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AUTO ID request CROWN shaped RADIATOR CAP


sandtrooper

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For some reason this car strikes me as non-USA make. Appears to be 1915-1920. That rear windshield is unusual, as is the fact that the car is not ironed for a top mechanism of any kind. It's possible it had a totally removable hardtop, which was available at the time. I cannot come up with a manufacturer.....

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I think it is definitely American with the eyebrows on the front fenders and electric lights. I would say either 1913 or 1914 - not earlier or later - from the style of the cowl. In that era the distinguishing features of car were the placing of the cowl lights and the style of the windshield stays. Obviously quite a big car, wheelbase probably around 130".

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I have been looking through my copy of Floyd Clymer's Catalog of 1914 Cars and can find nothing to match this. I suspect it is some sort of not-quite-complete prototype because of the lack of top irons etc. The fact that it has electric lights says not earlier than maybe late 1912. What is odd is the style of the front fenders. By this time most cars had their fenders curving down at the front. Also few cars had the cowl lights hanging off the side of the cowl. Most had them in the flat face of the cowl in this last year before they went to more 'torpedo' styling. It appears to have no hood louvres. Also I note that the body is quite plain. Many more expensive cars of this time had some sort of embellishment on the body sides. Note also it has ten spoke front wheels.

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Leif, that car is not a 'Rugby Star', it is a Briscoe from about 1920 - like this one - http://www.prewarcar.com/images/stories/magazine/the-american-tourer-mystery-800.jpg - http://www.prewarcar.com/magazine/un-solved-mysteries/the-american-tourer-mystery-update-iii-1920-briscoe-003895.html - . The Star (or Rugby as it was known in British Empire markets) appeared a few years after Briscoe went out of business.

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The original mystery car looks to have its rear wheel area almost in focus. Maybe someone is able to get a close up of that to determine the tyre size, which would give a clue to the size of the car, and also the maker which would help with the location.

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  • 8 years later...

Nice match, Varun.  I wish I'd seen this photo a few years ago.

 

It is indeed a Model 42 seven passenger, with a 6 cylinder Knight engine and an aluminum body.  It's hard to differentiate between 1913 and 1914 but I believe this one is a 1913 based on a slight difference between the frame horns in front of the radiator.  It's very odd that it has no top or top hardware.   These were included in the $5000 price in 1913.   I don't have any other photos showing a 13-14 Russell with no top.  Also, it appears that the hood may be a different colour or perhaps aluminum.  This would be unusual also.   One other thing - it has no tool/battery box on the left running board.  All my photos show this.

 

It could be a very early or prototype model.  The 1913 production was very delayed while Russell tried to get their Knight engine production up and running so perhaps this was a pre-production image intended to keep those potential buyers hanging on a little longer.

 

For anyone interested Russell cars and many more period photos of them, visit my website at https://russellcars.ca

 

Peter

Edited by PFindlay (see edit history)
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