Locomobile

[jrelliott]

One of my neighbors just purchased a 1914 Locomobile. What a large auto. This one is a chauffeured town car. The chauffer was in an enclosed area and not open like other vehicles of the time. It had an electric start, generator, lights etc. Every wire ran in its own conduit. The owner just replaced the four tires getting them form Coker. Fronts are 35" x5.00" and rears are 37" x 5.50". This thing weighs way over 4000 lbs. It sold for over $7000.00 new.

[Patrick L.]

It would be nice to see a pic. There were some really neat early vehicles, and, as always I guess, it would be nice to have money.

[Seth Swoboda]

We need photos

[Special Coupe Frank]

Please find out which model it is...

The Locomobile 48 was the top of their line, and one of the largest and most expensive American cars ever produced. It had a huge ( 525 cid ) T-head engine.

[Capt Quahog]

Oddball make cars . . .

Guy down the street has a spiffy yellow 1922 Willys-Knight 7-passenger Phaeton available. Those really are fine automobiles. He needs to clear it out of the garage ASAP. Body, paint and mechanics are very good to perhaps excellent condition. Car is shiny and sharp with good white wall tires and nice nickel trim with big motometer. Seats could use a recovering as they appear original being cracked and coming apart on the faces. Appears to have been a parade type car but looks to be missing the top bows. This is a cool Roaring 20s Great Gatsby type car that can be probably had for $5,000 cash and drive it home.

1922 Willys-Knight 7-Passenger Phaeton

Owner's contacted me now three times eager to get rid of the thing and is down to point of trades for other stuff. Thing is, space around here is limited and finding a top bow set would likely be both challenging and expensive. Also too, after a person gets tired of owning the thing, which wouldn't be long, that nearly hundred year old oddball "non-Ford" automobile, is hard to sell. A person would be lucky to break even on price paid. The market for such antique cars shrinks with each passing day.

Also too, at this point in time, it might be better to put any free cash into silver, gold, guns and land. With exception of perhaps decent running Model A or T Ford vehicles which can in practicality get a person and family to places of safety where most modern vehicles can not go. All this other frivolous stuff ain't going to be worth the space it takes up on the planet earth.

[Al 29Tudor]

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[This is a cool Roaring 20s Great Gatsby type car that can be probably had for $5,000 cash and drive it home]

What's the phone number????

[Capt Quahog]

This is a cool Roaring 20s Great Gatsby type car that can be probably had for $5,000 cash and drive it home

His original asking price was around $7K. My last contact was late last month before going to Alaska. Car is still available. Had the phone number someplace but will look around for it. The neighbor wants to go look at the thing later this week which is about a mile away. He's just whistling "Dixie" cause his wife would never let him buy it. Will take some decent digital pictures then.

Within the last couple of months all sorts of very good "turn key" antique cars have been showing up all over the place here in the northeast. The "asking price" "threshold" that I set is $7,700. That's it! Seems that more and more automobiles on the market unsold for a time are dropping down below that figure. It is no doubt a Buyer's Market for these mostly orphaned antique cars. My own strike range radius includes northeast Pennsylvania, lower New York state, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut plus most all of New Jersey. At this point, it's got to be a vehicle that really intrigues and can be acquired in a bargain basement deal. As a Buyer these days, one may be hard nosed and smart.

[ronn]

Was at Hershey about 30 years ago and a fella was selling his model 48 Loco. His buddy said- why the hell are you selling it? He says, with all that power, there are still only 2 rear wheel brakes and Im getting too old to run it! Very hard to stop............
I still have my Model A and far easier to drive when you are in your 70's! true.......

regarding the Willys Knight-sleeve valve engine and also a very fine car in it's day. Years ago a W K would fetch very big money. Bill Harrah had a few in his collection.
Today, nobody knows anything about them, let alone heard of one.

[Capt Quahog]

regarding the Willys Knight-sleeve valve engine and also a very fine car in it's day. Years ago a W K would fetch very big money. Bill Harrah had a few in his collection. Today, nobody knows anything about them, let alone heard of one.

At that age now when I can look back over 50-years to the heyday of the real antique automobile hobby. Then, I was one of the youngsters as a card carrying member in some very old organizations in New England. Recall back in the early 1970s, when I had to park my 1934 Ford V8 outside the gates of the vintage meet at the Larz Anderson estate in Brookline, Massachusetts. Thing was, the V8 Ford was "too new" and did not qualify as an antique automobile.

