251: 1913 Michigan 40 Model R Touring Car
| Start Price |
USD 112,500.00 |
| Current Price |
USD 140,000.00 |
| Time Left |
- |
| Bid Count |
7 |
| Buy It Now Price |
- |
| Reserve Price |
- |
| Start Time |
Saturday, August 02, 2008 |
| End Time |
Saturday, August 02, 2008 |
| Location |
Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, MI |
|
See more about '251: 1913 Michigan 40 Model R Touring Car'
|
Description
click for larger image251: 1913 Michigan 40 Model R Touring Car40-46 hp, 298 cu. in. L-head four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, two-wheel mechanical drum brakes. Wheelbase: 118"The annals of automotive history tell the story of the Twentieth Century American Dream; the belief that anyone with an ounce of sense and some technical and management knowledge could start an automobile company. Transportation industrialists, the makers of bicycles and wagons, were especially well-placed and many of them prospered: bicycle maker George Pierce of Buffalo and Kenosha, Wisconsin's Thomas Jeffery, manufacturer of the Rambler cycle, for example, and Dallas Dort of the Flint, Michigan, Dort Road Cart Company. But for every Pierce, Jeffery and Dort there were dozens of equally eager but less competent, or sometimes just unlucky, entrepreneurs. The most fortunate of them managed to sell out before times got too tough, others had to watch their empires crumble around them. So it was with Victor Palmer, Henry Lane and George Lay of the Michigan Buggy Company of Kalamazoo.The Michigan Buggy Company made its first attempt at selling an automobile in 1904. A vehicle was constructed by adding a single-cylinder gasoline engine to one of the company�s buckboards, and offered for sale at a price of $450. Production and sales of the car, which was sometimes called "Kalamazoo", other times "Michigan", were sporadic. In 1911, however, the principals decided to enter the automobile business in a serious fashion. They organized the Michigan Motor Car Company and hired W.H. Cameron, formerly chief engineer for Willys-Overland and Flanders Manufacturing Company. Cameron's task was to design a new 40-horsepower four-cylinder car. A body designer by the name of John Campbell was also engaged; Campbell was said to be "America's foremost body designer", and to have created "the finest equipages of the late King of England", the Sultan of Turkey and "many of the most distinguished families in Europe and America".The new Model B Michigan was available in touring or roadster form, priced at $1,750 and $1,650, respectively. A less-expensive 33-horsepower model was added for 1912, selling between $1,150 and $1,400. The 40-horsepower car, now on a longer 116-inch wheelbase, had been reduced to $1,500 for either the touring or runabout body style.For 1913, the Michigan Motor Car Company announced the "Mighty Michigan Line". Prominence was given to the "40", aimed at what the catalog called "the middle field", what we today call "medium-priced cars". Owners in this segment, it was claimed, wanted "more power, more room, more appearance, more of comfort and luxury". They wanted, in short, "a man-size car". On a 118-inch wheelbase, the 40 boasted of being "the Only Actually Over-Tired Car in America". Today, "over-tired" implies being sapped of strength. For the Michigan 40, however, it referred to tires larger than actually needed to carry its weight, and a whole page in the catalog was devoted to explaining the virtues of its 35 x 4.5 inch rubber, rated for more than 120 percent of the car's 2,800 pounds. "Do not make the vital mistake of accepting any car that is under-tired", warned the text.From publicity and catalogs, one might conclude that all was well with the Michigan Motor Car Company and that a bright future beckoned. In fact, it was quite the opposite. With an advertising budget of $350,000, the company widely touted the virtues of "This Year's Wanted Car", and claimed "6,125 sold". However, that October a grand jury found that company officials had earned an extra $100,000 from a "velvet payroll", and one of them had disposed of his disposable income at the horseracing track. Another drew a two-year jail term for mail fraud in a stock promotion scheme. There were several attempts to save the company from the developing scandal, including a buyout offer from the Pittsburgh distributor and a move to enlist Hugh Chalmers of Chalmers-Detroit to come manage the firm. In the end it all came to naught. In 1915 the Kalamazoo plant was sold, and it became the headquarters of the States Motor Car Company, makers of the equally short-lived (1914-1916) Greyhound Cyclecar and the later States car (1916-1918).It is not known exactly how many Michigan motor cars were built, but the claim of "6,125 sold" is almost certainly hyperbole. Historian G. Marshall Naul, based on study of serial numbers, has estimated that fewer than 1,200 Michigan cars were manufactured over the entire period from 1911 through 1913. As a minor and largely unknown make, few survived, fewer still complete and sound. This car is a fortunate and notable exception to the rule.Discovered in central Iowa in 1991 by the late Dr. Art Burrichter, this 1913 Michigan 40 had been stored for 67 years. Originally purchased by a farming family for the then-princely sum of $1,585, it had been used sparingly, driven fewer than 5,700 miles in twelve years. In 1925, after a family disagreement, it was put into storage. Burrichter, a well-known collector and sometime dealer, heard about the car from a client. Investigating, he found it well-preserved and in amazing original condition. His attempts to buy it, however, were stymied by failure to agree on a price.Burrichter did, however, offer to help advertise the Michigan, provided that he be given an opportunity to better the best offer received from another party. This he did, and was finally successful in acquiring it early in 1992. Because the car was complete and untrammeled, with only the patina of nearly seven decades, Burrichter elected not to restore the Michigan.Prior to his passing in 2002, however, Dr. Burrichter sold the car and the new owner had the Silver Dollar Restoration Shop of