Precursors and Birth of Motor Vehicles
1884 The Oldest Marquise
2011 SOLD 4.6 M$ including premium
The meeting between the aristocrat de Dion and the mechanical engineers Bouton and Trépardoux was successful. The steam had proved effective with the locomotives. By developing a propulsion system of small volume that could be mounted on a tricycle or quadricycle, the team actually invented the automobile.
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5 million including premium by Gooding on an estimate of $ 1.5 M. Before this sale, it was illustrated in the article shared by LeBlogAuto.
Certainly, La Marquise likes auctions. It is for sale on October 7 in Hershey PA by RM Auctions. It is conservatively estimated $ 2M.
POST SALE COMMENT
This fabulous milestone in the history of motor vehicles was sold for $ 4.2 million before fees, 4.6 million including premium.
Here is a video introduced and shared by RMAuctions on YouTube by courtesy of Great Cars TV:
La Marquise, made in 1884, with two pairs of different-size wheels, is the first successful prototype and is still the oldest car capable of running. Its general shape is already not like a boiler, but that of a real car.
In 1887, La Marquise won the first event considered as a car race between Paris and Versailles, without difficulty because it was the only competitor.
Yet the experiments of Benz, begun in 1885, would soon show that the petrol engine was a better choice than steam.
La Marquise was a sensation at Pebble Beach on August 19, 2007, when it was sold $ 3.5 million including premium by Gooding on an estimate of $ 1.5 M. Before this sale, it was illustrated in the article shared by LeBlogAuto.
Certainly, La Marquise likes auctions. It is for sale on October 7 in Hershey PA by RM Auctions. It is conservatively estimated $ 2M.
POST SALE COMMENT
This fabulous milestone in the history of motor vehicles was sold for $ 4.2 million before fees, 4.6 million including premium.
Here is a video introduced and shared by RMAuctions on YouTube by courtesy of Great Cars TV:
1894 Contest of Quadricycles
2018 SOLD for £ 360K including premium
Peugeot manufactures tools. In the 1880s it was one of the first makers of grand-bis, tricycles and bicycles, in that chronological sequence. The Expositions Universelles, held every eleventh year in Paris, aim to encourage industry. In 1889 Armand Peugeot exhibits four prototypes of a tricycle equipped with a steam boiler.
On another stand in the same gallery Panhard et Levassor display a prototype of Daimler quadricycle equipped with a two-cylinder in V petrol engine. The future for the automobile is that 'gasoline'. Peugeot begins to assemble vehicles fitted with the Daimler V2 which is manufactured under licence by Panhard et Levassor. In 1892 the Peugeot company becomes Les Fils de Peugeot Frères.
Paris is passionate about technical progress and also about its applications. Le Petit Journal multiplies the events. The Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race is organized in 1891. A Peugeot Type 3 equipped with a Daimler-Panhard engine manages to follow the entire run. Including its round trip between the Valentigney factory and Paris, it had traveled 2100 km.
In July 1894 Le Petit Journal organizes Paris-Rouen which is not a competition of speed but a contest of automobiles judged on three criteria : safety, easiness of use and cheapness. The prize of 5000 francs is shared between Panhard et Levassor and Les Fils de Peugeot Frères. The star model of this event is the new Peugeot Type 5 designed for racing. This two-seater quadricycle is equipped with the Daimler-Panhard V2.
Fourteen Peugeot Type 5 were built. One of them has retained its original chassis, mechanical equipment and bodywork. It has been repainted and the water tank has been changed. In this sensational condition of authenticity it will be sold on November 2 in London by Bonhams, lot 306 estimated £ 300K, and will participate in the veteran car run from London to Brighton on November 4.
This car has kept a remarkable traceability. Its terminus post quem is the delivery of the engine by Panhard in December 1893 and its terminus ante quem is the delivery to its first owner in November 1895. It appears likely to experts that it was stored for slightly more than a year by Peugeot after being one of the five Type 5 entered by the brand on Paris-Rouen.
After strategic disagreements with his cousin, Armand Peugeot left in 1896 Les Fils de Peugeot Frères and founded the Société des Automobiles Peugeot.
On another stand in the same gallery Panhard et Levassor display a prototype of Daimler quadricycle equipped with a two-cylinder in V petrol engine. The future for the automobile is that 'gasoline'. Peugeot begins to assemble vehicles fitted with the Daimler V2 which is manufactured under licence by Panhard et Levassor. In 1892 the Peugeot company becomes Les Fils de Peugeot Frères.
Paris is passionate about technical progress and also about its applications. Le Petit Journal multiplies the events. The Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race is organized in 1891. A Peugeot Type 3 equipped with a Daimler-Panhard engine manages to follow the entire run. Including its round trip between the Valentigney factory and Paris, it had traveled 2100 km.
In July 1894 Le Petit Journal organizes Paris-Rouen which is not a competition of speed but a contest of automobiles judged on three criteria : safety, easiness of use and cheapness. The prize of 5000 francs is shared between Panhard et Levassor and Les Fils de Peugeot Frères. The star model of this event is the new Peugeot Type 5 designed for racing. This two-seater quadricycle is equipped with the Daimler-Panhard V2.