Remember in the late 1960s driving over the inbound upper level of the Mystic River bridge into Boston with more than 70 pre-1930 antique automobiles. My 1930 Ford Model A just made the upper age bar. That procession was led by a 1912 Model T Ford that chugged along at about 30-miles an hour. Our club had over 600 total members then with around 900 "antique" cars on the roster. Not kidding! There was every imaginable automotive marquee listed on those sheets. Remember some of the regular members drove odd named vehicles such as Lafayette Touring car, Rickenbacker roadster, Franklin formal sedan (air cooled) and others with names such as Reo, Moon, Locomobile, Whippet, Overland, Cleveland, Maxwell, Star, Hupmobile among many others. There were of course the standard bunches of teens and 1920s era Cadillacs, Packards and Pierce-Arrows. The car meets then were huge events with many real antique cars.

Back in the early 1970s, as secretary of one these clubs, I was contacted by the associate Producer of the original Great Gatsby movie with Robert Redford. He had an interesting name that is remembered - "Hank Moonjean". The production needed "expensive type" early 1920s automobiles as owned and driven by the wealthy. No Model T Fords need apply. Since our oldest American antique car club was roster heavy with that type vehicle we managed to supply about 20 fancy cars. It was left to me to drive a 1922 Wills-St Claire sedan from Georgetown, Massachusetts (Merrimack Valley) down through Boston all the way to the film location in Newport, Rhode Island. Our convoy that early Sunday morning was something like 15 pre-1923 automobiles. Recall at the time being then impressed at the roadworthy qualities of those then 50-year old automobiles. As it ended up, I drove that car in a couple of scenes in that movie. The Wills-St Claire piloted by myself is in traffic on the bridge three cars behind Daisy (Mia Farrow) and Gatsby (Redford) in the yellow Rolls-Royce.

Often speculate as to where most or all of those cars ended up. A couple of generations have mostly passed since then. Now, good old 1922 Willys-Knight Phaetons show up in garages here n' there. The orphaned cars are unwanted by most who value the space they occupy more than the intrinsic item itself.

[C26Pinelake]

[QUOTE=Capt Quahog;1353987]His original asking price was around $7K. My last contact was late last month before going to Alaska. Car is still available. Had the phone number someplace but will look around for it. The neighbor wants to go look at the thing later this week which is about a mile away. He's just whistling "Dixie" cause his wife would never let him buy it. Will take some decent digital pictures then.

Within the last couple of months all sorts of very good "turn key" antique cars have been showing up all over the place here in the northeast. The "asking price" "threshold" that I set is $7,700. That's it! Seems that more and more automobiles on the market unsold for a time are dropping down below that figure. It is no doubt a Buyer's Market for these mostly orphaned antique cars. My own strike range radius includes northeast Pennsylvania, lower New York state, Western Massachusetts and Connecticut plus most all of New Jersey. At this point, it's got to be a vehicle that really intrigues and can be acquired in a bargain basement deal. As a Buyer these days, one may be hard nosed and smart.[

/please send me a pm with contact details. I may well be interested. Wayne

[burner31]

Something like this?

[ronn]

Capt,

one of the problems today is finding parts for the orphan cars, which in turn has helped
boost the A clubs immensely. Years ago, everyone knew a machinist who could make a part for you on the cheap. All manufacturing left America and now if you want a part machined, you have to be Jay Leno and have his $!
So the hobby has changed quite a bit and now your 34 ford is pretty much an antique and those owning T's are reluctant to send them out on the 80mph roadways..............
You are right in stating-40 years ago was the hayday of the hobby. I miss those times and more importantly, the characters that were in the hobby at the time. they are sorely missed.....

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by ronn

. ......regarding the Willys Knight-sleeve valve engine and also a very fine car in it's day. Today, nobody knows anything about them, let alone heard of one.

Originally Posted by ronn

.....one of the problems today is finding parts for the orphan cars, which in turn has helped boost the A clubs immensely. Years ago, everyone knew a machinist who could make a part for you on the cheap. All manufacturing left America and now if you want a part machined, ....

Your point is very valid regarding orphan cars. I have a Falcon-Knight (also mfg. by the Willys-Overland folks) coming in for some work. Same thing, we will make everything we need. Even the upholstery will be sewn by us using fabric from Hirsch and LeBaron Bonney.

With regard to front brakes on the Loco., earlier this year we worked on a 1927 Essex that we re-powered with a Hudson engine, and we made new hubs and added mechanical front brakes to the wood spoke wheels. Made a huge difference. Another mod that is acceptable in the Horseless Carriage club circles is retrofitting starters on the early cars. We put a starter on a 40hp '09 Oakland a few years ago where we made a ring gear for the flywheel and used one of the little GM starters. It worked great, and allowed an older gentleman the ability to easily start his car. Another mod that is getting popular is adding power steering to big cars such as Pierce Arrows or Locomobiles where these cars drive more like a truck than a car. Using a power-assist unit off of a 3000 series Ford tractor and a Chev. Cavalier power steering pump is all it takes. I guess the only other thing it takes is a thicker wallet. Folks that complain about Model-A Repro parts often don't realize just how nice they have it!.

