- Offered from the noted collection of Mr. Jim Bradley
- One of three known to exist
- Three caretakers over the last 70 years, including a noted
Oldsmobile collector
- Frame-off restoration completed in the late 2000s
- Awarded at the 2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance
- Depicted in Dennis Casteele's The Cars of Oldsmobile
- Ideal for further exhibition at AACA and VMCCA events
- A remarkably rare, highly original, and beautifully restored
example
Dubbed with a name that could only have emerged from of the age of
empire, the Oldsmobile Autocrat was a mid-range model introduced
for 1911. The Autocrat rode a proprietary 124-inch wheelbase and
was based upon a rugged frame built from a pressed alloy of nickel
and steel.
Though the model was equipped with a four-cylinder engine, the
cylinders featured an increased displacement shared by the
company's flagship Limited model. As the cylinders were cast in
pairs, the Autocrat's 471-cubic-inch vertical T-head engine was
essentially a junior version of the Limited's six-cylinder engine,
developing an impressive 50 hp.
Available in five different body styles, the Autocrat was clothed
in aluminum coachwork trimmed with leather and offered with three
factory paint colors: Brewster green, royal blue, and cardinal red.
While a top assembly, windshield, and the company's new air-type
self-starter were offered as optional equipment, the model was
standard-equipped with 8-inch headlamps, side and tail lamps,
Trauffault-Hartford shock absorbers, an Oldsmobile dragon horn, and
a tool set.
The Autocrat received a nice bit of publicity when Oldsmobile
entered two factory prototypes at the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup on Long
Island, where team captain Harry Stillman finished a respectable
11th place. Fewer than 1,000 Autocrats were built in 1911, of which
only a small percentage were finished as roadsters. Marque experts
believe that no more than a handful of examples survive today, with
only three currently known.
Claiming almost 70 years of fastidious care by three dedicated
owners, this sensational Autocrat roadster benefits from a
comprehensive restoration in the 2000s, after which the car enjoyed
display in a private museum collection. Though the Oldsmobile's
early history is scant, the car was apparently finished in the
unusual three-passenger roadster configuration. By the early 1950s
the car was discovered by the bellwether heavyweight collector
Barney Pollard, a former Packard experimental department employee
who owned approximately 700 Brass Era vehicles at one point and was
affectionately known in his hometown Detroit as "Mr. Antique
Automobile." As demonstrated by a period photo in which Pollard's
mother is sitting in the driver's seat, the Autocrat had been
converted to a service vehicle of some kind with an elevated
floodlight in place of the rear seat.
Mr. Pollard retained the Autocrat for 20 years or more, during
which he occasionally received offers of purchase from Dick Neller
of Lansing, Michigan, a noted Oldsmobile collector who went on to
co-found the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing. In the
early 1970s, Pollard finally relented, and Dick and Sue Neller
bought the Autocrat and restored it, reportedly retaining
Oldsmobile specialist Eldon Ebry to rebuild the engine and other
mechanical systems, while refitting a single rear seat and
refinishing the body in light grey paint with black fenders. The
Nellers often drove the Autocrat on vintage tours and displayed it
at antique-car shows, including meets of the Oldsmobile Club of
America, where it was once photographed and later depicted in
Dennis Casteele's 1981 Crestline marque guide, The Cars of
Oldsmobile.
In 2005 the Autocrat was purchased from Mrs. Neller by Jim Bradley,
and he commissioned a frame-off restoration that included
repainting the frame and exterior in a two-tone scheme of light and
dark red and installing an electric starter for more reliable
operation. After completing refurbishment, the Oldsmobile was
exhibited at the 2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, winning a
class award and the Most Significant General Motors Car Award.
Since undergoing this careful restoration, the Autocrat has accrued
very few miles while being displayed in the consignor's private
museum for a number of years. Well maintained by the current owner
and recently serviced and detailed by RM Auto Restoration, the
Oldsmobile starts and runs well; however, bidders are advised that
the car may require additional service to ensure reliable
performance at long-distance touring events.
It is noteworthy that this highly authentic Brass Era Oldsmobile
retains its correct original aluminum body and alloy chassis, and
it is replete with period details, such as a Jones 100 mph
speedometer, dashboard clock, artillery wheels, lantern-style
running lamps, Solarclipse headlamps, and dual rear spare tires.
One of perhaps three examples still known to exist, this remarkable
Autocrat is ideal for presentation at Brass Era exhibitions and
AACA meets, offering one of the earliest surviving cars from the
important General Motors division.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