Fourteen Peugeot Type 5 were built. One of them has retained its original chassis, mechanical equipment and bodywork. It has been repainted and the water tank has been changed. In this sensational condition of authenticity it will be sold on November 2 in London by Bonhams, lot 306 estimated £ 300K, and will participate in the veteran car run from London to Brighton on November 4.
This car has kept a remarkable traceability. Its terminus post quem is the delivery of the engine by Panhard in December 1893 and its terminus ante quem is the delivery to its first owner in November 1895. It appears likely to experts that it was stored for slightly more than a year by Peugeot after being one of the five Type 5 entered by the brand on Paris-Rouen.
After strategic disagreements with his cousin, Armand Peugeot left in 1896 Les Fils de Peugeot Frères and founded the Société des Automobiles Peugeot.
Only a month to go until the @bonhams1793 Veteran Car Run Sale! This beautiful 1894/5 Peugeot 5 will be one of the veteran cars on sale □ #VeteranCar #VeteranCarRun #bonhams #Peugeot pic.twitter.com/cUpiammIIm
— Veteran Car Run (@VeteranCarRun) October 5, 2018
1898 The Electric Stanhope of the Rikers
2019 SOLD for $ 605K including premium
The automobile is the vehicle of the future. The inventors install motors on their bicycles. Several technologies are competing : steam, petrol, gas, electric battery.
In Europe the 100 Km/h will soon be reached. For these very high speeds, electric cars dominate, led by the Jeantaud driven by Chasseloup-Laubat and by the prototype designed and driven by Jenatzy. Their records will then be exceeded by a Gardner-Serpollet steam car driven by Léon Serpollet.
The pragmatic Americans are interested in the development of city cars. The Mechanics Fair that opens in Boston in October 1898 exhibits four cars : an electric car by Pope, another one by Riker, a steam car, and a petrol tricycle by De Dion-Bouton that demonstrates the industrial advance of Europe over America.
These American cars do not have the shape of bombshells which enables extravagant speeds. The Riker Electric of the 1898 Fair is bodied in Stanhope with a driver, a passenger at his side, and another passenger facing aft. It won several local competitions including an ambitious 50-mile road race. It was awarded a gold medal for its industrial design at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900.
Andrew L. Riker had created his manufacturing company for electric motors in 1888 and for motor vehicles one year later. His Stanhope is his favorite car, which soon becomes his wife's personal car. At his death in 1930, it is bequeathed to the Henry Ford Museum which notes a performance of 25 mph on asphalt or macadam.
When the Ford Museum refocused its collection on other priorities in 1985, the Stanhope was bought at auction by the Riker family. Acquired afterward by the friend who had been entrusted for its maintenance, it will be sold by Worldwide Auctioneers at Pacific Grove (Monterey) on August 15, lot 38.
Praised since over one hundred years as a family heirloom, this Riker Electric has remained entirely in its original, unrestored state. It has been returned into running order. Its leather license plate only inscribed with Riker's A.L.R. initials is also the original plaque of this car as told by the family tradition. It is a historical curiosity in its own right, prior to the establishment of a numbering system in New York plates.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
In Europe the 100 Km/h will soon be reached. For these very high speeds, electric cars dominate, led by the Jeantaud driven by Chasseloup-Laubat and by the prototype designed and driven by Jenatzy. Their records will then be exceeded by a Gardner-Serpollet steam car driven by Léon Serpollet.
The pragmatic Americans are interested in the development of city cars. The Mechanics Fair that opens in Boston in October 1898 exhibits four cars : an electric car by Pope, another one by Riker, a steam car, and a petrol tricycle by De Dion-Bouton that demonstrates the industrial advance of Europe over America.
These American cars do not have the shape of bombshells which enables extravagant speeds. The Riker Electric of the 1898 Fair is bodied in Stanhope with a driver, a passenger at his side, and another passenger facing aft. It won several local competitions including an ambitious 50-mile road race. It was awarded a gold medal for its industrial design at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900.
Andrew L. Riker had created his manufacturing company for electric motors in 1888 and for motor vehicles one year later. His Stanhope is his favorite car, which soon becomes his wife's personal car. At his death in 1930, it is bequeathed to the Henry Ford Museum which notes a performance of 25 mph on asphalt or macadam.
When the Ford Museum refocused its collection on other priorities in 1985, the Stanhope was bought at auction by the Riker family. Acquired afterward by the friend who had been entrusted for its maintenance, it will be sold by Worldwide Auctioneers at Pacific Grove (Monterey) on August 15, lot 38.
Praised since over one hundred years as a family heirloom, this Riker Electric has remained entirely in its original, unrestored state. It has been returned into running order. Its leather license plate only inscribed with Riker's A.L.R. initials is also the original plaque of this car as told by the family tradition. It is a historical curiosity in its own right, prior to the establishment of a numbering system in New York plates.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1903 The Oldest Surviving Ford Car
2007 SOLD 700 K$ including premium by RM Auctions
2012 SOLD 264 K$ including premium
PRE 2012 SALE DISCUSSION
Unsold on August 12, 2010 by RM Auctions in Monterey, the oldest surviving car of Ford Motor Company brand is back in the same auction house on 11 and 12 October in Hershey PA.
