Formerly in the Auburn Cord Duesenberg and Merrick Auto Museum Collections
1901 Gasmobile 9hp Three-Cylinder Stanhope

• The sole restored surviving Gasmobile
• 1977 AACA National First Prize winner
• Formerly of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum collection
• Dated by the Veteran Car Club and with entry to the 2023 London to Brighton
• Much mechanical refurbishment carried out by NP Veteran Engineering Ltd.

Like so many pioneering automobiles, the Gasmobile amounted to little more than a "flash in the pan," producing fewer than 150 cars over a brief few years before the bankers came knocking at the factory gates. Beginning in 1899, the Automobile Company of America of New York, New York, offered a range of small cars under the brand names American or American Voiturette. In 1900, company president John H. Flager changed the car's name to Gasmobile, finding it less obscure. The firm had strong backing from several influential industrialists, including Albert T. Otto and Robert L. Stevens, while engineering was handled by chief designer Alexander Fischer, inventor of an automatic starting device. It also benefitted from partnerships with the American Motor Company and the French Decauville automobile, which influenced the Gasmobile's engine design.

Hardly short on ambition, Gasmobile advertised itself as "the finest road carriage built in America" and pushed out multiple models including a single-cylinder, three-cylinder, four-cylinder, and a six-cylinder, with outputs ranging from 3 to 25 bhp. The Gasmobile proved to be a capable motorcar, sweeping the competitions for gasoline vehicles at the Automobile Club of America's show at Madison Square Garden and taking first prize in the Long Island Endurance Contest.

Unfortunately for Gasmobile, its resources were spread too thin, too quickly. The sole flagship six, ordered by Mr. C.V. Brokaw for the 1902 New York Automobile Show, had the potential to become America's first six-cylinder production car – had the company built more than that solitary example. The receivers entered the fray in March of 1902, and by August that year, Gasmobile's production facilities were ordered sold at public auction.

This uniquely charming 1901 Gasmobile Stanhope is the only known restored example from this short-lived marque. Presented in a splendid green and yellow livery, it embodies the spirit of early motoring with its unusual rear-mounted horizontal three-cylinder layout, chain drive, and carriage-like body. Following deaccession from the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum Collection, it was acquired by a private collector who embarked on a comprehensive restoration, consuming some 1,400 hours. The restored Gasmobile earned an Antique Automobile Club of America National First Prize award in 1977, and in 1983, it participated in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. It later passed to the Merrick Auto Museum Collection and was acquired from that collection on its dispersal in 2019.

The green body is accented with a yellow chassis and wheels, with brass Gray & Davis lamps, brass horn, and black leather seat upholstery. It has been lovingly maintained in the years since its refurbishment and remains in fine order, possessing a mellowed character inviting regular enjoyment.

On acquisition, the car was supplied to respected specialists NP Veteran Engineering Ltd. who carried out extensive mechanical refurbishment to ensure that the car could be used and toured. This included the fitting of a new crankshaft, new pistons, new big ends, new exhaust valve guides, cylinder head studs as well as a new drip feed oiler. New differential gears were made and fitted, while the wheels were also rebuilt and rims replaced where needed. Aiding its practical use, a dynastart was added. All told invoices are on file for in excess of £70,000. When completed, the car was submitted for Veteran Car Club dating and the summary of its research in the comprehensive report was that the car would have been manufactured in late 1901.
The accompanying Dating Certificate issued in 2022, ensures its car's eligibility for the prestigious London-Brighton Veteran Car Run, for which it is entered this year. As a multi-cylinder car with an early start number, 82, it has much potential for a swift ride to the coast!

The only restored Gasmobile known, this wonderful motorcar presents a unique opportunity to acquire a truly one-of-a-kind piece of motoring history.