Anyone Ever Seen One of These Pathfinders?

[jeff_a]

A 1917 Seven-Passenger Touring Roadster

There may be one in the  Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens in Indianapolis, and OldMotor had a photo of one in "The Great Pathfinder, King of the Twelves".

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

Don't remember the name of the artist that drew the orange car, like his style, he did a lot of 1920's artwork. Bob 

[gossp]

I believe the 500 museum had one. I don’t know if it was retained when things got thinned out or not. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

Wow, Jeff, that's very streamlined for its time!

I never heard of that model.  Thanks for sharing it,

and I hope someone can provide pictures or

illustrations from other angles.

 

One member of our AACA region (since passed on)

had a 1915 Pathfinder Daniel Boone.  It had an

interesting grille, but its body was of the ordinary

touring-car style:

 

 

[jeff_a]

The 11/14/14 article in The Old Motor says the engine was designed by George Weidely and used in the Premier, Pathfinder and even the Heine-Velox between about 1913 and 1921. It was 87 h.p. and 389 Cu. In. 

[8E45E]

On 2/23/2020 at 5:05 PM, John_S_in_Penna said:

Wow, Jeff, that's very streamlined for its time!

I never heard of that model.  Thanks for sharing it,

and I hope someone can provide pictures or

illustrations from other angles.

 

One member of our AACA region (since passed on)

had a 1915 Pathfinder Daniel Boone.  It had an

interesting grille, but its body was of the ordinary

touring-car style:

An streamlined Pathfinder similar to the illustration in the first post from Vancouver City Archives:

 

Miss Lillian Russell in "Pathfinder" - City of Vancouver Archives

 

 

[Scooter Guy]

On 2/23/2020 at 3:24 PM, jeff_a said:

There may be one in the  Oldfields-Lilly House and Gardens in Indianapolis

There has been, for sure. It is an off-white / cream colored car. I used to live in the area and visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art & Grounds (now renamed Newfields) often and have seen that car. 

However, they seem to rotate cars in and out of the garage regularly. I know I have seen a Stoddard-Dayton there, a Stevens-Duryea there, and (if I remember correctly) a Marmon and a Stutz. I don't recall exactly, but I believe Oldfields-Lilly House (or Newfields / Indianapolis Museum of Art - whatever it's called!) had a partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum when it came to dealing with the cars which would explain why it was mentioned by another poster that they thought the Indianapolis Speedway had one and why cars were rotated in and out. 

[jeff_a]

In the first post, it looks like the red Pathfinder has a fin in the back, but when one looks at Lillian Russell's car...it turns out to be just the rear seat backrest. Out of _ _ _ _ Pathfinders built there probably aren't too many survivors going by the 1 in 1000 guideline.

 

[alsancle]

35 minutes ago, jeff_a said:

In the first post, it looks like the red Pathfinder has a fin in the back, but when one looks at Lillian Russell's car...it turns out to be just the rear seat backrest. Out of _ _ _ _ Pathfinders built there probably aren't too many survivors going by the 1 in 1000 guideline.

 

I know of one that was turned in to a speedster in the 1940s.  It has the V12.

[Layden B]

As I remember there was one under restoration in Marin County north of San Francisco about 1980+-

No fin but metal covering for the top when lowered, earliest disappearing top that I know of.

Quite a car with the V-12.

[58L-Y8]

From the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942, edited by Kimes and Clark, Third Edition, page 1156:

"Beginning production with four-cylinder cars, Pathfinder proceeded into sixes with vee radiators, and in 1916 introduced a model powered by a Weidely 12-cylinder engine that was called "Pathfinder the Great, King of Twelves". With the last named, Pathfinder advertising, which had always tended to the haughty, became positively snobbish; "The Family equipage is as true an index of culture and taste as the home itself," the catalog read.  "When Pathfinder the Great rules the garage the family is usually well worth knowing."   Haughty indeed, for a carmaker to be defunct by the end of that year.  Material shortages because of World War I demands were cited for the Pathfinder operations being "severely handicapped." and going under by year's end. 

 Interestingly, their 1916-'17 Pathfinder Twelve seven passenger touring were called the "LaSalle Touring". 

I would like to know what coachbuilders supplied Pathfinders with bodies.

Edited March 29, 2023 by 58L-Y8
syntax corrected & addendum comments (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]