Sears car

[Benjy]

I am looking to find information on a sears car believed to be a 1908 4 seater which has been in our family since new. Thanks for your help

[8E45E]

Check online for one of these used reprints.   https://www.amazon.com/1909-1912-Sears-Roebuck-Motor-Catalogue/dp/B0006W8KFO

 

The specifications were also reprinted inside.

 

Craig 

[8E45E]

Sears never joined the steering wheel party.

 

?

 

 

Craig

Edited December 27, 2019 by 8E45E
Fixed glaring error! (see edit history)

[Joe in Canada]

They were also late getting away from the buckboard design.

[Terry Bond]

34 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

Sears was late to the steering wheel party.

 

Does yours have a tiller like this 1908?

 

 

Or a steering wheel like this 1910?

 

Craig

In the photo, the steering wheel is in the car behind the Sears.  I always thought the Sears was a tiller steered car?  Did they ever offer a conventional steering wheel?  If so, I've never seen one.

Terry

[8E45E]

1 minute ago, Terry Bond said:

In the photo, the steering wheel is in the car behind the Sears.  I always thought the Sears was a tiller steered car?  Did they ever offer a conventional steering wheel?  If so, I've never seen one.

Terry

Ummmmmmm!!!

 

I think you're right!   😲

 

And now that this post made look through my copy of the Sears & Roebuck Motor Buggy catalog reprint, NONE show a steering wheel, even the final 1912 Model 'P'   😱

 

Craig

[Terry Bond]

Gee, just think what might have become of the Sears if they had tried to keep up with Henry! 

Terry

[oldcarfudd]

The HCCA has a Sears Register which might help you.

[John_S_in_Penna]

I'm surprised that no one has yet suggested the 

AACA Library in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  They have

an extensive collection of catalogues and manuals

for many cars, and may have information for the

1908 Sears.  They can send you copies or scans for

a modest charge.  Research is free for AACA members.

Their telephone is (717) 534-2082, hours 8-4 Monday

through Saturday.

 

All the best to you in your search.

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[trini]

Was this car sold as a kit car by Sears Catalog in farm country area ?

[mike6024]

There is all kinds of info online courtesy of John Daly, keeper of the HCCA Sears Registry. Click all these various links, many pictures to be found.

 

it seems 1908 only had a 2 seater, so a four seater may have been a later year.

 

https://searsmotorbuggy.com/Sears_history.php

 

https://searsmotorbuggy.com/

 

https://searsmotorbuggy.com/Sears_photos.php

 

 

1911 4 seater ?

 

 

[mike6024]

[wayne sheldon]

Although many high wheel gasoline carriage cars did have steering wheels, no production model Sears ever did. All tiller steered.

The first official model year for the Sears was 1909! I wish to acknowledge the many tremendous contributions made to this hobby by Floyd Clymer! His publishing company produced many dozens of antique automotive history books! A lot of them written by Floyd Clymer himself. He shared a huge amount of his personal collection of era literature and advertisements, both in his books, and with other hobbyists. He was a founding member of several of the major antique automobile type clubs we enjoy to this day. He was personally president and/or held many other important guiding posts in several of those clubs. However. There ARE numerous errors in many of those books, which persist to this day. And one of those errors was listing the Sears automobile as a 1907. It was NOT! The Krotz prototype (supposedly and maybe two of them?) was/were built in 1907. That is a recorded fact. Actual production began late in 1908, and were sold as 1909 models. Unfortunately, dozens of surviving Sears automobiles to this day are claimed as 1907s because people in the 1950s read the error in the books, and although it has been known for nearly fifty years now that it was a simple error, most families with such misidentified cars refuse to believe their car is not a 1907 or '08. In part because of that misidentification, several owners of Sears cars convinced of their cars "1907 status" have convinced themselves that THEIR car is one of the prototype cars. (I do not wish to get into a debate on all the claims, but there certainly cannot be eight or ten surviving of only two built?).

The Sears registry site is (has been every time I have looked at it!) very good and has a great deal of information for anyone interested in the early Sears automobile. If your car still has its identification plate with its original serial number, that will identify exactly what year and model it is.

[TXSearsGuy]

There is only one known surviving 1907 Krotz prototype "Sears Motor Buggy"... read article....

Sears Motorbuggy Homepage - 1907 Krotz - Sears Prototype #1

 

At my last count, on the Sears Registry, there are about 255 known Sears Motor Buggy's are the world. Every few months another Sears shows up, not previously registered. How many more are there, hidden?

 

There were 3 recent "Sears Gatherings" @ the Old Car Festival;  2009, 2011, 2013, & 2018, with as many as 11 cars on display and driven in Greenfield Village, and I have trailered mine to all of those "Gatherings"..... great fun to see other Sears!

Old Car Festival Greenfield Village Ford Museum 2011 Sears - YouTube 

OCF1_015.jpeg (640×427)  2018       

 

I "claimed" my Gramps Sears, in 1951,  just after he finished the restoration of a "basket case".  In 2011, I finished the second restoration and it is a jewel to drive and show, sitting among modern cars.

 

Sandy Rose

1909 Sears Model H

Arlington, TX

[George Smolinski]

Stupid question #1 -

Is this the same Sears company as in Sears Roebuck that sold an Allstate in the 50's? The Allstate looked like a Henry J and I believe was made by Kaiser-Frazer.

