Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 7 ¤
1914 Imp Model Z Cyclecar Chassis no. 7715 Engine no. 9205
Sold for US$78,400 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 7¤
1914 Imp Model Z Cyclecar
1914 Imp Model Z Cyclecar
Chassis no. 7715
Engine no. 9205
Chassis no. 7715
Engine no. 9205
66.8ci Air-Cooled Vee-Twin
Single carburetor
10.5bhp, 9.1 NACC hp at 1,500rpm
Friction transmission, Belt drive
Independent suspension with transverse leaf springs
Friction rear brakes (see description)
* Representative example of early 20th century cyclecars
* Innovative tandem seating
* Lightweight and quick
* Well-preserved older partial restoration
THE IMP CYCLECAR
The spread of automobiles across America in the early 20th century created demand that was difficult to satisfy at prices within the reach of ordinary Americans. It was still a rural, farm-based society with major distances between many of its residents and their nearest communities. Most automobiles were expensive making an affordable alternative a promising business prospect.
That business opportunity gave rise to a generation of cyclecars, small, lightweight, simple vehicles with basic engines and drivetrains. The Imp Cyclecar Company was one of those, built by Auburn, Indiana based W.H. McIntyre, a modestly successful builder of motorized buggies and wagons based on the earlier Kiblinger. The Imp was designed by William Stout who would later design the well-known Stout Scarab.
The Imp was notable in having a long 100-inch wheelbase with room for two tandem seats. Its low-slung wooden frame and transverse leaf spring suspension was powered by a 10 ½ hp vee-twin air-cooled engine. A friction transmission was used but the most unusual aspect of the Imp was its means of driving the rear wheels: a pair of belts down each side running from a cross shaft to driven sprockets on the rear wheels. Braking was accomplished by wooden blocks pressing into the rear-wheel-drive pulleys. Selling for only $375, it was an effective way to satisfy a young sportsman's need for speed.
THE CAR OFFERED
This Imp was acquired by the Harrah's Automobile Collection in 1961 along with a Stutz Bearcat, Templer [sic] Roadster and Rickenbacker Roadster from The Carriage Cavalcade in Silver Springs, Florida. It is finished in dark green with black upholstery. There is no top. The light-yellow wire wheels carry 30-3 tires.
The paint and upholstery are old and may well date from its acquisition by HAC since a 1961 Research Department note calls out the upholstery pattern as incorrect but is still as described today. The same memo notes that the headlights are missing, and they still are today. It is an intriguing project made even more appealing by its simplicity.
Footnotes
Titled under its engine number.
Additional information
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