Vehicle Description
Awesome piece of motoring history featuring a rare, factory 3-speed
transaxle!� Outstanding Gentleman's Speedster designed while in
England with original 30 horsepower engine, gorgeous brass
appointments, and perfect running operation!� Act quickly! In
Detroit in 1908, three men founded a company to build their own
cars; Barney Everett, a man who had made a fortune building car
bodies; William Metzger, a super-salesman for Cadillac; and Walter
Flanders, who had been Ford production manager. Their name became
simply E-M-F Company and the production car was introduced in 1909
and sold through established Studebaker dealerships, called the
Model 30 matching the horsepower output. It would be considered a
medium priced, mass produced vehicle that was a notch above the
popular Ford leading the country in sales. Soon after, Everett and
Metzger had left the company by 1909 in a huff to build the
Everett, leaving Flanders to continue building the E-M-F Model 30,
while he tried to build his own car, a Flanders 20. But,
surprisingly, the E-M-F was the second best-selling automobile by
1911 right behind the Ford, and ahead of the Cadillac, Buick,
Overland, and many others. The separation of its founders, but
level of superior production, didn't go unnoticed by Studebaker,
who elected to buy the E-M-F franchise in 1910, and changed the
name officially to their own in 1913. Offered here is a 1911 E-M-F
Model 30 Gentleman's Speedster finished in Cream White with Red
accent stripping and matching Red wood spoke wheels. Likely
beginning life as a Touring model, this car made its way to England
and later converted to a sportier, lighter Speedster in proper
fashion! Maintaining the original chassis, 226.2ci L-head
4-cylinder engine, and very unique 3-speed manual rear transaxle
with a perfectly street worthy 3.50:1 axle, it was shed of
unnecessary body weight. Adding custom leather bucket seats for
two, fuel tank, storage boxes, and the required lighting for night
travel, this gorgeous Speedster is truly a piece of vintage
automobile art! Being unique only to itself, this one-off example
will forever be a testament of a simpler motoring time long passed
by when drivers could easily personalize their car for sporting
events, touring, and even racing. Believed to have been converted
in England, the beautiful brass lighting provided for the H&B
side markers, and the rear Powell & Hanmer LTD (P&H) tail lamps
are both born in England and remain acetylene. The Rushmore
Lens-Mirror Searchlight headlamps born in Plainfield, NJ but
distributed through London have been converted to electric
illumination. Additional features include original E-M-F/Boyce
Motometer, radiator guard, rope-wrapped suspension springs,
passenger assist handle, running board step plate, rear-mounted
spare, Pyrene fire extinguisher, Stewart speedometer, Rototherm
temp gauge, brass hand horn, and Smith & Sons rearview mirror. Most
recently part of the A-Z Collection owned by John Moir in Chocorua,
NH, it remains a splendid running and driving unit under his care!
It recently received fresh spark plugs, cloth covered plug wires,
and new battery for easy starts! A remarkable car to hand start
with ease, and even better to experience on the road! The super
unique rear transaxle is rare for the period, but allows for
wonderful gear engagement and seamless power from the engine to the
ground. We encourage visual inspections, and will be happy to
answer any questions about the condition. Eligible for AACA, HCCA,
and VMCCA events. Thanks for looking!