Seeking Automobile ID

[Guest LCDR1635]

Can anyone ID this vehicle?

I have done some preliminary web-based research, but am not a car-guy. I suspect this is a roadster (?) that was manufactured sometime in the early 1910s?

There seems to be some sort of script pressed/rolled into the metal housing at the top of the radiator, immediately below the cap, but I cannot make this out despite experimenting with photo contrast, colors, etc. I think it is a genuine manufacturer's mark, not a photographic artifact. This mark appears to be short, and start with a stylized 'curvy' letter.

Am also seeking input on when this photo might have been taken based on appearance and condition of the vehicle. For those good at judging ages, the subject was born in 1890.

Thanks in advance.

[keiser31]

Looks like a Buick to me.

[Dave@Moon]

I don't think it's a Buick.

The name on the radiator loks like it begins with a "C", with the lower part of the letter stretched out under the rest of the word like a banner. It looks like "Comet" to me, but I can't find any pictures of Comet cars (there were at least 3 Comet car companies before 1920) to match it with.

Also the radiator and cowl look vey much like a 1913/1914 Cole, which had a similar looking trademark to the one on the radiator. However I think they always used a cloisonne badge instead of a simple embossed radiator.

[Guest LCDR1635]

Thanks (so far) to Keiser31 and Dave@Moon for their replies.

Armed with Keiser31's "Buick" suggestion I launched on a Google mission to see which model. With no knowledge of autos of this era I am completely stunned at the sheer number of manufacturers in existence at that time, and the remarkable similarity in configuration of many makers' products!

I did find a modern-day image of what was labeled a 1910 Buick Model 16 Roadster (image attached), which has many similarities to my mystery car.

I am curious about the function of the barrel-like object directly behind the seat in the Buick Model 16 and the mystery car. Ditto for the canister on the running board (fuel?).

So I thought I was connecting the dots, until Dave tosses out "Cole" and "Comet" -- I have to agree the script leans more towards a "C" starting letter, maybe in the style of the original Coca-Cola font?

Wow -- had no idea this would be so tricky. Thanks to both of you, and any others who can toss ideas my way.

Edited November 6, 2010 by LCDR1635 (see edit history)

[mrspeedyt]

barrel-like object is the fuel tank for the engine and the running board tank is fuel for the headlights.

[Guest LCDR1635]

Thanks, mrspeedyt. That likely seemed like an "Old Cars 101" question.

I might have eventually wandered towards engine fuel as the explanation for the large barrel in back, but it would have been some time before I would have thought of the headlights actually being headLAMPS, and, therefore, needing their own fuel supply. Interesting.

Am I correct in assuming that what appears to be three small holes on both inboard and outboard sides of the top of the headlights are actually vents?

[keiser31]

Thanks, mrspeedyt. That likely seemed like an "Old Cars 101" question.

I might have eventually wandered towards engine fuel as the explanation for the large barrel in back, but it would have been some time before I would have thought of the headlights actually being headLAMPS, and, therefore, needing their own fuel supply. Interesting.

Am I correct in assuming that what appears to be three small holes on both inboard and outboard sides of the top of the headlights are actually vents?

Yes....vents.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

Certain aspects of the car in the photo look remarkably like a 1911 Mercer 35 Runabout. Particularly the Steering wheel, headlamps, radiator shape, and front fenders. The car in the old photo looks like its been driven hard and put up wet so to speak after some pretty hard miles particularly when compared to a restored one. The old photo also gives rise to considering the accuracy of the restoration of the 1912 Mercer 35 seen below.

[mrspeedyt]

the headlamps burn acetylene gas produced in the tank with water and carbide. (i think...)

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

the headlamps burn acetylene gas produced in the tank with water and carbide. (i think...)

That would be accurate! Before practical battery powered portable lighting carbide lamps were used for many things. We even used carbide lights to fish at night when I was a kid. Worked well.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Don't think it's Mercer; Mercer had a rounded radiator top, this one is flat at top.

I'm curious about the single lever on the shifter gate; usually there's a hand-brake lever on the same pivot / quadrant ?

The tank on the running board is a "Prest-O-Lite" acetylene tank, which were either refilled or exchanged, just like for a welding outfit. Which suggests that this vehicle lived close enough to civilization that such a thing could be easily serviced.

On-board carbide "generators"m were usually vertical cylinders, with the top section a smaller diameter than the bottom. ( Pre -"Electric" Model T's usually have them.)

Neat car, neat photo...

Judging by the smooth clincher tires, I'm guessing this picture was taken before 1920.

[Guest LCDR1635]

Thanks, most recent posters.

Re De Soto Frank's comments, I am intrigued at the pre-1920 estimate for date of photo based on the tires.

Based on limited info, the subject lived in the Chicago area in the years leading up to Dec-1917, enlisted and shipped out to Europe, and was then mustered out of the Army by mid-1919 … also in Chicago. Based on your tire-age knowledge, could this photo have been taken as early as 1917? Or is it more likely that it was taken sometime after returning from WWI in mid-1919?

Also, does my placing the subject in greater Chicago help at all to reduce the list of potential auto manufacturers? And, hence, help me narrow the possibilities for the make of this vehicle?

Thanks to anyone with $0.02 to chip in as I continue this auto-sleuthing.

[Bill Boudway]

Hi,

Staver was building automobiles in Chicago in early teens.

[Curti]

There are certinly a lot of similarities to the restored Mercer, possibly an earlier or later model.

It seems to have a script in the radiator shell, but I am unable to read it.

[Chris Bamford]

That S-curve in the gear shift lever is very distinctive — never seen one like it. That ought to help with identification. Most other the features — fenders, radiator, headlamps, steering column, fuel tank, etc — are more or less generic in appearance.

DeSoto Frank observed the unusual single lever setup, with no hand-brake lever. Looking closely under the shifter gate, there appears to have originally been two levers... as if the hand-brake lever had been cut or broken off. There looks to be a stubby bit of hand-brake lever showing above the gate as well.

The acetylene headlamps date the car as probably 1912 or earlier. General appearance suggests it is not much older than 1910.

Suggest you concentrate on automobiles 1910-12 and look for this distinctive curved gear shift handle. The Horseless Carriage Foundation's On-Line Research Service would be a good place to start: Horseless Carriage Foundation Automotive Research Library

[nzcarnerd]

I know some of the details are different but the radiator is remarkably similar - From Maytags to Mercs | Wheels Galleries | Wichita Eagle - a Maytag? Found here - History Photos taken before WW2 - history in black and white - Page 324 - THE H.A.M.B. The one in the link appears to have only one side lever. I suspect the one in our mystery pic has been bent to make room for the driver's knee at the time of the car being hot rodded.

Edited November 26, 2010 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)