The Early Orphan Makes -What do you have?

[pkhammer]

  I must admit that I am fascinated by some of the early orphan makes such as Franklin, Cole, Chandler, Stutz, Dort, Briscoe, Earl and many, many others. I got to wondering just how many of these early makes are still out there. Makes that didn't last through WWII. I along with many of you have been reading with great interest about Ed's White automobile adventures. I'd like to see and hear about other makes, most of which went defunct in the 20s or 30s. Tell us about what you have/had. Tell about what made it special, how you found it, what you know about the company and why it didn't survive. Best of all, post some photos!

[oldcarfudd]

Decades ago I bought a 1916 Briscoe 8-38 from (now the late) Tom Reese.  He had bought it on a farm in North Dakota from the son of the original owner.  It had a Ferro-made overhead valve V-8, went like a bat out of hell, and used a quart of oil every 25 miles or so; I debated renting it to the local mosquito control commission. It was known to snap axles.  It was also made in a 4-cylinder version for 200 bucks less; the engines mounted with the same four bolts.  Briscoe used to advertise that you could buy the four and try it out.  If you wanted more oomph, you could return the car, pay the 200 buck difference plus a small conversion fee, and they'd take out the four and put in the eight.  It had 6-12 volt electrical system, with two 6-volt batteries wired in parallel, in a single case with four terminals. The lights, ignition and generator worked at 6 volts. When you pressed the starter pedal, it connect the two halves of the battery in series to put six volts into the generator, which was also the starter motor, which spun the transmission in neutral; letting up the grabby cone clutch then spun the flywheel and started the engine.  Sometimes.

 

Benjamin Briscoe started the company after he'd managed to screw up Maxwell, Columbia, Brush and Stoddard-Dayton, by combining them into United States Motors in a bid to rival GM.  The first Briscoes, in 1915 I think, had papier-mache bodies (not very weather-resistant) and a single cyclops headlight (illegal in some states).  From 1917 on the cars got worse, and eventually became the Earl, owned by Clarence Earl, who made an even bigger hash of the company than Ben Briscoe had.

 

I sold the car in 1974 to John Truman Briscoe in 1974.  He was then a young fellow in the Navy.  I understand it was later damaged in a flood.  I've heard nothing more about it for many years.

 

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

[Rusty_OToole]

Long ago I had the remains of a 1935 Hupmobile sedan. It was too far gone to restore but I did not know that then. It was an interesting car with some cool features. Never got it running, eventually sold it to another collector. I think it was scrapped.

[Trreinke]

My family Collects Devauxs. They were an assembled car. Engines by Continental and Bodies by Hayes. Made in Grand Rapids Mi from April 1931 to April 1932 and in Oakland CA from May to December 1931.

 

According to company records they had plenty of orders for cars but could not build them fast enough to pay their debts. In April of 1932 the company went into receivership and the Assets were sold to Continental Motors for forgivness of half the debt they were owed. They sold cars under the Continental-Devaux name for the rest of 1932 and tried to sell cars under the Continental name for '33 and '34.

 

In the early 1960s my Grandpa had a '40s Buick but wanted an older car. He put a 'wanted ad' in the local newspaper in Bay City Mi. He got a reply from a Catholic priest. He had a '31 Devaux he wanted to sell that he had used for fishing trips. My Grandpa replied, that he appreciated the offer but was not interested in a foreign car. The priest wrote back with some basic information about Devaux and my grandpa bought the car. That car is the green 4-door sedan in the attached pictures. Currently owned and driven by my Aunt.

 

 

 

Of the 40 or so cars known to still be around my family ownes 5 of them and has been involved in the restoration of 2 others. 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Trreinke (see edit history)

[erichill]

Working on putting this 1919 Chandler back on the  road. My father bought it out of some farmer's field in the mid 60's, drove it home and never got anywhere with it.  That's me in the driver's seat at probably 12 years old.  I a 58 now.  Starting to work on the body now after going through rebuilding the chassis, motor  and drive train.  About zero information out their on these older Chandlers. It;s been heck of a learning curve for me.

[zepher]

I could write a novel on this subject just from the 2 orphans I currently own.

