1927 P-A with Tesla Patent

[jeff_a]

I am curious about the following I saw on a 1927 Pierce-Arrow for sale on Hemmings, 12/12/16:

"TESLA PATENT DEC. 1916".......I believe it was on the instrument panel.

Could this have been for a minor electrical component like a capacitor, or something involving radio or a wireless instrument readout? I don't know myself, and maybe this is rarely visible on Pierce-Arrows.

Thanks

[Hupp36]

I  looked on the  dash of  our  1927  Model  36  and  do not  see anything  that says Tesla patent. 

[jeff_a]

Thank you. I did a little patent search and find that there is a 1916 Tesla Patent that applies not so much to Pierce-Arrow, but to Waltham. Tesla filed  patent 1,209,359 on 5/29/14 for a speed indicator driven by a a viscous fluid or air coupling. It could be used to record m.p.h. or r.p.m. functions. There are even Waltham Watch Co. of Massachusetts ads showing an instrument recognizable for 1920s use on Pierce-Arrow, Peerless, and Packard motor cars combining Odometer, Speedometer, Clock, and Trip Odometer functions. Text:

• "...there is  only one air-friction speedometer in all the world."
• "(Invented by Nikola Tesla)"
• "Developed and perfected by Waltham."

image a la Pinterest

Edited March 29, 2018 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[Hupp36]

Jeff,  took another  look,  here it  is.

[jeff_a]

Maybe it was just on 1927 Pierce-Arrows.

[Hupp36]

I  only  have  1 Pierce Arrow, maybe  some  with a 1928  Model  36  will add more  info.

[Ivan Saxton]

You will find that at least some model L   Lincoln used the Waltham clock and speedometer set,  as did the 6 cylinder Series 6 Mercer with Rochester Trego OHV engine.  The spring-return speedometer shell with the numbers is incredibly thin and fragile.  I am not aware of any person with skill and knowledge to repair one of these if damaged.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Ivan Saxton
System sometimes shows a will of its own. This has been the first time I have been able to correct (see edit history)