LOT 205
1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout Engine no. L4281
Sold for US$31,360 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 205
1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout
1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout
Engine no. L4281
Engine no. L4281
Water-cooled 2-Cylinder Engine
Single Harrington Carburetor
Est. 12 bhp
2-Speed Planetary Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear Mechanical Drum Brakes
*Offered from the Estate of Robert L. Byers
*Pioneering motorcar company funded by JP Morgan
*Advanced and powerful twin-cylinder water-cooled engine
*Equipped with Phare Solar lights and Eight Day Phinney Walker clock
THE MAXWELL-BRISCOE MOTOR CO
Financed by Detroit sheet metal manufacturer Benjamin Briscoe and East Coast plutocrat J P Morgan, ex-Oldsmobile and Northern engineer Jonathan D Maxwell built his first car - an advanced twin-cylinder design with water cooling, mechanical inlet valves, two-speed planetary transmission, shaft drive and right-hand steering wheel - in 1904. The twin proved an enormous success; a four-cylinder model joined the line-up for 1906 and Maxwell expanded from its Tarrytown, New York base, opening factories in Auburn, Indiana and Rhode Island. Sound engineering was complemented by a series of headline-grabbing publicity stunts that helped boost sales, none more successful than a transcontinental trip from New York to San Francisco undertaken by a team of four lady drivers in 1909. The following year the firm sold over 20,000 cars, a total exceeded only by Ford and Buick. From this high point Maxwell went into decline. Briscoe's ambitious expansion plans proved disastrous; most of the factories were sold off and Jonathan Maxwell moved production to Detroit. Hit hard by the post-WWI depression, Maxwell merged - unsuccessfully - with Chalmers and acquired a new president in the person of Walter Percy Chrysler, whose new marque would rise from the Maxwell-Chalmers ashes.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This lovely little 1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout features an innovative 2-cylinder water-cooled engine, 2-speed transmission, driveshaft and a steering wheel; very much what was to be expected of the modern motorcar for years to come. This Maxwell joined the Byers collection in 2010, and a Horseless Carriage Club of America Century Old Vehicle badge on the cowl indicates the car has been to Brass Car events in the past. The sporting 2-seat bodywork is finished in red contrasted by a cream-colored chassis and matching pin striping. Phare Solar brass headlights are fitted, and inside, a black tufted interior and a Eight Day Phinney Walker clock is affixed to the dash. An electric starter is fitted for the ease of operation.
Single Harrington Carburetor
Est. 12 bhp
2-Speed Planetary Transmission
Leaf Spring Suspension
Rear Mechanical Drum Brakes
*Offered from the Estate of Robert L. Byers
*Pioneering motorcar company funded by JP Morgan
*Advanced and powerful twin-cylinder water-cooled engine
*Equipped with Phare Solar lights and Eight Day Phinney Walker clock
THE MAXWELL-BRISCOE MOTOR CO
Financed by Detroit sheet metal manufacturer Benjamin Briscoe and East Coast plutocrat J P Morgan, ex-Oldsmobile and Northern engineer Jonathan D Maxwell built his first car - an advanced twin-cylinder design with water cooling, mechanical inlet valves, two-speed planetary transmission, shaft drive and right-hand steering wheel - in 1904. The twin proved an enormous success; a four-cylinder model joined the line-up for 1906 and Maxwell expanded from its Tarrytown, New York base, opening factories in Auburn, Indiana and Rhode Island. Sound engineering was complemented by a series of headline-grabbing publicity stunts that helped boost sales, none more successful than a transcontinental trip from New York to San Francisco undertaken by a team of four lady drivers in 1909. The following year the firm sold over 20,000 cars, a total exceeded only by Ford and Buick. From this high point Maxwell went into decline. Briscoe's ambitious expansion plans proved disastrous; most of the factories were sold off and Jonathan Maxwell moved production to Detroit. Hit hard by the post-WWI depression, Maxwell merged - unsuccessfully - with Chalmers and acquired a new president in the person of Walter Percy Chrysler, whose new marque would rise from the Maxwell-Chalmers ashes.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This lovely little 1905 Maxwell Model L Tourabout features an innovative 2-cylinder water-cooled engine, 2-speed transmission, driveshaft and a steering wheel; very much what was to be expected of the modern motorcar for years to come. This Maxwell joined the Byers collection in 2010, and a Horseless Carriage Club of America Century Old Vehicle badge on the cowl indicates the car has been to Brass Car events in the past. The sporting 2-seat bodywork is finished in red contrasted by a cream-colored chassis and matching pin striping. Phare Solar brass headlights are fitted, and inside, a black tufted interior and a Eight Day Phinney Walker clock is affixed to the dash. An electric starter is fitted for the ease of operation.
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