 

Plenty of auto enthusiasts have never heard of or even seen a Rickenbacker but I have a '26 Brougham and one of my uncles has a '25 Sedan.

The Rickenbacker I own has been in the family since the early 60's when my dad picked it up as a non-running car.

It only had a cracked head but back then there was no internet to track down parts so it took a few months to find one.

The gentleman that sold my dad the car did not know it had a cracked head, so he was surprised when my dad contacted him and asked if he knew where a replacement could be found.  The man was embarassed that he sold the car and did not disclose the cracked head so he sent my dad a check for $50 as compensation.  The car was purchased for something like $500 so it was a decent amount to get back.

Once dad had sourced a head and went through the carb, we went all over So Cal in that car on tours with other 20's cars as part of the Roaring 20's Car Club.

And I almost forgot, when my dad went through the engine there was one bad piston. Of course he couldn't find one so he had Egge make one.  There is Rickenbacker pistons listed in Egge's catalog because my dad had them make one back in the 70's.

The Rickenbacker has been from Santa Barbara to San Diego and everywhere in between.  It's even made the climb up to Big Bear a few times.

Rickenbacker ceased operations in 1927 and there are about 36 cars known to have survived. Rickenbacker was in business from 1922 to 1927.

 

The Pierce Arrow I own was purchased by my grandfather shortly after my dad aquired the Rickenbacker.  My dad ran across the car for sale as often happens when you're involved with an old car club.

The Pierce has been in a few family weddings but it was mostly enjoyed very sparingly by my grandfather until he passed away in the mid 90's.

My dad ended up with the Pierce and it has been to few PAS National Meets and when my dad went to the car show in the sky I inherited the car.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by zepher (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

Locomobile, 1916 Model 38 sportif.

 

Made in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Their literature

of that time says that they designed for quality,

not to a price, and let the price fall wherever the

quality took it.  Unlike many cars of the time, they

had very good brakes:  Our cars are designed to

stop the car in an emergency, not merely slow it down,

they wrote.

 

Looking for my first and only early car several years ago,

I wanted something a bit out of the ordinary.  I didn't

feel obliged to get a 1915 and earlier car for Horseless

Carriage Club of America events;  I wanted to preserve

the forgotten history that was rather unloved and under-

appreciated.  Many such makes could have filled my bill:

Elgin, Roamer, Viking, Elcar, etc.--cars that an interested public

at shows had never heard of.  A larger car would have a bit 

more capacity for speed on today's roads.  I happened to

come across the Locomobile.

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

I'm thankfully in an active antique-car area.

One of our local members, who passed on

just a few years ago, specialized in Case cars.

He had 5 of them, and often took one to our

annual local show.  Here's part of the line-up,

with a 1925 Case Model X suburban coupe in the

center, and a (tan) 1927 Case in the background:

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[dalef62]

One of my orphans is a 1929 Hupmobile Century 8.  I bought it from my dad who bought it back in the late 60's.  I remember helping him restore it when I was a little boy! 

Other orphans that I have, that are later makes, are Crosley's, 8 of them. 

[pkhammer]

Super interesting cars and information! Thanks for the replies especially with pics and history!

[29 Chandler]

Our's is a 1914 Chandler Model 15. One three surviving 1914 (second year of production) Chandlers and the only one on the road of the three, making it the oldest roadworthy Chandler. We are the 4th owners. The third owner restored the car in 1960 for the second owner. After that it participated in many AACA, HCCA, and Glidden Tours. Earned its Senior Award in 1969 (plaque is still on the dash).

 

Chandler Motor Cars are wonderful. The company started in 1913 when seven senior executives left Lozier to start their own company. The early cars we built to very similar design and specifications as the cars Lozier built in 1912 and 1913. Light Six with generator, electric starter and pressurized fuel and oil systems all standard.

 

We have only had the car for a few years and have thoroughly enjoyed driving it and doing the maintenance that is needed to keep it going down the road.

