- Studebaker progenitor
- Seldom-seen and unusual marque
- High-quality restoration
- One of the finest extant
Walter Flanders was a veteran of the Ford Motor Company, where he
had instituted the first phase of Henry Ford's mass production
plan. He and partners Barney Everitt and William Metzger envisioned
a quality car built in production quantities, a "well-finished"
medium-priced car.
The E-M-F Model 30, introduced in 1908, was just that. Designed by
engineer William Kelly, the 30 was a forward-thinking car with a
three-speed transaxle. However, early models with thermosyphon
cooling were prone to overheating. Kelly recalled the cars and
fitted water pumps, which solved the problem, but not before
critics spelled their demise. The E-M-F 30 did live on, in a way,
as a Studebaker, after the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Company was
taken over by the South Bend wagonmaker-turned-auto manufacturer in
1912.
This E-M-F 30 Five-Passenger Touring was purchased by the Merrick
Auto Museum in 2006. Previous owners have included Kenneth Powell
of Stockbridge, Georgia. Recipient of a frame-off restoration, it
presents very well in red, with black accent striping and fenders.
Cream wheels, in turn, are accented in red. The car is equipped
with E&J brass acetylene headlamps and oil sidelamps and
taillamp. There is a full canvas touring top and a brass windshield
from Westchester Appliance Company of Bronx, New York. The car
rides on 34 � 3� Firestone Non-Skid tires. The seats are
upholstered in black buttoned tufted leather. To view this car and
others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM
website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/hf19.
