Is this a 1920's Nash motometer ??

[viv w]

Saw this on Facebook, does anyone know if this is a Nash product or an accessory. asking price is steep at $695usd.

 

 

 

 

[wayne sheldon]

I believe that the Motometer itself is an after-market one intended for any car. It is one of the fanciest ones I have ever seen, and possibly worth that price.

The Motometer being chrome plated is likely not correct, but could be if it is a really late produced meter. Most original Motometers IF plated were nickel plated.

 

The cap itself is from a Paige automobile, likely 1926 or 1927, but could possibly go a year earlier as well. I cannot see the threads on the cap (internal or external?), which would make a difference for the year and specific model of Paige. The caps are pot metal, and most of them seem to have disintegrated with age. I have a 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan, and two caps like that with external threads. I could be interested in a Paige cap if someone has one to sell at a reasonable price. Although rare in good condition, there is not a lot of demand for the caps.

[TerryB]

Was that style called radio motometer?

[keiser31]

59 minutes ago, viv w said:

Saw this on Facebook, does anyone know if this is a Nash product or an accessory. asking price is steep at $695usd.

 

 

 

 

From one of my books....

[wayne sheldon]

"Nash wings"? Very interesting. I have seen a few unusual Motometers with integral castings of some sort. Not many. Boyce and other companies made all sorts of add-ons, lamps, whirlygigs, diving girls (a very good friend had one of those, including the box!), eagles, airplanes. Dressing up the radiator ornament was a small industry unto itself! Most of those items were sold as universal for any car wanting something special. A special model with "Nash wings"? Always something new to learn!

[Terry Bond]

Doubt if they are specifically "Nash" wings.  It's certainly not a Nash product as they were produced by the Boyce Motometer Company, Long Island, NY.

 

Motometers were aftermarket accessory items designed to fit any car you wanted to use one on.  Some were installed by dealers  but most were purchased from catalogs on in auto parts and accessory stores.   You could buy "name-plates" that fit under the glass with car names and logos on them.  There were actually two face plates positioned together with one side marked with temperature gradients and the other with the car name/logo on it.   It seems that both of those plates are missing from the photos of the one for sale and the one in the book.  Perhaps they came without them and you could add appropriate face plates later at point of purchase.  Plates were also available with fraternal symbols, organizational logos, and even car dealership names.  

 

The one shown is just one of several different types they produced. The Radio motometer is shown in the attached advertisement.  It was lighted so you could more easily see it at night. 

 

I agree - that asking price is beyond steep-it's just another case of an opportunistic seller trying to guess how much he can squeeze from someone PT Barnum referred to as "born every minute." 

 

Looks like the one you show is chrome plated which would make them no older than late 20s.  The motometer quickly went out of fashion by the time dash-board temperature gauges began to appear.   They are a popular collectible. 

 

Terry