Edited October 29, 2021 by 29 Chandler (see edit history)

[29 Chandler]

10 minutes ago, 29 Chandler said:

Our's is a 1914 Chandler Model 15. One three surviving 1914 (second year of production) Chandlers and the only one on the road of the three, making it the oldest roadworthy Chandler. We are the 4th owners. The third owner restored the car in 1960 for the second owner. After that it participated in many AACA, HCCA, and Glidden Tours. Earned its Senior Award in 1969 (plaque is still on the dash).

 

Chandler Motor Cars are wonderful. The company started in 1913 when seven senior executives left Lozier to start their own company. The early cars we built to very similar design and specifications as the cars Lozier built in 1912 and 1913. Light Six with generator, electric starter and pressurized fuel and oil systems all standard.

 

We have only had the car for a few years and have thoroughly enjoyed driving it and doing the maintenance that is needed to keep it going down the road.

I should also add that Chandler was bought out in 1928 by rival Huppmobile. They were a solid company in 1928 with a big new factory. They were probably lucky to get out with cash in '28 and not have to deal with the depression years.

[wayne sheldon]

I often comment about the 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan my dad bought in 1967. It was supposed to be the great "family project". Unfortunately, my dad was big on ideas, but lacked the focus to get in and do them. But, one way or another, that was my first antique car project, and influenced my interest in the orphan marques. After it was disassembled for restoration, it became buried in his garage. I did a lot of research, and still am very fond of the Paige marque, and believe they deserve much more historic recognition than the hobby gives them. Their production basically paralleled the model T Ford, late 1908 through 1927. Harry Jewett was an investor, and seeing the future failure coming fast due to mismanagement, basically took over the company about 1910/'11. Under his direction, Paige turned around quickly, and was profitable nearly every year thereafter excepting the post war recession year in the very early 1920s. Coincidentally, that one year was the one year that Ford also lost money before the 1929 crash! According to some sources, one year during the 1920s, Paige/Jewett was the ninth largest manufacturer of automobiles in the US.

Eventually, the car became mine, and I have done some amount of restoration on it. However, lacking the money and time to get in and really do it, it isn't done yet. I still hope to finish it before I am done.

Meanwhile, when the Paige couldn't be worked on, buried under piles of stuff. After two years, I bought what really was my first car! A 1929 Reo Flying Cloud Master model C semi-sport coupe! That car I drove to high school, and numerous local club tours. I eventually decided I preferred cars just a bit earlier, so I sold it and bought a 1925 Studebaker standard two-door coach. That car I completed a good cosmetic restoration of a solid original and good running car. I drove it often and sometimes considerable distances attending car meets, silent movies, and historic areas. It eventually got sold when my young kids gave me some serious medical bills.

I also for a time owned one of the very few (I STILL have never seen another!) Sayers automobiles. It was in poor condition, but mostly there except for the top and some interior. Those same medical bills forced me to sell that one to a private collector that I think wanted something that even Bill Harrah did not have. Sayers and Scoville were famous for building hearses, and special ambulances as well as special medical vehicles. For about four years they tried their hand at building a car to sell to the general public in the Cadillac market (they said, but the car wasn't quite that high end?). About a year after I sold it, Bill Harrah died suddenly, and I never heard whether the car was restored or not.

 

A few years later, I had a 1925 Pierce Arrow series 80 sedan. I drove it quite a bit and really miss that car. We needed to sell it when we bought our first house. 

A couple years later we replaced that with another Studebaker! This time a 1915/'16 ED six, seven passenger touring car. That one we kept for a bit over ten years, and toured with it quite a lot! We also had a 1910 Fuller two cylinder touring car for a few years.

 

So I have had quite a few orphan cars! I still have the Paige. During the hard times, it wasn't worth enough to sell it. So I still hope to get it done some day. I also have a very early only one of one high wheel gasoline carriage. I am not sure if it should be called an "orphan"? Or what? It is my other "I really need to get it done!"

 

[pkhammer]

Original ad for Paige 6-45.

[cxgvd]

My car is a 1915 McLaughlin, I tell people it is a Canadian Buick.  Buick sold McLaughlin Motor Company of Oshawa, On complete chassis and McLaughlin supplied the bodies and sold them throughout Canada by their carriage dealer network.  McLaughlin began to build Chevrolet in Canada and in 1918 McLaughlin's contract with Durant ended and he sold his company to became General Motors of Canada.   McLaughlin Buick nameplate was discontinued in 1941.

