Which Maxwells came with woven wicker seats? Help ! !

[Guest Tommy Boy]

Hello,

I just found this place, just TERRIFIC ! ! !

I inherited a 1907(?) Maxwell from my Fathers trust and was wondering what it was. It's kind of sporty looking, with a short metal turtle deck body, no doors of course, and wicker seats.

The photographs that I have from when it was first found show the seats to be original as far as I can tell. They still have the original leather cushions and all.

It was "rescued" in the late 40's, restored in the very early 50's, used until 1959, and stored quietly ever since.

It's really a neat little two seat, two cylinder, car. Looks almost new, but all I have is a box of photos, a short 8mm film and some memories of it from when I was a kid. No real info other than that

Any help identifying the model and actual year would be HUGE. I can post some pics for sure, or offer a further description or whatever is needed.

Thanks ! ! ! !

T

[1940_Buick]

Hello Tom,

Please post pictures of the car if you can. Does it have a 2 cylinder or 4 cylinder engine?

[mercer09]

I've never seen a Maxwell with woven wicker seats. Maybe somebody customized it???

[Guest Tommy Boy]

Hi,

Sorry to be SO long in posting here! I finally got over to my Father's house and unwrapped Max. Here are a few links to my PhotoBucket account with some pics of the wicker seats. I'm planning on washing, waxing, and taking care of the brass this coming weekend, but I thought that these pics might help explain/describe the wicker seats that I was asking about.

I found some old snap shots of the car when my Father brought in home in 1949 or so. The seats are on it then and look as old as the rest of the car. He never questioned that they were original to the car. Possibly they were a period alteration way back when. Over the years, we attended many car shows while a member of the South Shore Antigue Auto Club here in Massachusetts, and those folks always considered the seats to be original or at least period correct to the car. It's kind of only now they've been put into question. The seats themselves and the leather cushions are just as they were 60 years ago when he brought it home. The wicker has been painted just once, when the car was first "restored", the cushions have never been touched other than some oil now and then. Although, it's been in dead storage since 1969 and they're still great.

Anyway, here are the links, I'd LOVE to hear from you.

Thanks ! !

T

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/max2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/max1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/max3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/TeamEvil/max4.jpg

[Chuck Richardson]

Very cool. I doubt it is original.

[keiser31]

I have scads of information on Maxwells and have yet to find a factory set of wicker seats on one. I've been looking since you posted this and nothing of that nature comes up. I would imagine it was someone's attempt to bring the comfort of their living room to their auto.

[Guest Tommy Boy]

Thanks guys. If I have a chance, I post the pics of the car as it was when my Father first pulled it out of the place where he found it.

We're getting it ready to sell and it's really beginning to look terrific. It hasn't been touched since 1969, but the paint is coming right back up, the brass looks pretty neat as well. We're not repainting or even retouching, just cleaning and shining and detailing the car as it sits.

I'll get some pics of it once we finish up. A brass era car expert is coming over to prep the engine and get it running once we're done with the detailing.

Can't wait!

Thanks again,

T

[keiser31]

Here is the 1907 Model RL.

[Guest Tommy Boy]

Thanks SO much for that picture Keiser 31 ! ! ! !

I'm surprised at how much the wicker seats mimic the seats in the picture, which I guess were metal shells with padded cushions. Does anyone have a pic of what the original cushions looked like close up? I'm just wondering if the original seat cushions were used along with the wicker?

As a kid, I never paid any attention to the car, now it's a lot like a good mystery, trying to track info and such that's from a hundred years in the past. Makes me wish that he owned a Model T like everyone else had at the time.

Along with the prior registrations and number plates and such for the car, we found letters from various people offering my Father trades for MAX. One fellow was offering up an unrestored Bugatti in trade. Seems that he held the value of his car in his heart rather than his head.

Thanks guys, you've been a terrific help

[keiser31]

I could be wrong on this, but I am fairly certain the seat "buckets" were wood. It almost looks like the original seat cushions, but it may have had diamond tuck on the bottom seat cushions, too.

[Guest Tommy Boy]

A couple of guys from the South Shore Antique Auto Club came by today and looked at MAX for a while. They, and a couple of other members, are going to help me sell the little car. Off hand the value seems to be between ten and fifteen thousand, and includes all of the additional brass lamps and bulb horns and windshield frames and antique car parts like coils and jacks and wrenches and such that my Father collected over the years. If there is enough extra stuff the price just MIGHT go up towards twenty thousand, whatever they suggest is fine with me. My threats of hot rodding it or stripping it out for parts to help out others went unheard.

Just wanted to thank you all for helping me solve the seat mystery and wish everyone the best. Probably won't be comin' back again, but you never know. You've been kind and helpful and I appreciate it.

TC