Here is how I introduced this car two years ago, under the title Henry Ford on the road to success:
Henry Ford was a visionary and ambitious creator, and it is almost forgotten now how his beginnings were difficult.His second company, named Henry Ford Company, failed at its inception as a result of disputes with financial backers, giving rise to Cadillac. Worse, the first Cadillac released in October 1902 was built according to his own drawings.
Here we see the art of the great American businessmen to bounce back from failure. In June 1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company whose Model A, almost identical to the first Cadillac, was released the following month.Within two years, 1750 Model A cars were produced.
A prolific inventor, Ford ever imagined new solutions. The Model T, which secured his industrial glory and revolutionized the use and history of car, went only five years later.
RM Auctions sells a Ford Model A made in July 1903. It is equipped with the "tonneau" option including two additional seats accessible from the rear. Unlike vis-à-vis (face to face) carriages, the four seats are positioned in the same direction.
It is the only survivor of the first three cars sold by Ford Motor Company.
The photos of this car are shared by Hemmings Daily. Their post is also disclosing the new estimate, $ 300K to 500K, consistent with the last bid of the unsuccessful sale of 2010 and lower than its last success at auction: $ 700K including premium, also by RM Auctions, in the Arizona sale of January 19, 2007.
POST SALE COMMENT
The Ford A was sold $ 264K including premium. We shall consider that this is its fair price, and that the previous result at $ 700K including premium in 2007 was a heartfelt bidding which was not repeated.
Unsold on August 12, 2010 by RM Auctions in Monterey, the oldest surviving car of Ford Motor Company brand is back in the same auction house on 11 and 12 October in Hershey PA.
Here is how I introduced this car two years ago, under the title Henry Ford on the road to success:
Henry Ford was a visionary and ambitious creator, and it is almost forgotten now how his beginnings were difficult.His second company, named Henry Ford Company, failed at its inception as a result of disputes with financial backers, giving rise to Cadillac. Worse, the first Cadillac released in October 1902 was built according to his own drawings.
Here we see the art of the great American businessmen to bounce back from failure. In June 1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company whose Model A, almost identical to the first Cadillac, was released the following month.Within two years, 1750 Model A cars were produced.
A prolific inventor, Ford ever imagined new solutions. The Model T, which secured his industrial glory and revolutionized the use and history of car, went only five years later.
RM Auctions sells a Ford Model A made in July 1903. It is equipped with the "tonneau" option including two additional seats accessible from the rear. Unlike vis-à-vis (face to face) carriages, the four seats are positioned in the same direction.
It is the only survivor of the first three cars sold by Ford Motor Company.
The photos of this car are shared by Hemmings Daily. Their post is also disclosing the new estimate, $ 300K to 500K, consistent with the last bid of the unsuccessful sale of 2010 and lower than its last success at auction: $ 700K including premium, also by RM Auctions, in the Arizona sale of January 19, 2007.
POST SALE COMMENT
The Ford A was sold $ 264K including premium. We shall consider that this is its fair price, and that the previous result at $ 700K including premium in 2007 was a heartfelt bidding which was not repeated.
1904 Rolls-Royce 10 hp
2007 SOLD for £ 3.5M including premium by Bonhams
narrated in 2020
Charles Stewart Rolls, son of a Lord and lover of sports performances, and Henry Royce, inventor and mechanic engineer in Manchester, had built the same vision, independently of each other : the delay in development of British cars compared to French cars is not irremediable.
To design his first model, the Royce 10, Henry Royce disassembles and analyzes a two cylinder 1901 Decauville and makes three prototypes. With an intuition which can be described as brilliant, he takes a particular care to the silence and to the driving smoothness, which will be at the origin of the legendary reliability of the Rolls-Royce.
A Royce collaborator insists for a meeting with Rolls. The moment is opportune : weary of waiting from other constructors for his dream car, Rolls had set up a business of engine production in London since 1902. The meeting takes place in Manchester on May 4, 1904.
Rolls immediately understands the technological advantages of the Royce 10. He will market and sell the cars designed and manufactured by Royce, with a new trademark : Rolls-Royce. At the Paris Motor Show in December 1904, Rolls unveils the Rolls-Royce 10 hp alongside the Royce 10 and exhibits the six-cylinder engine of the future 30 hp.
That 10 hp of the Paris Salon is the fourth vehicle of the Rolls-Royce brand. Its reliability is already excellent : it will be used until 1930 by several successive owners. It was discovered in a farm building in 1950, in the original configuration of all mechanical elements except the gearbox. The original phaeton bodywork by Barker did not survive.
This car is the oldest Rolls-Royce in existence and the only surviving 10 hp from the first year. It is thus the only Rolls-Royce eligible for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, in which it participated for the first time in 1954 : the rules of this picturesque annual event only accept vehicles made prior to 1905.
This 10 hp from 1904 was sold for £ 3.5M including premium by Bonhams on December 3, 2007, lot 604.
To design his first model, the Royce 10, Henry Royce disassembles and analyzes a two cylinder 1901 Decauville and makes three prototypes. With an intuition which can be described as brilliant, he takes a particular care to the silence and to the driving smoothness, which will be at the origin of the legendary reliability of the Rolls-Royce.
A Royce collaborator insists for a meeting with Rolls. The moment is opportune : weary of waiting from other constructors for his dream car, Rolls had set up a business of engine production in London since 1902. The meeting takes place in Manchester on May 4, 1904.
