Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 1 ¤
1913 Metz Model 22 Runabout Engine no. 18648
Sold for US$20,160 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 1¤
1913 Metz Model 22 Runabout
1913 Metz Model 22 Runabout
Engine no. 18648
Engine no. 18648
143.1ci L-Head Four-Cylinder Engine
Single American Watch Tool Carburetor
22bhp
Infinitely Variable Friction Transmission, Double Chain Drive
Live Axles with Elliptical Leaf Springs
Mechanical Rear Wheel Drum Brakes
* Sold in fourteen parts packages at $27 each, the "Metz Plan"
* Infinitely variable friction drive
Harrah's "Gold Star" restoration
* A straightforward recommissioning project
THE CAR OFFERED
This 1913 Metz Model 22 Runabout is a Harrah's Automobile Collection "Gold Star" restoration that embodies the essential elements of the Charles Metz value proposition. Its 22hp 143.1 cubic inch four-cylinder engine is enough to power it through the toughest conditions of early 20th century motoring. Its infinitely variable friction drive transmission (dubbed "Pressure Drive" by Metz to separate it from other, usually unsuccessful, friction drive systems) was so effective that Metz offered a $1000 reward to anyone who could document "a hill on any Traveled highway which the Metz 'Twenty-Two' cannot climb."
Presented in blue with yellow coachlines, its black leather upholstery is protected by a black cloth top and a canvas weather front. It has acetylene headlights, an acetylene generator and kerosene sidelights and taillight. The single 2-person seat is augmented by a flat topped toolbox on the rear deck behind the cylinder bolster tank. Someone could, precariously, sit back there in a pinch. The 30-inch wood spoke wheels are finished in yellow with 30x3 tires. Touches of brass highlight the headlights and sidelights. The engine has a single carburetor identified as being made by the American Watch Tool company, appropriate for the Waltham, Massachusetts based Metz as Waltham was then the center of the finest watch and clock manufacturing in the world.
The Harrah's Automobile Collection restoration is old, but well-maintained. There is a Harrah's sticker on the weather front that dates its last startup to 3-6-75. The paint, upholstery and top are in very good condition for their age. The engine compartment is dry, as in no fuel or coolant, with some accumulated dust from long display. This quality old restoration deserves to be brought back to life, and the Metz story still has lessons for marketers and entrepreneurs.
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| ¤ | No Reserve |
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