1908 Thomas Flyer F Tourabout

The original owner of this Touring car was Auto Club of America founder J. Herbert Carpenter of Ossining, New York. The car was delivered on October 20th, 1908. Mr. Carpenter would be the car's caretaker for over 30 years. In the 1920s, he drove it on a cross-country trek. He even used it in the earliest AACA events.

The next owner was Joe Tracy, who later sold it to the Thompson Products Company, which would be the basis of the Crawford/Western Reserve Historical Society Museum collection in Cleveland, Ohio. The collection soon grew, and by 1951, the Thomas was de-accessioned. C.F. Greiner, a former worker for E.R. Thomas, purchased the car for $300. A restoration soon followed, and two or three years later, the Historical Society exercised their 'first right of refusal' and re-acquired the car. The car would remain in that collection until 1990.

In 1990, part of the collection was brought to the market, including the Thomas. It was purchased by a new collector named Vijay Mallya of the Kingfisher Breweries fame. Mr. Mallya retained the car for a few years in the U.K. before selling it with the Brooks/Bonhams team to the current owner.

In 2010, the car was offered for sale at the Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia auction presented by Bonhams. It was sold for $733,000 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2010