 

I acquired this C25 model from a man who owned the car for 45 years and treated it to a 6 year, though easy restoration.  The original owner was a railroad man in North Bay, On and he nicknamed it the Iron Duke, I do not know why?

 

Regards, Gary

 

[nzcarnerd]

Studebakers are probably not that uncommon but as it is now more than 50 years since the last one was built they are almost unknown to the younger generation.

 

Studebaker built a wide range of models so it is likely that few examples survive of certain models. 

 

I have a 1929 (registered as but built and shipped in 1928) Director (the export version of the Dictator) 6 cabriolet. It was restored in the 1980s and I bought it from the owner's estate last year. I have done a few things to it since buying it  - engine out and repainted -  replaced clutch plate and flywheel ring gear - and a water pump rebuild - also new front wheel bearings - along with new tyres and repainting the wheels - but mostly I am just driving it as much as I can.

 

The point of this is, that it would appear to be the only surviving example of this model and body style in right hand drive. There is one superbly restored example in the US.

 

The car's history from day one is known - as I am fortunate to have a copy of its registration document, and the sales records of the dealer have also survived, which tell me that only two were imported. How many were built in right hand drive is known.

 

I think it is probably unusual for a car in its price class in having a golf bag door. The fact that my car has the door on the right side says to me that the factory didn't do a right hand drive version of the body, which would have had the door on the left.

 

Photos taken a few weeks ago at a local cars and coffee event by 'vauxnut' and posted on Flickr - 

 

The other photo is the US one I mentioned - now living in Oregon.

 

 

 

 

[8E45E]

3 minutes ago, cxgvd said:

Buick sold McLaughlin Motor Company of Oshawa, On complete chassis and McLaughlin supplied the bodies and sold them throughout Canada by their carriage dealer network.  

Like Studebaker, Sam McLaughlin was one of the very few carriage manufacturers that were successful in making the transition from horse-drawn to self-propelled vehicles.

 

Craig

[8E45E]

5 minutes ago, nzcarnerd said:

Studebakers are probably not that uncommon but as it is now more than 50 years since the last one was built they are almost unknown to the younger generation.

 

Studebaker built a wide range of models so it is likely that few examples survive of certain models. 

 

The other photo is the US one I mentioned - now living in Oregon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There seems to be a lot of restored pre-war Studebakers in the Pacific North West. 

 

The Antique Studebaker Club in that area even holds their own Zone Meet, independent of the Studebaker Drivers Club event, immediately after.  I attended both in 2014, and really enjoyed both events, and got to see not one, but two nicely restored '29's owned by the same individual in Montana.

 

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/94898-prewar-studebaker-prices-nosediving

 

Craig

[Mark Wetherbee]

“Betty” is a 1931 Pierce Arrow model 43 five passenger sedan and was a Studebaker relative in the year it was built but PA remained an independent so far as anything I had read. What I find amazing was that she cost $2685 at the time where a brand new 1931 Model A Ford 4-door deluxe sedan was $630 - this was Pierce Arrow’s least expensive model and cost over four times as much! 

 

Because of the depression, several car manufacturers went out of business and many others would be crippled as people did not have money to buy new cars. Pierce Arrow would continue to refuse building a lower quality, or non luxury car line which would lead to it’s demise in 1938.

 

[pkhammer]

18 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

I'm thankfully in an active antique-car area.

One of our local members, who passed on

just a few years ago, specialized in Case cars.

He had 5 of them, and often took one to our

annual local show.  Here's part of the line-up,

with a 1925 Case Model X suburban coupe in the

center, and a (tan) 1927 Case in the background:

 

Case automobiles are highly interesting to me. I collected and restored antique tractors once upon a time. Like cars, I had an interest in the orphan makes. I owned tractors with names like Cletrac, Leader, B.F. Avery and Minneapolis-Moline. I had a couple of cases along the way too. Here is a photo of the 1949 B/F. Avery I restored in 1993 and still own. This was taken at a local show this past summer.

