930 London-to-Brighton run with their “1897 Daimler.”

They didn’t make it, but the car did compete in 1931 – and by this point, they realized it was an MMC. It continued to compete through the 1930s, and in 1953, with its next owner, it completed a 10-day, 870+ mile trek. It was restored in 1996 and was purchased by the current owner in 2005.

MMCs are rare, but not unheard of. This one has great history and should sell for between $280,000-$340,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $290,428.