1903 Waltham Orient pictures and wallpaper

1903 Waltham Orient news, pictures, and information

This particular Orient was the first piece of automotive equipment ever owned by Ralph De Palma, the famous race driver who was Barney Oldfield's chief rival. Built almost entirely of wood, it has not metal springs. The builder relied on the natural spring of its hickory wood frame. Gas consumption was 35 miles per gallon.

Source - Luray Cavern Museum

Charles H. Metz produced a car named the Orient. It was a small electric roadster that was shown to the public at the New York Auto Show in 1899. It would remain a concept and never put into production. Instead, Metz turned his attention - like many other automakers - to gasoline-powered cars. He became an agent for De Dion-Bouton selling quadricycles and tricycles. For his own line of vehicles, he imported the French Aster engine to provide the power.

By 1902, his company, Waltham Manufacturing, was producing its own engines for their Orient car. During the first year of production, around 50 examples were sold. The following year, the Buckboard was introduced and would remain in production until 1908. As the 1900s progressed, so did the number of bodystyles offered by the Waltham Manufacturing company, including three-passenger cars, tonneau, surrey, and delivery vehicles.

The Buckboard was a simplistic and minimalistic vehicle that was advertised as 'The Cheapest Automobile in the World.' The price was $375 and the single-cylinder engine offered four-horsepower, capable of carrying the car to speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

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Waltham: 1901-1910

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