[8E45E]

1 hour ago, pkhammer said:

Case automobiles are highly interesting to me. I collected and restored antique tractors once upon a time. Like cars, I had an interest in the orphan makes. I owned tractors with names like Cletrac, Leader, B.F. Avery and Minneapolis-Moline. I had a couple of cases along the way too. Here is a photo of the 1949 B/F. Avery I restored in 1993 and still own. This was taken at a local show this past summer.

An Avery truck to haul it with:  https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/stove-huggers-the-non-studebaker-forum/61110-orphan-of-the-day-03-01-1922-avery

 

Craig

Edited October 29, 2021 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[pkhammer]

  B.F. Avery was a plow and implement manufacturer in Louisville, KY. Cletrac, which built crawler tractors had developed a wheeled tractor called the General in about 1939 which was also marketed thru Montgomery Wards stores as the Wards Twin Row. B.F. Avery bought the rights to that tractor and Oliver bought the rights to the crawler tractor. The General became the B.F. Avery model A and the crawler became the Oliver HG. No connection I don't believe between with the Avery truck or the big, early Avery prairie tractors.

  There was a Moline Automobile produced between 1904 and 1919. I wonder what it's connection was with Moline tractors?

[nzcarnerd]

2 hours ago, pkhammer said:

  B.F. Avery was a plow and implement manufacturer in Louisville, KY. Cletrac, which built crawler tractors had developed a wheeled tractor called the General in about 1939 which was also marketed thru Montgomery Wards stores as the Wards Twin Row. B.F. Avery bought the rights to that tractor and Oliver bought the rights to the crawler tractor. The General became the B.F. Avery model A and the crawler became the Oliver HG. No connection I don't believe between with the Avery truck or the big, early Avery prairie tractors.

  There was a Moline Automobile produced between 1904 and 1919. I wonder what it's connection was with Moline tractors?

 

Unless someone can find a street address for the Moline Plow Company to prove other wise,  I doubt there was connection between it and the Moline Dreadnought car.

[nzcarnerd]

9 hours ago, 8E45E said:

There seems to be a lot of restored pre-war Studebakers in the Pacific North West. 

 

The Antique Studebaker Club in that area even holds their own Zone Meet, independent of the Studebaker Drivers Club event, immediately after.  I attended both in 2014, and really enjoyed both events, and got to see not one, but two nicely restored '29's owned by the same individual in Montana.

 

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/94898-prewar-studebaker-prices-nosediving

 

Craig

 

Yes, I have seen photos of those two Commander cabriolets before. For some reason the survival rate of the more expensive models is a little higher, although I don't know exact numbers.

 

I do know that one of the most collectible Studebakers of that era is 1931-32 President Four Seasons roadster. I believe there may be somewhere near 100 survivors.

 

In comparison the low price Studebaker Six roadster of the same era is quite rare - only a handful have survived.  This one which was imported from the US sometime in the last 20 years now lives about five minutes drive from me.

 

This shot is from 2012 - that is the owner, and his wife,  of the President - note right hand drive on the President - before the Six roadster changed hands.

 

As a comparison of prices the base factory US price of the Six roadster was $895 and the President was $1900.

 

Btw my GE cabriolet was one of two imported to NZ by Tourist Motors. One was sold immediately the two cars arrived in NZ just before Christmas 1928. My one sat in stock until 30 July 1930 and was sold to the wife of a local businessman for a price approximately three times that of a Ford A.

 

 

[8E45E]

2 hours ago, pkhammer said:

No connection I don't believe between with the Avery truck or the big, early Avery prairie tractors.

I believe the B.F. Avery Co. is not related to the Avery Co. from Illinois, that also made farm tractors that disappeared in the 1920s'.  B.F. Avery was on the market much later.

 

Craig

[Marty Roth]

Our Franklin and Oakland have both gone on to other collectors. We still have the '15 Hudson and '30 Packard, but both marques survived WWII, only to meet inglorious fates following mergers during the Fabulous Fifties.

[Akstraw]

Two Maxwells, a Franklin, a Marmon, and a Detroit Electric.  I like the orphans, and I like learning and telling the stories of these long-ago pioneers of the industry; Howard Marmon, HH Franklin, Benjamin Briscoe, and William Anderson.  
 

