1912 Mitchell Model 5-6 Roadster

A company in Racine, Wisconsin, built a motorcycle and then the Mitchell automobile, which was launched in 1903. They experimented early on with several powerplants, including two-stroke engines and air-cooling, before eventually settling on a car with a conventional design, with water-cooled engines and shaft drive. Later, they used four- and six-cylinder models and even a short-lived V-8 and a V-12.

The 1912 Model 5-6 Baby Six was an early attempt at a 'downsized' automobile, offering the quality, power, and prestige of the six-cylinder engine but in a more affordable and smaller form.

This Baby Six is an original roadster that was cosmetically refinished several years ago. It is finished in a black-and-white color scheme, with the button-tufted black leather upholstery also being updated. It rides on burgundy-finished wooden artillery wheels with brass hubcaps that bear the Mitchell script. It has acetylene-fired brass headlamps, an original top, original floorboards, and an instrument panel. The F-head four-cylinder engine displaces 364.5 cubic inches and offers nearly 34 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2015