Tampa, Florida commence a complete restoration.Because of the very solid condition of the Michigan and because no parts were missing, it was a comparatively easy restoration. Finished in black, with black interior and upholstery, the car makes a stunning appearance. In its only showing, at the Romeo, Michigan, Cavalcade of Cars, it received a First Prize award. Today it represents an opportunity to acquire a rare prize-winning automobile of a kind that few people have ever seen.Auction House RM Auctions5 West Forest AveYpsilanti, MI United States 48197519.352.4575Important NoticeRM Auctions usually auctions automobiles at the rate of 20 lots per hour. On some occasions, eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. RM recommends placing a realistic absentee bid now, as insurance to help avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also re-open a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because of a missed audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that RM Auctions may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above, or under any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tying eBay live bids. Also please note that all RM Auctions lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 13% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid. This lot is being auctioned in conjunction with a live floor auction by RM Auctions, Inc. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by RM Auctions, Inc., and all other information should be considered preliminary. Winning Notification and Billing: After the FINAL session in this auction is complete RM Auctions will send e-mail invoices. This process normally takes up to two days. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by RM Auctions, Inc., and all other information should be considered preliminary. This auction will be conducted on a live auction floor and over the Internet through eBay Live. If you choose to place an absentee bid, please take a moment to learn how eBay Live absentee bidding works by visiting eBay's website.Terms & ConditionsPlease ensure that you have read and understood these terms and conditions prior to bidding at this or any other RM sale.1. All sales are final. No bidder may retract a bid made during the sale for any reason.2. Final bid price does not include 13% buyer's premium or applicable taxes on each lot purchased. Proof of tax exemption is buyer's responsibility.3. All payments must be in the form of cash (In House Only) or certified funds unless other arrangements have been approved in advance. Cash (In House Only) payments will be reported according to Federal government requirements.4. All sales are "as is" and "where is". Bidder is responsible for inspections and verification of condition, authenticity, and completeness of any item purchased. No warranties or representations of any type whatsoever are made by RM. Buyers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own evaluation and inspection. Any announcements made at the time of sale supercede any earlier printed information.5. Bidder authorizes RM Auctions, Inc. to authorize the credit card number provided for $2000. Should a bidder default on payment in any manner whatsoever, without limiting any recourse RM Auctions, Inc. may have, bidder agrees to pay RM Auctions, Inc. all lost auction fees (which is the maximum published rates for (1) the seller's commission, (2) the buyer's premium, and (3) the entry), this amount is due and payable without relief.6. Person bidding online must be 21 years of age or older. No minors are allowed to bid.7. If Buyer is picking up items or using a shipping company other than the RM recommended company, Buyer is responsible for removing items from the auction location by Monday, August 4th at 12:00 noon. Buyer is responsible for paying for the removal of items from the site, packing, shipping, handling and insurance of any items purchased. If Buyer is unable to provide RM with the name of a transportation company within 24hrs of the purchase, RM will release the lot to "Intercity Lines Inc". Buyer will pay RM directly for the lots, buyers fee and any applicable taxes and pay "Intercity" directly for their services.8. The auctioneer reserves the right to rearrange, separate, exclude or withdraw any lot without giving a reason.9. If buyer sues RM Auctions, Inc. and does not prevail, Buyer will reimburse RM Auctions, Inc. for all legal fees and expenses in connection with said suit.10. All terms of sale posted on the auction premises, printed in sale brochures or forms, publicly announced, communicated via the eBay bidding applet or otherwise published are incorporated herein by reference.ShippingIf Buyer is picking up items or using a packing/shipping company other than the RM recommended company, Buyer is responsible for removing items from the auction location by Monday, August 4th at 12:00 noon. Buyer is responsible to pay for the removal of items from the site, packing, shipping, handling and insurance of any items purchased. If Buyer is unable to provide RM with the name of a transportation company within 24hrs of the purchase, RM will release the lot to "Intercity Lines Inc". Buyer will pay RM directly for the lots, buyers fee and any applicable taxes and pay "Intercity" directly for their services.Buyer's Premium13%PaymentCash (In House Only), Money Order, Certified Check or Bank Wire Transfer. NOTE: RM DOES NOT ACCEPT PAYPAL AS A FORM OF PAYMENT. Any questions, please email.TaxesLocal 6% tax applies when picking up items or shipping within the state of Michigan.ContractYour bid is a contract.Place a bid only if you're serious about buying the item. If you are the successful and winning bidder, you have entered into a legally binding contract to purchase the property bid on from the seller. You should contact the seller to resolve any questions before bidding.RegistrationBidders are required to:a) Sign up for this auction& b) Complete bidding approval formApproval is at the discretion of the Auction House.HelpHelp with biddingImages Auction services provided by LiveAuctioneers
Place a Bid!
|
|
|
Search
Categories
More related categories
 |