1912 Haynes Model 19 Two/Three Seater Roadster

Coachwork by The Amesbury Reed & Rattan Co.

283.72ci Side-Valve 4-Cylinder Engine
Single carburetor
30bhp
3-Speed Manual Transmission
Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring Suspension
2-Wheel Drum Brakes

*Very rare wicker bodied car
*High quality older restoration
*Snapshot of coachbuilding ideas

HAYNES

The Apperson Brothers of Kokomo, Indiana, did not build America's first automobile, as their patron Elwood Haynes liked to claim. They did, however, build a very early U.S. "horseless carriage" in 1894, which is now immortalized in the Smithsonian Institution. The first production Haynes-Apperson was produced in 1897, and by 1904 the company was building rather advanced, well-engineered and solidly constructed two-cylinder models. That was the last year before Haynes and the Appersons went their separate ways; both would go on to build their own automobiles, well into the 1920s.

The 1910 Haynes was marketed under the heading '$2,000 You will BUY this Model 19 if you want known quality without the fancy price' the bold claim continued 'It is an innovation in automobiles. No other manufacturer has ever attempted to give so much of the real tone in a car selling at this price and the payment of a thousand dollars more cannot buy a nicer-running engine or an easier-riding car.' 'Some idea of the attitude of both automobile dealers and the public respecting a Haynes at $2,000 can be gather from the fact that dealers bought up our entire output of 1910 cars within thirty days after our first public announcement'!

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This car makes a great statement about the variety of ways in which individual chose to body cars in the early days, and while the Haynes is a nice example of a mid-size brass era car, its coachwork made it a must have for this collection. Over more than 130 years of automobile manufacturing all sorts of different styles, designs and materials have been used in coachbuilding from wood to aluminum steel to fabric, but in this era a few companies pioneered another way of building lightweight sporting bodies, in wicker!

The Amesbury Reed & Rattan Co. of Amesbury, Massachusetts, who were set in the hub of the New England motor industry were one such company. It is they that lay claim to the coachwork on this Haynes. It is a beautifully crafted body from its commodious bucket/bench seat to its tapered tail, beneath which is stowed a single occasional seat, or 'mother-in-law' in car parlance.

The history of this Haynes is not documented at all, but we do know that it appeared on the market in 1992 at 'The Auction' in Las Vegas, which is where Frank Spain was able to acquire the car.
A fascinating automobile it is sure to draw attention wherever you show it.