[8E45E]

Absolutely it was.  

 

Sales were limited to the Southeastern States, and would have been expanded to the rest of the US and Canada had sales been better.

 

Here is one that is at the National Automobile Museum in Reno.

 

Craig

 

 

[m-mman]

Sears' business model insured failure in the sales of the 1950s car. 

Sears was an appliance store and thought that they could sell cars the same way.  

 

1. No trade ins!

2. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back"

 

Cant be an auto manufacture for long with those tenets 

[1937hd45]

13 hours ago, trini said:

Was this car sold as a kit car by Sears Catalog in farm country area ?

 

The cars were assembled, the houses Sears offered were stick by stick, and you needed a railroad depot nearby. I grew up next to a Sears house two story with a fill attic. Bob

[wayne sheldon]

TXSearsGuy, I was hesitant to mention it, but I have met Karl Chulick, and had a ride in his Krotz! It is a beautiful restoration of a very interesting car! I have always wanted a Sears autobuggy, and have come close to buying one a couple times. Once, a fellow in Califunny and I agreed on a price, for his unrestored original car, only for him to pass away a couple days later before I could get back to his place and finalize the deal. His son wanted to get a lot more, so he refused to honor his dad's agreement, only to sell the thing a year later to someone else for less than I had offered. I did eventually get an original High Wheel gasoline carriage project. I may never figure out who originally built it, and I may not live long enough to actually restore it. But it would be a worthwhile project nonetheless.

[trimacar]

I owned a beautiful Sears Autobuggy in the early 80’s.  Restored by David Stewart of Longview Texas, I sold it at the first “The Auction” in Las Vegas, think that was 1985.  If anyone knows where it is now would be interested just for information.

 

The AACA Library would be a great place to start, as mentioned, for information.

[TXSearsGuy]

3 hours ago, trimacar said:

I owned a beautiful Sears Autobuggy in the early 80’s.  Restored by David Stewart of Longview Texas, I sold it at the first “The Auction” in Las Vegas, think that was 1985.  If anyone knows where it is now would be interested just for information.

 

The AACA Library would be a great place to start, as mentioned, for information.

 

Trimacar:   David is in our Regional HCCA group and mentioned that he once restored a Sears.. interesting man.

 

If you know the serial number , I can check the Sears Registry for current owner, if it is listed.

 

Sandy

[TXSearsGuy]

21 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

 

The cars were assembled, the houses Sears offered were stick by stick, and you needed a railroad depot nearby. I grew up next to a Sears house two story with a fill attic. Bob

 

An insight as to how Sears were shipped....  You bought it… you build it – 1910 Sears | Hemmings Daily

Sandy

[trimacar]

2 hours ago, TXSearsGuy said:

 

Trimacar:   David is in our Regional HCCA group and mentioned that he once restored a Sears.. interesting man.

 

If you know the serial number , I can check the Sears Registry for current owner, if it is listed.

 

Sandy

Thanks....I'll look at the pictures I have and see if I have one of the serial number.  At the time of the auction, the rumor was that a museum in France bought it, but I don't know that for a fact.  It was easily a world record at the time for a Sears, it sold for $18K, and in the 1980's they weren't usually bringing that kind of money.....

[Marty Roth]

2 hours ago, trimacar said:

Thanks....I'll look at the pictures I have and see if I have one of the serial number.  At the time of the auction, the rumor was that a museum in France bought it, but I don't know that for a fact.  It was easily a world record at the time for a Sears, it sold for $18K, and in the 1980's they weren't usually bringing that kind of money.....

 

 Many, many moons ago, back in Louisiana, David gave me the experience of driving his SearS, believed to be an '09, as I recall.

What a thrill !!

It was so different from any of the early cars I'd ever driven, from the method of speed control,

one driven wheel varying the distance from the center of a spinning disk,

to maneuvering by a control tiller for steering,

to the braking method,

and all while perched on a buckboard seat high above the ground on a highwheeler.

I recall going just a bit faster than I wanted to,

and then sliding a bit on loose gravel at David's garage area

[CHULICK JR]

The Krotz motorbuggy mentioned here will be coming up for auction soon.

If anyone is interested or has questions, feel free to contact me.

Thank you Wayne Sheldon for mentioning Karl's work.

He passed away two years ago. It is time to find someone who will love his pride and joy just as much as he did.

[wayne sheldon]

I am saddened to hear of his passing. I enjoyed visiting and talking with him. He was quite proud of his car, and I would say rightfully so.

I haven't been able to be active in local club activities for several (way too many!) years due to family health issues. So all too often, I don't hear of the passing of old friends. For several years, I did often catch his name and photos of his Krotz on club tours in the local club newsletter. I was always pleased to read that he was enjoying his car. There was a short while a couple years ago when I didn't get the newsletter, probably why I didn't hear of it at the time.

 

Good luck with the sale. And I wish you well.

[Trulyvintage]

On 7/12/2021 at 2:23 PM, CHULICK JR said:

The Krotz motorbuggy mentioned here will be coming up for auction soon.

If anyone is interested or has questions, feel free to contact me.

Thank you Wayne Sheldon for mentioning Karl's work.

He passed away two years ago. It is time to find someone who will love his pride and joy just as much as he did.

 

 

 

Jim