[C26Pinelake]

Brent. I have repeated the appreciation part of your story many times. As cheap and available as Model A parts are, they still complain! They make no sense whatsoever. Wayne

[jhowes]

I have a 31 model 87 Willys Knight and would like to hear from any of you with a sleeve valve engine. Mine runs OK but it has no power. The smoking issue with sleeve valves is not my issue, mine hardly smokes at all but compression is low.. Jack

[DougVieyra]

I still have two unsold Locomobiles in my New Car Show Room Floor. They have been gathering dust for a little under a hundred years now.

Seems no one wants these cars since closed cars have come along.
Buyers also seem to be demanding things these cars don't have: Electric Starting, Aire Conditioning, Power Steering, Automatic Transmissions, Blue Tooth Players, electric window risers/door locks, heated seats, Computer capabilities, 100,000 mile Drive Train warranties, 40,000 mile tire life, etc., etc.

Perhaps a little bit of Locomobile history might bring out a buyer or two:

The Locomobile Company of America was a pioneering American automobile manufacturer founded in 1899. One of the earliest car manufacturers in the advent of the automobile-age, for the first two years after its founding the company was located in Watertown, Massachusetts. Production was transferred to Bridgeport, Connecticut, during the year 1900, where it remained until the company's demise in 1929. The company manufactured affordable, small steam cars until 1903, then production switched entirely to internal combustion-powered luxury automobiles. Locomobile was taken over in 1922 by Durant Motors and eventually went out of business in 1929. All cars ever produced by the original company were always sold under the brand name Locomobile.

Doug Vieyra, District Manager & Sales Agent
LOCOMOBILE Motor Car Company, Eureka, California

[katy]

Guy down the street has a spiffy yellow 1922 Willys-Knight 7-passenger Phaeton available. Those really are fine automobiles. He needs to clear it out of the garage ASAP. Body, paint and mechanics are very good to perhaps excellent condition. Car is shiny and sharp with good white wall tires and nice nickel trim with big motometer. Seats could use a recovering as they appear original being cracked and coming apart on the faces. Appears to have been a parade type car but looks to be missing the top bows. This is a cool Roaring 20s Great Gatsby type car that can be probably had for $5,000 cash and drive it home.
Owner's contacted me now three times eager to get rid of the thing and is down to point of trades for other stuff. Thing is, space around here is limited and finding a top bow set would likely be both challenging and expensive. Also too, after a person gets tired of owning the thing, which wouldn't be long, that nearly hundred year old oddball "non-Ford" automobile, is hard to sell. A person would be lucky to break even on price paid. The market for such antique cars shrinks with each passing day.

Suggest that he contact Jay Leno

[HoarseWhisperer]

Originally Posted by burner31

Something like this?

While in Vermont a few years ago, we were invited to see a most extensive rare vehicle collection that included Bill's Locomobile 38 Berline.

[Capt Quahog]

Way back in the 1960s . . . Hemmings Motor News listed within it's pages only TWO (2) main catagories of automobiles.

There was "FORD" and "non-FORD".

Even back then, old car hobbyists took the straighter course with lots of parts for their vintage Fords available through various large mail order outfits such as Sear Roebuck, Ford Parts Obsolete and J.C. Whitney. Then too, where the hell does a person find a part for a Rickenbacker or a Hupmobile?

At this time in the late second decade of the 21st Century, garages, barns and sheds seem to be easy pickings for all sorts of decent orphaned oddball brand name vintage early 20th Century vehicles. Unless seeking a particular car, then sticking with the common Model A Ford is no doubt a more practical and smarter option.

[DougVieyra]

I have used 'antique cars' as every-day drivers since graduating High School in 1960. Ford Model A's were still quite common as 'every-day drivers' - not as unique, cute, antiques - but as an older every day common car. As they were so common, and my exposure with other 'old' marques was well grounded, I did NOT want a Ford Model A as my daily driver.

Hence began my owning and driving of several of Ford's competitors - starting with my 1928 Chevrolet Coupe, then my 1928 Chandler, then my 1928 Reo Flying Cloud, then my 1928 Hubmobile Doctor's Coupe, then my 1932 Pontiac Dlx Coupe, then my 1934 Ford 4-Door Sedan.

