- Seldom-seen H-series Chevrolet
- Rare Amesbury Special roadster; built for one year only
- One of three known survivors
When William Durant, having been pushed out of General Motors,
decided to re-enter the automobile business, he turned to engineer
and racing driver Louis Chevrolet. As an interim measure, he
brought out a light car called the Little, but Durant had in mind a
more substantial automobile. Louis Chevrolet, meanwhile, envisioned
an even larger car than Durant wanted, and so, when the first
Chevrolet car, the Classic Six, debuted in 1912, it weighed nearly
4,000 pounds and sold for an impressive $2,250.
That was clearly not a car with which to battle Henry Ford, so a
crash program was begun for a smaller, less-expensive car. The
result was the H-series Chevrolet of 1914, with a 170.9-cubic-inch
OHV four designed by Arthur Mason. This basic engine would remain
in production through 1928. The H-series, which included the Royal
Mail tourer and Baby Grand tourer, was Chevrolet's mainstay until
the arrival of the low-priced 490 in 1916. In 1915, a new model,
the H-3 Amesbury Special roadster, was introduced with, in the
words of the late historian Beverly Rae Kimes, "the racy lines of
an imported car." It would be built that one year only.
A very rare early Chevrolet, this Amesbury Special was purchased by
the Merrick Auto Museum in 1995. Previous owners have included
Classic Auto Sales and Herbie's Museum. The car is very handsome in
French Grey with green pinstriping and green diamond-pattern
buttoned leather upholstery. A complete and accurate restoration,
it has a correct top and brackets. The 1,200-hour restoration
included new wood throughout, finished to a very high standard, and
involved three generations of the Merrick Family: Jim, Rick, and
Russ.
Early Chevrolets are rare, the Amesbury Special particularly so.
With only three examples known to exist, this car represents an
uncommon chance to acquire a very nice example.To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
