Incredible original car with just three owners. Innovative friction drive makes it simple and fun to drive. Extensive recent service means it runs and drives very well. Ready for brass-and-gas events. Great entry-level brass touring car!
With an innovative friction drive system that eliminates the clutch and transmission, it's the automobile simplified to its most basic operation. This particular Model H spent the first fifty or so years of its life with a single family, and ultimately, today, 110 years later, it has had only three owners. The paint, engine, and other components are undoubtedly vintage 1909 and in remarkable condition. Sure, the paint is faded and flaking in places, but it would be a mistake to restore any of it. The gray bodywork with red trim and wheels looks dashing in an era filled with somber color combinations. Most of the touring body is wood, and as such it remains in outstanding condition with no signs of rot or damage thanks to decades in protected, heated storage. The steel components, including the fenders and hood, are in similarly good shape, with even the bright red pinstripe clearly visible and accenting the body’s unique curves. The brass is tarnished but complete and again, polishing it would change the all-of-a-piece look. It's worth noting that there's still gas in the tank and the headlights blaze bright, and the cowl-mounted kerosene lights glow warmly at night.
The dash is a simple wood panel with four individual coils mounted in their own box. They have been recently rebuilt but not restored, so they look old but work like new. A functional accessory Stewart speedometer shows 3575 miles, which is likely a correct reading--it's not like this was a car for cross-country drives. There's also a fully operational rim-wind clock and bulb horn. Controls are simple: left pedal engages the friction drive, press it to go. Right pedal is the brake, press it to stop. There's a throttle on the steering wheel and the lever on the outside of the body to the driver's right is the "gear shift" which positions the drive wheel on the flywheel. Close to the center is low and the outer edge is high. There are a "thousand speeds" in-between, as the advertising said. Pull it backwards to move it to the other side of center, and that's reverse. Both pedals can be locked in position, the drive pedal for cruising and the brake pedal for a parking brake. In practice, it’s hard to make a mistake—let off the pedal and it stops. Need to stop faster? Press the brake. We’ve found that it’s typically best to set a single engine speed and adjust road speed using the transmission.
The 212 cubic inch 4-cylinder engine is original and I don't believe it has ever been opened. It slept for probably 50 or 60 years, going into storage shortly after the second owner acquired it in the '50s and resuscitated in 2010 by noted brass car expert Dave Heinrichs of Heinrichs Vintage Car Shop. Today, it starts on the second pull, every time. Set the choke, turn on the coils, and give it a crank. Like the Model T, cooling is by thermo-syphon, but it stays cool under most normal conditions and seems content to idle at low speeds almost indefinitely.
The friction surface needs no maintenance and the paper-like drive wheel traction surface can be replaced if needed with readily available modern materials. Chain drive is conventional for the era and it appears that lubrication is a total-loss system, so expect it to leak and keep a careful eye on oil levels, although it does not seem excessive. Given the car’s modest performance, the braking system is effective with its combination service and parking brake setup. The original wheels wear Universal-brand tires that are surely decades old, and it’s quite possible that the spare is original to the car.
There's a great deal of paperwork with this car, including several show boards, a copy of an original owner's manual, advertising literature, and more.
It would be a crime to restore this car and it runs and drives so well that you'll be having too much fun to bother taking it apart. Given the simplicity of its operation, it would be a fantastic brass car for the first-time hobbyist, and will surely be welcome at any event where its condition will be the source of endless wonder and speculation. Call today!
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