I was able to drive all of these fine cars with great enthusiasm and reliability. UNTIL, eventually SOMETHING broke or wore out. When that happened, back in those early days (before clubs and Google Search) that was pretty much the end. If the issue was something simple, perhaps a machine shop could do some 'things' to get your car going once again.

So it was with some hesitancy and a number of years that I FINALLY came to buy and drive the lowly and common FORD MODEL A. It was all about parts availability. And it still is.

[updraught]

Anyone have a photo of the electric vehicles that were produced with Model A guards/fenders in the late 20's early 30's?

We usually have a couple turn up at electric vehicle days here, staged every couple of years for everything electric.

[Special Coupe Frank]

Originally Posted by HoarseWhisperer

While in Vermont a few years ago, we were invited to see a most extensive rare vehicle collection that included Bill's Locomobile 38 Berline.

I saw this very Loco at an AACA Regional (Nat'l ?) at Carlisle, PA in the spring a few years back. Very Impressive vehicle.

Bear in mind that this model, the "38", was the smaller Locomobile...

The "48" was their behemoth flagship model.

[Capt Quahog]

I was able to drive all of these fine cars with great enthusiasm and reliability. UNTIL, eventually SOMETHING broke or wore out. When that happened, back in those early days (before clubs and Google Search) that was pretty much the end. If the issue was something simple, perhaps a machine shop could do some 'things' to get your car going once again.

So it was with some hesitancy and a number of years that I FINALLY came to buy and drive the lowly and common FORD MODEL A. It was all about parts availability. And it still is.

Yes . . . quite accurate comments. Thinking about this topic has really jogged my memory. Back in the 1960s-1970s period, on the coastal north shore of Boston, Massachusetts where I then resided, there were number of word of mouth known "old car parts dealers". As previously mentioned, the large and elderly antique auto clubs that existed then had rosters packed with vintage "non-Ford" cars of the pre-1930 era.

Back then, those old car parts sellers seemed to share common attributes. They were mostly anti-social troll-like characters who maintained small villages of dimly lit sheds, barns and outbuildings connected by creepy hallways lined with oddly shaped undefined trash. Jammed within the shadowy ramshackle structures were mountains of grimy cartons. Usually the stuff was heaped on top of dust encrusted ancient automobiles jammed against walls in all corners.

As it turned out, these hermit characters were hard core scavengers that managed to wholesale clean out "fallen flags" automobile dealerships. Recall one of these places had high on walls mounted above huge signage displaying monikers such as STUDEBAKER, DeSOTO, PACKARD and HUDSON. The giant metal signs today would no doubt be worth a fortune. And too, the last name of one of these odd eccentric antique car auto junk men in Swampscott, Massachusetts was "Axelrod".

One of our club people actually restored to as new condition a 1925 "air-cooled" Franklin formal sedan. This was back in the late 1960s. He needed a carburetor and some other odd components to complete the job. We traveled up to Newburyport, Massachusetts to hold audience with one of the more renowned (learned of through tribal knowledge) local antique car component dealer mutants. Remember that the place looked more like the city garbage dump than a parts depot. There were there twisted muddy pathways leading though a hilly field covered in high weeds. We passed by many forlorn rusting automobiles with most embedded in the muck up to the hubs and running boards. Well recall seeing two very faded olive drab military staff cars complete with faint markings. One was a 1941 Ford fordor and the other a 1942 Ford tudor sedan. Both of those cars were still complete with blackout lights and military type fittings.

Down a hill following a narrow slick pathway, we came to a partially collapsed shed with missing panes of glass in most grime covered windows. Inside, there were shelves with web covered cartons having more boxes inside. The greasy unwashed looking dealer character wormed his way into a slender alleyway and at once plucked a couple of boxes off two different shelves. It was as if within that great realm of perceived chaos, this weird dirty looking Dickens-like character knew exactly where that particular long forgotten component was located.

Bingo! My friend had a brand new carburetor for his 1925 Franklin along with a couple of other much needed NOS parts. Thing is, most, if not all those junkyard hermit characters are long since extinct along with their raw treasure troves of abundant spare parts for early automobiles.

Summing it up . . . back in the those days of forty or so years ago, there were many dealer scrounger parts guys around in North America from coast to coast. It was quite possible then to operate and maintain all sorts of different odd brand named automobiles. Fact is . . . today, in the late second decade of the 21st Century, if a person wants to drive and enjoy a pre-WW2 American vintage automobile, then a Model A Ford is likely the most practical and affordable way to go.

[burner31]

Capt:
You really painted a picture with your words, I remember fondly going thru the junkyards back in the 60's-70's.
And it was just as you said, sad, that those days and places are all but memories now.
When we oldtimers are all gone, so to will be those memories of "junkyard paradise".

But for now...I have those memories.