Ten Early Motorcars over 27 years 1885-1912

Click each photo to see a full screen shot. Enlarges better on desktops than smartphones. Each of the 10 cars was designed for production, not just to be viewed as experimental prototypes.

Some basics: A bell was used instead of an electric horn, headlights were gas-powered, and the engine was started with a crank. Car batteries didn't become widely used until about 1920 when cars became equipped with electric starters. The sealed battery, which did not require refilling, was invented in 1971. Those were the days.

Click here for a great Wikipedia article, including photos, of the New York to Paris car race of 1908. Famously alluded to in the 1965 comedy-melodrama "The Great Race" with Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood.

PhotoYear ▲▼NameComments
1885Benz Patent-Motorwagen25 sold 1886-1893
1891Peugeot Type 364 built 1891-1894
1897Peugeot Type 15276 built 1897-1901
1897Daimler EnglandStarted in 1897 selling 3 cars a week.
1900MercedesDesigned by Austrian diplomat Emil Jellinek, named after his daughter, and built by Wilhelm Maybach, partner of Daimler (who was now deceased).
1901Oldsmobile Curved DashIn 1901 produced 425 off Assembly line.
In 1902 2500 cars produced.
In 1908 sold company to General Motors, whose founder William Durant had bailed out the Buick company in 1904.
1903Wolseley MotorsStarted in England in 1901
1905Peugeot BabyOver 3000 built 1905-1916
1910Model T FordIn 1903 started company. Launched the Model T Ford in 1908 and sold millions over 20 years of assembly line production.
1912HumberStarted in England in 1901

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