[Borough Essex]

7 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

Our Franklin and Oakland have both gone on to other collectors. We still have the '15 Hudson and '30 Packard, but both marques survived WWII, only to meet inglorious fates following mergers during the Fabulous Fifties.

My understanding is that Essex and Terraplane saved the Hudson Motor Car Company during the 1930s. As one crotchety older club member reminded me once, "If it wasn't for Essex and Terraplane, you wouldn't have your bloody Hudson Hornet to drive around in.":)

[58L-Y8]

5 hours ago, Borough Essex said:

My understanding is that Essex and Terraplane saved the Hudson Motor Car Company during the 1930s. As one crotchety older club member reminded me once, "If it wasn't for Essex and Terraplane, you wouldn't have your bloody Hudson Hornet to drive around in.":)

That's largely true, as the Depression deepened, only the lowest-priced cars like Essex & Terraplane were selling in any quantity.  Hudson was a middle-priced car and took a serious hit as did all other makes in that segment.

[Brass is Best]

How about a 1912 Brush Liberty Runabout?

[Dandy Dave]

22 hours ago, pkhammer said:

Case automobiles are highly interesting to me. I collected and restored antique tractors once upon a time. Like cars, I had an interest in the orphan makes. I owned tractors with names like Cletrac, Leader, B.F. Avery and Minneapolis-Moline. I had a couple of cases along the way too. Here is a photo of the 1949 B/F. Avery I restored in 1993 and still own. This was taken at a local show this past summer.

I revived a 1949 B.F. Avery Model A for a fellow this past summer. These are not that common. Nice restoration. Dandy Dave!

[3macboys]

Here's one of ours - a 1926 Star Model F, I'm still convinced it the body at least is a 23 but I need to do some more research on the rest of the car.  

 

 

[1912Staver]

My Grandfather had a Star of about this age when he was a young man back on P.E.I where he was born. Lived most of his life in Winnipeg. I don't think I have any photo's of that one.

[nzcarnerd]

Graham-Paige is another well-known orphan and I am sure most know the background story to the company. and that the G-P name was only used for two seasons.

 

I don't know this car specifically but its personalised plate suggests it may be the only right hand drive Model 612 coupe in existence.

 

The photo was taken during the 2012 NZVCC International Rally, which was based in Wanganui,  at the track day held at the Manfeild circuit. The name Manfeild is derived from Feilding, the nearby town,  and Manawatu, the district it is situated in.

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

Of course there are thousands of orphan makes. Wolseley is a well-known British make which had its origins in the late 19 century and lasted until 1975.

 

This 1900 single cylinder Wolseley has been taking part in early car events since the 1950s and is now with the fourth generation of the same family.

 

It is the oldest wheel steered Wolseley in the world.

 

The first photo is from 1959 and the other from 2020 - 

 

 

 

 

[pkhammer]

Auto manufacturers in the south were few and far between and I find their stories extra interesting. The Marathon based in Nashville, Tn comes to mind and someone mentioned the Kline Kar in another thread. Built in Richmond, Va that is a neat study for me having lived in Virginia all of my life.

Edited October 31, 2021 by pkhammer
bad wording (see edit history)

[chattin]

 1911 Thomas Flyer and a 1908 Lozier Briarcliff are 2 Orphans sitting in the shop. It’s always interesting to explain  what they are when your out on the road. We’ve drove the Thomas over 9000 miles so far this summer. 

[Max4Me]

Not mine, but a friend is visiting the Air Force museum  and the Model T museum and sent pix of this car. I had never heard of it. This is a 1911 Schact. A little research shows there are only about 60 left to exist with very few early ones. Interesting that it is a rear engine with a radiator in the front (but it makes sense). Through buyouts and acquisitions the company went on to build firetrucks. Can anybody set the record straight or have more info?

[cudaman]

I have a 1912 Flanders 20, built by EMF and sold through Studebaker dealers.  In 1913, Studebaker completed their takeover of EMF and the cars were rebadged as Studebakers.

 

[Laura S]

My 1931 Franklin model 151 4 door and my 1927 Franklin model 11b sport coupe boat tail.