1920 Apperson Model 8-20 Anniversary Eight Tourster

331.8ci L-Head V8 Engine
Single Carburetor
60bhp
3-Speed Selective-Shift Manual Transmission
Semi-Elliptical Front and Rear Leaf Springs
Rear-Wheel Drum Brakes

*One of the most famous American cars of the Jazz Age
*A descendant of one of this country's earliest automobiles
*Formerly displayed at the ACD Automobile Museum
*Charming older restoration in attractive colors

THE APPERSON "JACK RABBIT" AUTOMOBILE

The two Apperson brothers built one of the United States' first automobiles for Kokomo, Indiana, businessman Elwood Haynes in 1897. Haynes and Apperson continued in business together, until 1901, when the two names parted. The Appersons' car was similar in mechanical specification to other upper-mid-priced automobiles of its era, but the styling, with models incorporating hidden door hinges and no external handles, was often ahead of its time. Model names promised a thrilling future to the Apperson buyer: Silver-Apperson, Roadplane, Sportster, Tourster, and most famously, the Jack Rabbit, which became a sort of "factory nickname" for all Appersons.

By the time production ended in 1926, Apperson had built many tens of thousands of "Jack Rabbits," but fewer than two dozen remain extant.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

The Tupelo Automobile Museum's distinctive Model 8-20 Anniversary Eight Tourster features styling derived from a special model developed by Apperson dealer Conover Silver in 1919. It was one of two Appersons – the other having been Edgar Apperson's own car – gifted by Edmund Orser of Billings, Montana, to the respected ACD Automobile Museum of Auburn, Indiana, in 1979. "Apperson's Apperson" remains a beloved part of the museum's Indiana Gallery, while the Tourster was eventually sold in 1991 to the Tupelo Automobile Museum. It has been exhibited in the museum since its opening, its jazzy design – with more than a trace of the French "skiff" about it, especially in the rear – making it a favorite of many visitors.

The car's restoration, in pale blue with black fenders, is considerable older but still solid and attractive, with the cushy, heavily upholstered leather interior being especially charming and comfortable. Disc wheels shod in blackwall tires add an additional sporting accent, as do the narrow bumpers, nickel-finished radiator shell, streamlined headlamps, and green glass sun visor.

No collection dedicated to the American automobile's illustrious, well-marketed past is complete without an Apperson "Jack Rabbit." Few are better than this one.