Rolls immediately understands the technological advantages of the Royce 10. He will market and sell the cars designed and manufactured by Royce, with a new trademark : Rolls-Royce. At the Paris Motor Show in December 1904, Rolls unveils the Rolls-Royce 10 hp alongside the Royce 10 and exhibits the six-cylinder engine of the future 30 hp.
That 10 hp of the Paris Salon is the fourth vehicle of the Rolls-Royce brand. Its reliability is already excellent : it will be used until 1930 by several successive owners. It was discovered in a farm building in 1950, in the original configuration of all mechanical elements except the gearbox. The original phaeton bodywork by Barker did not survive.
This car is the oldest Rolls-Royce in existence and the only surviving 10 hp from the first year. It is thus the only Rolls-Royce eligible for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, in which it participated for the first time in 1954 : the rules of this picturesque annual event only accept vehicles made prior to 1905.
This 10 hp from 1904 was sold for £ 3.5M including premium by Bonhams on December 3, 2007, lot 604.
1904 As Simple as a Mercedes
2016 SOLD for $ 2.8M including premium
Independently of one another, Benz is industrializing the automobile and Daimler is improving the engines, in particular through his combinations of cylinders. The Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) launches in 1898 the Phönix car with a four-cylinder engine.
Only the richest can buy cars. The first Phönix is provided to Emil Jellinek, Austro-Hungarian consul in Nice and motor sport fan. A pioneer in automotive marketing, Jellinek endeavors to study the needs of the wealthy residents of the French Riviera and becomes the exclusive distributor of DMG in the area.
Customers do not call for a technical feat. They wish a user friendly vehicle, reliable, stable, comfortable. Jellinek understands that the manufacturer must lighten the engine and the body, increase the wheelbase and lower the center of gravity. He forwards these specifications to Wilhelm Maybach, the designer of the Phönix. Jellinek creates in 1901 and deposits in 1902 the name of the first model produced by DMG for his needs : Mercedes.
Again with the technical involvement of Maybach, an improved model appears from 1902. This luxury car is named Mercedes Simplex, which looks anachronistic today for a luxury vehicle but the high society of that time appreciated that the use of an automobile became simple. The operation performed by Jellinek is a great success : customers are accepting to pay an expensive price if they get quality and easiness.
A range of Mercedes Simplex is offered. The top power is increased to 60 hp in 1903. The 28-32 hp is among the high end. A Mercedes Simplex 28-32 hp made in 1904 is estimated $ 2.5M for sale on August 19 by Bonhams at Quail Lodge, Carmel CA, lot 27.
After its rediscovery in the mid-1970s, this vehicle has undergone many changes made necessary after half a century of storage in an English farm. It is now a frequent entrant of the London To Brighton Veteran Car Runs. It is offered in a five seat rear entrance tonneau body.
Only the richest can buy cars. The first Phönix is provided to Emil Jellinek, Austro-Hungarian consul in Nice and motor sport fan. A pioneer in automotive marketing, Jellinek endeavors to study the needs of the wealthy residents of the French Riviera and becomes the exclusive distributor of DMG in the area.
Customers do not call for a technical feat. They wish a user friendly vehicle, reliable, stable, comfortable. Jellinek understands that the manufacturer must lighten the engine and the body, increase the wheelbase and lower the center of gravity. He forwards these specifications to Wilhelm Maybach, the designer of the Phönix. Jellinek creates in 1901 and deposits in 1902 the name of the first model produced by DMG for his needs : Mercedes.
Again with the technical involvement of Maybach, an improved model appears from 1902. This luxury car is named Mercedes Simplex, which looks anachronistic today for a luxury vehicle but the high society of that time appreciated that the use of an automobile became simple. The operation performed by Jellinek is a great success : customers are accepting to pay an expensive price if they get quality and easiness.
A range of Mercedes Simplex is offered. The top power is increased to 60 hp in 1903. The 28-32 hp is among the high end. A Mercedes Simplex 28-32 hp made in 1904 is estimated $ 2.5M for sale on August 19 by Bonhams at Quail Lodge, Carmel CA, lot 27.
After its rediscovery in the mid-1970s, this vehicle has undergone many changes made necessary after half a century of storage in an English farm. It is now a frequent entrant of the London To Brighton Veteran Car Runs. It is offered in a five seat rear entrance tonneau body.
1904 #Mercedes-Simplex Rear Entrance Tonneau brings whopping $2,805,000 inc. premium #Quail https://t.co/GTbyAHdhZD pic.twitter.com/SuHiKXages
— BONHAMS (@bonhams1793) August 19, 2016
1905 The Old FIAT
2014 SOLD for $ 825K including premium
A very interesting specimen of early luxury car was unsold at RM Auctions on May 25, 2013, with a high bid of € 1.3M. It is listed again by the same auction house, now without reserve, in the sale of 9 and 10 October at Hershey PA.
A preview for the next sale is already available on the site of the auction house but I prefer linking to the previous sale with a full description of the car.
Here is how I introduced it last year (text slightly modified for providing the information on size, power and chassis):
FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) was founded in 1899, not by a manufacturer but by a group of investors who understood that Italy must not stay behind Germany and France.
The market offered huge opportunities for bold companies and the early FIAT strategy to focus on the volume of production instead on the technical innovations was immediately winning.
