LOT 49

1923 Essex Four Touring with Rex California Top Chassis no. 626266 Engine no. 112390

Sold for US$14,560 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 49

Fitted with an extremely rare Rex all-weather top
1923 Essex Four Touring with Rex California Top

The Greenwich Auction|31 May 2026, 10:00 EDT|Greenwich

1923 Essex Four Touring with Rex California Top
Chassis no. 626266
Engine no. 112390

179ci F-Head Inline Four-Cylinder Engine
Side Draft Essex Carburetor
55bhp at 2,800rpm
Three-Speed Sliding Gear Transmission
Live Axles with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs
Rear Wheel Mechanical Drum Brakes

* Fitted with an extremely rare Rex hard top
* Nicely presented older restoration
* From the last year of four-cylinder production
* A perfect all-weather touring machine

THE ESSEX FOUR

Introduced as a lower-priced companion to the parent Hudson marque in 1919, the first Essex was powered by a four-cylinder, inlet-over-exhaust engine displacing 180 cubic inches (2.9 liters) and producing a class-leading 55bhp. The name soon became synonymous with both high performance and reliability when an Essex averaged over 60mph for 50 hours in December 1919, a stunt which the company followed up by a successful four-car transcontinental trek in 1920. Travelling from San Francisco to New York City, the fastest of the quartet completed its journey in 4 days, 14 hours and 43 minutes.

The company pioneered low-cost closed coachwork in the United States, its two-seater sedan - the cheapest closed car in the USA - being only slightly more expensive than the tourer in 1922 and marginally cheaper by 1925. The Essex was a hit with the buying public. Essex's big news for 1924 was the switch from four to six cylinders, and from then onwards all its models would be sixes.

THE CAR OFFERED

Built toward the very end of production of the Essex Fours, this Touring appears to have been restored several decades ago – likely in the 1970s – and finished in the handsome combination of brown and tan with a brown vinyl interior. Showing well overall, what sets this example apart is the unique and rarely seen roof. Essex did not offer a four-door with a solid roof in 1923, but those wishing for a bit of protection from the elements from find it from a variety of aftermarket producers.

One such company was the Rex Manufacturing Company of Connersville, Indiana. Founded in 1898 as a buggy manufacturer, Rex was swift to recognize the importance of the new horseless carriages and transitioned from building obsolete buggies to weather equipment for vehicles (both horsedrawn and horsepowered) in the form of the Rex Storm Shield. By the teens, Rex had transitioned fully to produced tops and enclosures for automobiles, eventually servicing models from about 50 different manufacturers in the United States – including Essex. When The Great Depression began to eat into the market for new cars, Rex again pivoted – this time to appliances. By 1942, Rex was producing 10% of the refrigerators sold in the United States. Expanding to radio cabinets and enclosures (including for radio magnate and erstwhile vehicle manufacturer Crosley), after WWII Rex became part of Philco and in 1961 was merged into Ford Motor Company.

The rarely seen Rex top on this Essex fully protects the occupants from the outside elements. Fitting tightly onto the bodywork, it has removable window sections that fit onto the top of the doors and B-pillars. Overall, the fit and finish is so nice, one could be forgiving for thinking it came from Essex themselves.

Not often used in recent years, some sympathetic refreshment and recommissioning is recommended before actively touring in this comfortable, all-weather machine.

Additional information

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