- A rare and short-lived make
- 540-hour complete and accurate restoration
- Planetary transmission with single-chain drive
- "Big Power and Few Parts"
A product of the C.H. Blomstrom Motor Company of Detroit, the Queen
was advertised as having "Big Power and Few Parts." Introduced at
the end of 1904, it was, in the words of the late historian Beverly
Rae Kimes, "a simple little runabout with one cylinder...commanding
5-1/2 by 6-inch bore-stroke dimensions," which is a nice way of
saying it packed its entire 2.3 liters of displacement in a single
basket. Two-cylinder models with a horizontally opposed engine were
soon introduced�the Model E, as offered here�developing 16 hp and
riding an 84-inch wheelbase. Late in 1905 came a four-cylinder,
24-hp Model D, and finally in 1906 a 26/28 hp four called the Model
K.
That summer, however, Blomstrom's company was deemed "defectively
incorporated," a problem that was resolved by a merger with De Luxe
Motor Company of Toledo, maker of the Car De Luxe. Thereafter, Car
De Luxe moved to Detroit, and the Queen motor car quietly
disappeared. By the end of 1909, so had Car De Luxe.
This rare Model E Queen was purchased by the Merrick Auto Museum in
1999. It was previously in the Charlie Sens Collection in Marion,
Ohio. The subject of a 540-hour complete and accurate restoration,
it has ultramarine blue paint with black fenders and cream running
gear. The upholstery is black buttoned leather, and the cape top,
tie-downs, and tires are also new. The car uses Dietz Dainty side
and taillamps; there are no headlamps. The opposed two-cylinder,
18-horsepower engine drives through a planetary transmission, with
single chain drive to the rear axle.
Produced for barely two years, this Queen is extremely rare. This
is an excellent opportunity to acquire one of the finest.To view
this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please
visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