The success is so great that FIAT diversifies its products and provides luxury cars for export. The 60HP, released in 1905, is more a range than just a model. Equipped with a huge 10.6 litre 60 horsepower engine, it is one of the largest cars of its time with variants in 3m and 3.33m wheelbase.
Coachworked in touring, it embarks five passengers, two in front and three in rear. Its compact design is very elegant, making it difficult to imagine its unusual size from photos.
The first unit was supplied to the Emperor of Germany, and the second to Busch, the owner of American breweries, in the shorter wheelbase chassis.
This 60HP ex Busch has remained entirely in its original condition, not only for its pieces of equipment but also for painting, brass, upholstery. It is exceptional that a so old time capsule from such a high end model becomes available on the market.
A preview for the next sale is already available on the site of the auction house but I prefer linking to the previous sale with a full description of the car.
Here is how I introduced it last year (text slightly modified for providing the information on size, power and chassis):
FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) was founded in 1899, not by a manufacturer but by a group of investors who understood that Italy must not stay behind Germany and France.
The market offered huge opportunities for bold companies and the early FIAT strategy to focus on the volume of production instead on the technical innovations was immediately winning.
The success is so great that FIAT diversifies its products and provides luxury cars for export. The 60HP, released in 1905, is more a range than just a model. Equipped with a huge 10.6 litre 60 horsepower engine, it is one of the largest cars of its time with variants in 3m and 3.33m wheelbase.
Coachworked in touring, it embarks five passengers, two in front and three in rear. Its compact design is very elegant, making it difficult to imagine its unusual size from photos.
The first unit was supplied to the Emperor of Germany, and the second to Busch, the owner of American breweries, in the shorter wheelbase chassis.
This 60HP ex Busch has remained entirely in its original condition, not only for its pieces of equipment but also for painting, brass, upholstery. It is exceptional that a so old time capsule from such a high end model becomes available on the market.
1907 Renault with Vanderbilt
2020 SOLD for $ 3.3M including premium
Willie K. Vanderbilt is the heir of one of the richest men in America. He can devote his life to his leisure. He likes car speed and yachting.
Vanderbilt often travels to Europe. His first motor vehicle, in 1898, is a De Dion-Bouton tricycle. In 1904 in Daytona, he approaches 150 km/h with a Mercedes. In the same year, he creates the Vanderbilt Cup, the first American automobile trophy capable of counterbalancing the Gordon Bennett Cup.
The trend in competitions is the use of huge engines. A Renault AE 60 hp with a displacement of 13 liters participated in 1904 in the first Vanderbilt Cup. In 1906 at Le Mans, the very first Grand Prix of the Automobile Club de France was won by a Renault AK 90 hp of the same displacement, far ahead of all other competitors. In 1907 Fiat builds the 130 hp Corsa with an engine exceeding 16 liters.
These monsters cannot be offered for private use. They are thus indirectly at the origin of a new category, the sports car. Developed in 1907, the American Underslung 50 hp is a roadster with an engine of only 7.8 liters.
In the same year, Renault Frères introduce the AI (c) Sport 35/45 hp 7.5 liters. On an AI chassis, the two-seater bodywork also manufactured by Renault is a reduced version of the AK. AI's are the first models fitted with shock absorbers.
Renault delivers about 10 AI Sport to America on a group order by Vanderbilt. Despite its racing body, it was not designed to compete with bigger cars, and its history in the most prestigious American events is limited to a win in 1909 at the 24 Hours of Brighton Beach at Coney Island. None participated in the Vanderbilt Cup.
These cars identified as the Renault Vanderbilt racers. Four survive. One of them was sold for $ 1.1M including premium by Gooding on October 21, 2006. Another one will be sold on March 5 in Amelia Island by Bonhams, lot 159. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house.
Vanderbilt often travels to Europe. His first motor vehicle, in 1898, is a De Dion-Bouton tricycle. In 1904 in Daytona, he approaches 150 km/h with a Mercedes. In the same year, he creates the Vanderbilt Cup, the first American automobile trophy capable of counterbalancing the Gordon Bennett Cup.
The trend in competitions is the use of huge engines. A Renault AE 60 hp with a displacement of 13 liters participated in 1904 in the first Vanderbilt Cup. In 1906 at Le Mans, the very first Grand Prix of the Automobile Club de France was won by a Renault AK 90 hp of the same displacement, far ahead of all other competitors. In 1907 Fiat builds the 130 hp Corsa with an engine exceeding 16 liters.
These monsters cannot be offered for private use. They are thus indirectly at the origin of a new category, the sports car. Developed in 1907, the American Underslung 50 hp is a roadster with an engine of only 7.8 liters.
In the same year, Renault Frères introduce the AI (c) Sport 35/45 hp 7.5 liters. On an AI chassis, the two-seater bodywork also manufactured by Renault is a reduced version of the AK. AI's are the first models fitted with shock absorbers.
Renault delivers about 10 AI Sport to America on a group order by Vanderbilt. Despite its racing body, it was not designed to compete with bigger cars, and its history in the most prestigious American events is limited to a win in 1909 at the 24 Hours of Brighton Beach at Coney Island. None participated in the Vanderbilt Cup.
