It's Pebble Beach time again and a look through the online auction catalogs shows that there will be a few early vehicles offered for sale. Bonhams, as usual, has the most on offer, including a 1904 Premier, 1907 Thomas Flyer, and a 1910 Cadillac Model 30.
The Premier, from Indianapolis, IN, introduced their 4 cylinder air-cooled engine (mounted crosswise and making 16 horsepower) in 1904. An early proponent of racing, this is the same year the company campaigned the 8 cylinder Premier Comet racing car with none other than Carl Fisher at the wheel. The body on the car offered was recreated, but The Horseless Age of February 24, 1904, describes the cars as such: "The car may be used either as a runabout or tonneau, the tonneau seats being detachable, and when used as a runabout a wicker basket for carrying baggage can be put in place the the tonneau."
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| 1904 Premier Model F - photo credit: Bonhams Auctions |
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| 1904 Premier Roadster - photo credit: The Horseless Age, Feb 24, 1904 |
The next car on offer is the mighty 1909 Thomas Flyer 6-70 (6 cylinder - 70 horsepower). These cars are substantial and quite rare. Bonhams is forthright in the catalog description noting that this car was built from the parts bin at the Harrah collection. Bill Harrah was a big fan of the cars from Buffalo, NY and had a significant collection of them. Most notably it was Harrah who purchased and restored "The Great Race" winning 1907 Thomas. This car has been re-created in the 5-passenger "Flyabout" body style.
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| 1909 Thomas Flyer 6-70 - photo credit: Bonhams Auctions |
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Automobile Topics Oct 17, 1908 |
Also on offer is the 1910 Cadillac Model 30 Touring car. Cadillac was founded when the creditors of the first Ford Motor Company enterprise asked respected engineer, Henry Leland, to evaluate the assets. Naming the new enterprise after the French explorer, Antoine Laumet Cadillac, one of the founders of the city of Detroit, Leland became a partner 1902. Leland's focus on provision machining of parts was recognized in 1908 when Cadillac won the Dewar Trophy for Britain's Royal Automobile Club for excellence in manufacturing (interchangeable parts). In 1909, Cadillac was sold to General Motors. The 1910 offerings included the Model 30 - a mid-priced car of high-quality - starting at $1,400 three body styles were offered: Roadster, Demi-Tonneau and this five-passenger Touring Car. Powered by a 226 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder engine, the engineer makes 30 horsepower.
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| 1910 Cadillac Model 30 - photo credit: Bonhams Auctions |
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