These cars identified as the Renault Vanderbilt racers. Four survive. One of them was sold for $ 1.1M including premium by Gooding on October 21, 2006. Another one will be sold on March 5 in Amelia Island by Bonhams, lot 159. Please watch the video prepared by the auction house.
1907 Underslung with Honey
2014 SOLD for $ 1.43M including premium
2020 UNSOLD
PRE 2020 SALE DISCUSSION
An Underslung car with a honeymoon story and photos was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on October 6, 2014, lot 341. A portion of the proceeds were donated by the seller to the Simeone Automotive Foundation which specializes in preserving early automotive vehicles.
This car is now estimated $ 1.5M for sale by Bonhams in Amelia Island on March 5, lot 187. In the mean time it had been re-established in fine working order including extensive servicing and new sets of wheels and brakes.
I narrated it as follows before the 2014 sale.
The American Motor Car Company was founded in 1906 in Indianapolis to operate an innovative design. The level of the chassis is below the axles, providing an improved driving stability through a lowered center of gravity. For not being disturbed on the rough roads, these cars have huge wheels.
This inverted concept received the nickname of American Underslung which will be officially applied in 1912 to the cars of this brand.
Despite Vanderbilt's promotional efforts for competition, the American users were reluctant to these early sports cars. The American Motor Car Company went bankrupt in 1913.
The car for sale is a roadster for two passengers made in 1907, in the 50hp variant with the then very new 7.8 litre engine of the brand. Made in 1907, it anticipated the official release of the model.
Its first owner in 1907 was indeed well ahead of the fashion for sports cars : he had purchased it for his honeymoon. He could not finish his trip with that car due to a fire in a barn. He purchased three slighty later cars from the same brand and the four of them were discovered in 1960 in his deceased estate.
An Underslung car with a honeymoon story and photos was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on October 6, 2014, lot 341. A portion of the proceeds were donated by the seller to the Simeone Automotive Foundation which specializes in preserving early automotive vehicles.
This car is now estimated $ 1.5M for sale by Bonhams in Amelia Island on March 5, lot 187. In the mean time it had been re-established in fine working order including extensive servicing and new sets of wheels and brakes.
I narrated it as follows before the 2014 sale.
The American Motor Car Company was founded in 1906 in Indianapolis to operate an innovative design. The level of the chassis is below the axles, providing an improved driving stability through a lowered center of gravity. For not being disturbed on the rough roads, these cars have huge wheels.
This inverted concept received the nickname of American Underslung which will be officially applied in 1912 to the cars of this brand.
Despite Vanderbilt's promotional efforts for competition, the American users were reluctant to these early sports cars. The American Motor Car Company went bankrupt in 1913.
The car for sale is a roadster for two passengers made in 1907, in the 50hp variant with the then very new 7.8 litre engine of the brand. Made in 1907, it anticipated the official release of the model.
Its first owner in 1907 was indeed well ahead of the fashion for sports cars : he had purchased it for his honeymoon. He could not finish his trip with that car due to a fire in a barn. He purchased three slighty later cars from the same brand and the four of them were discovered in 1960 in his deceased estate.
1907 Motorcycles in Milwaukee
2015 SOLD for $ 650K before fees
Around 1900, the construction of vehicles attracts the ambition of mechanical engineers. Many of them are trying to implement an engine on a bicycle, tricycle or four wheeler. The bike would seem less complex but raises difficult issues of power, stability and durability of autonomy.
The city of Milwaukee has a specialty for machine tools and railways and is a natural place for such developments. For example, Merkel is a manufacturer of engines and already assembles motorcycles. Evinrude designs gas engines for automobiles.
In such a suitable environment, two very young men, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, build their first prototype of a motorized bicycle. In 1903, after two years of effort, it is a disappointment: the machine is not able to climb hills without assistance of pedals.
This failure galvanizes the inventors. Their audacity, which will be winning, is to equip their two wheelers with increasingly larger engines, ensuring forever the difference between pedal bicycle and motorcycle. In 1906, they make 50 units of their first commercial model, the Harley-Davidson strap tank.
The following year saw significant new developments, including the incorporation of the company, the expansion of the plant and the first prototype with a twin engine.
On March 21 in Las Vegas, Mecum sells a Harley-Davidson strap tank (single cylinder) made in 1907. This rare machine is in excellent original condition after being held until 1993 by the son of its first owner. It is estimated $ 800K, lot S62.
The city of Milwaukee has a specialty for machine tools and railways and is a natural place for such developments. For example, Merkel is a manufacturer of engines and already assembles motorcycles. Evinrude designs gas engines for automobiles.
In such a suitable environment, two very young men, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, build their first prototype of a motorized bicycle. In 1903, after two years of effort, it is a disappointment: the machine is not able to climb hills without assistance of pedals.
This failure galvanizes the inventors. Their audacity, which will be winning, is to equip their two wheelers with increasingly larger engines, ensuring forever the difference between pedal bicycle and motorcycle. In 1906, they make 50 units of their first commercial model, the Harley-Davidson strap tank.
The following year saw significant new developments, including the incorporation of the company, the expansion of the plant and the first prototype with a twin engine.
On March 21 in Las Vegas, Mecum sells a Harley-Davidson strap tank (single cylinder) made in 1907. This rare machine is in excellent original condition after being held until 1993 by the son of its first owner. It is estimated $ 800K, lot S62.
1907 @HarleyDavidson Strap Tank sells for $650,000 at the EJ Cole Collection auction in #LasVegas. pic.twitter.com/xYY6SJ8qB2
— Mecum Auctions (@mecum) March 21, 20151908 Prince Heinrich and Speed King
2017 SOLD for $ 1.87M including premium
Automotive and aeronautics are developed in parallel. Races, demonstrations and rallies are organized by wealthy sponsors and by aristocrats. Prince Heinrich, brother of the emperor of Prussia, is supporting a competition that combines tourism and competition.
The Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt is a stage race on German roads including a few hill climbs. The competition takes place over three consecutive years, 1908 to 1910, for a total of about 6000 Km. The trophy awarded to the winner at the completion of these three events is a silver model car weighing 13.5 Kg offered by the prince.
A Benz 50 hp wins the first of these rallies in 1908. It is a very good advertising for the brand that decides to launch a model of touring car under the name Prinz-Heinrich-Wagen with a considerably increased power which allows to reach 130 km/h.
A Benz 75/105 hp Prinz-Heinrich is for sale by Bonhams on November 11 in the house sale of the Bothwell collection near Los Angeles, lot 420 estimated $ 1M.
Built in 1908 or 1909, this car was exported to the US and frequently used by Barney Oldfield. A great fan of Benz vehicles, Oldfield was nicknamed the Speed King after driving a Blitzen-Benz at 210 Km/h at Daytona Beach in March 1910.
The Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt is a stage race on German roads including a few hill climbs. The competition takes place over three consecutive years, 1908 to 1910, for a total of about 6000 Km. The trophy awarded to the winner at the completion of these three events is a silver model car weighing 13.5 Kg offered by the prince.
A Benz 50 hp wins the first of these rallies in 1908. It is a very good advertising for the brand that decides to launch a model of touring car under the name Prinz-Heinrich-Wagen with a considerably increased power which allows to reach 130 km/h.
A Benz 75/105 hp Prinz-Heinrich is for sale by Bonhams on November 11 in the house sale of the Bothwell collection near Los Angeles, lot 420 estimated $ 1M.
Built in 1908 or 1909, this car was exported to the US and frequently used by Barney Oldfield. A great fan of Benz vehicles, Oldfield was nicknamed the Speed King after driving a Blitzen-Benz at 210 Km/h at Daytona Beach in March 1910.
World Famous Bothwell Collection Of Historic Motorcars To Be Auctioned at Bonhams https://t.co/T5d65c6P3j pic.twitter.com/nP8hB0jjOh
— BONHAMS (@bonhams1793) August 31, 2017
1908 Early Motor Sport in America
2015 SOLD for $ 1.74M including premium by Bonhams
2018 UNSOLD
PRE 2018 SALE DISCUSSION
A highly rare early Underslung car was sold for $ 1.74M including premium by Bonhams on March 12, 2015, lot 152. It entered at that time the Mann collection and passed at RM Sotheby's on August 20, 2016, lot 231. It is now estimated $ 1.2M for sale by Gooding in Pebble Beach on August 24, lot 30.
I narrated as follows before the 2016 sale its position in the history of American sports cars.
The Brass era covers those pioneering days of the American automobile when hundreds of more or less talented engineers are seeking innovative solutions for their own use or to make some wealth.
Founded in 1906 in Indianapolis, the American Motor Car Company endeavored to provide fast and powerful cars to the richest clients. A first chassis designed by Harry Stutz was still classic. Stutz quickly left that company where the technical initiative went to the chief engineer Fred Tone.
To improve the performance, Tone wants to reduce the weight and lower the center of gravity. He develops the underslung chassis whose level is lower than the axles. The direct consequence of this innovation is an enlargement of the diameter of the wheels, spectacular whatever the body type. The Underslung becomes a specialty of the company and its official trademark in 1912 just before the final bankruptcy.
The high-end underslung is equipped with an engine of 7.8 liters for a rated power of 50 hp. One of the first cars, built in 1907, was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on 6 October 2014. This vehicle that anticipated the official release of the model is elegantly bodied as a roadster and is a precursor of the US sports cars.
The American Underslung 50 hp coming for sale was made in 1908. It had attracted the attention of Sam Mann by its remarkable overall condition. Its ex factory roadster bodywork brings the exuberant and rare appearance of a genuine survivor of the brass era. To keep it in operating condition, Mann fabricated new wheels.
Stutz, who had not wanted to follow the adventure of the Underslung, created in 1912 another roadster named the Bearcat which was the first real success in American sports cars along with Mercer's Raceabout.
A highly rare early Underslung car was sold for $ 1.74M including premium by Bonhams on March 12, 2015, lot 152. It entered at that time the Mann collection and passed at RM Sotheby's on August 20, 2016, lot 231. It is now estimated $ 1.2M for sale by Gooding in Pebble Beach on August 24, lot 30.
I narrated as follows before the 2016 sale its position in the history of American sports cars.
The Brass era covers those pioneering days of the American automobile when hundreds of more or less talented engineers are seeking innovative solutions for their own use or to make some wealth.
Founded in 1906 in Indianapolis, the American Motor Car Company endeavored to provide fast and powerful cars to the richest clients. A first chassis designed by Harry Stutz was still classic. Stutz quickly left that company where the technical initiative went to the chief engineer Fred Tone.
To improve the performance, Tone wants to reduce the weight and lower the center of gravity. He develops the underslung chassis whose level is lower than the axles. The direct consequence of this innovation is an enlargement of the diameter of the wheels, spectacular whatever the body type. The Underslung becomes a specialty of the company and its official trademark in 1912 just before the final bankruptcy.
The high-end underslung is equipped with an engine of 7.8 liters for a rated power of 50 hp. One of the first cars, built in 1907, was sold for $ 1.43M including premium by Bonhams on 6 October 2014. This vehicle that anticipated the official release of the model is elegantly bodied as a roadster and is a precursor of the US sports cars.
The American Underslung 50 hp coming for sale was made in 1908. It had attracted the attention of Sam Mann by its remarkable overall condition. Its ex factory roadster bodywork brings the exuberant and rare appearance of a genuine survivor of the brass era. To keep it in operating condition, Mann fabricated new wheels.
Stutz, who had not wanted to follow the adventure of the Underslung, created in 1912 another roadster named the Bearcat which was the first real success in American sports cars along with Mercer's Raceabout.
This exceptionally rare, high-horsepower 1908 American Underslung 50 HP Roadster...entering the spotlight right now! Who will take home this early American sports car? #GoodingPebble pic.twitter.com/00lpknst1e
— Gooding & Company (@goodingandco) August 25, 2018
1908 Limited to the Elite
2011 SOLD for $ 540K including premium
2019 SOLD for $ 420K including premium
PRE 2019 SALE DISCUSSION
The only surviving prototype of the Oldsmobile Limited was sold for $ 540K including premium by RM Auctions on March 12, 2011, lot 157. It is estimated $ 550K for sale in Hershey on October 11 by RM Sotheby's successor to RM Auctions, lot 406. Its engine is in matching number but the body was rebuilt.
I narrated it as follows in 2011. The text below also integrates a result recorded in the mean time on a commercial unit.
When automobiles began to be produced in America, some investors quickly appreciated that the financial stakes were considerable. The constructors needed money. Henry Ford himself lost at some time the control of his own business, an event that gave birth to Cadillac.
The history of Ransom E. Olds is similar. He organized the first mass production line, but a quarrel with the son of his major shareholder made him give up his factory and the brand bearing his name, Oldsmobile. Olds then created REO, which enjoyed some success.
In 1908 General Motors was founded by William Durant as a holding company to promote the interests of Buick, challenging Ford. One of the first acts of this newcomer was to buy the Olds Motor Vehicle Company. The Oldsmobile brand will be maintained for nearly a century.
Oldsmobile was then in serious financial trouble and considered the production of top grade cars for the elite. Two decades later, during the crisis of 1929, other US manufacturers will be caught in a similar mirage for the delight of the current-day collectors.
The Oldsmobile Limited is one of the biggest cars of the so-called brass era, with impressive 106 cm high wheels and a straight six engine rated at 60 hp. The wording 'limited' was explained in the Oldsmobile catalog : “such a car cannot be produced rapidly, therefore (only) a limited quantity can be built.”
A small quantity of prototypes were prepared in 1908 and the commercial production lasted from 1910 to 1912. In addition to the prototype coming for sale, only thirteen Limited survive, including a single 1912 car which was sold for $ 3.3M including premium by RM in collaboration with Sotheby's on February 25, 2012.
The only surviving prototype of the Oldsmobile Limited was sold for $ 540K including premium by RM Auctions on March 12, 2011, lot 157. It is estimated $ 550K for sale in Hershey on October 11 by RM Sotheby's successor to RM Auctions, lot 406. Its engine is in matching number but the body was rebuilt.
I narrated it as follows in 2011. The text below also integrates a result recorded in the mean time on a commercial unit.
When automobiles began to be produced in America, some investors quickly appreciated that the financial stakes were considerable. The constructors needed money. Henry Ford himself lost at some time the control of his own business, an event that gave birth to Cadillac.
The history of Ransom E. Olds is similar. He organized the first mass production line, but a quarrel with the son of his major shareholder made him give up his factory and the brand bearing his name, Oldsmobile. Olds then created REO, which enjoyed some success.
In 1908 General Motors was founded by William Durant as a holding company to promote the interests of Buick, challenging Ford. One of the first acts of this newcomer was to buy the Olds Motor Vehicle Company. The Oldsmobile brand will be maintained for nearly a century.
Oldsmobile was then in serious financial trouble and considered the production of top grade cars for the elite. Two decades later, during the crisis of 1929, other US manufacturers will be caught in a similar mirage for the delight of the current-day collectors.
The Oldsmobile Limited is one of the biggest cars of the so-called brass era, with impressive 106 cm high wheels and a straight six engine rated at 60 hp. The wording 'limited' was explained in the Oldsmobile catalog : “such a car cannot be produced rapidly, therefore (only) a limited quantity can be built.”
A small quantity of prototypes were prepared in 1908 and the commercial production lasted from 1910 to 1912. In addition to the prototype coming for sale, only thirteen Limited survive, including a single 1912 car which was sold for $ 3.3M including premium by RM in collaboration with Sotheby's on February 25, 2012.
