1912 Pope-Hartford Model 27

Colonel Albert Pope invested his bicycle wealth in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, entering the automobile business in 1896. He is credited with being the first manufacturer to mass-produce automobiles; convinced that electric cars were the way to go, he produced over 500 of these vehicles in 1899. He also dabbled in building cars with internal-combustion engines, and soon after the turn of the century, he established several divisions, including the Pope-Toledo and Pope-Waverly. The longest-running of these was the Pope-Hartford, located in Hartford, Connecticut. By 1909, the Pope-Hartford was a well-regarded luxury car with a reputation built on endurance racing.

This 1912 Pope was sold new in San Francisco by the Consolidated Motor Car Company, and it has remained in California ever since. It was owned for many years by Lou La Bonte, a well-known restaurateur in Auburn, California, and several photographs of the car remained on the walls of his restaurant for decades. The Harrah Collection bought the car in 1957 and a full restoration was completed in 1958. This Pope-Hartford was one of William Harrah's favorite touring cars. The current owners acquired it from The Harrah Collection in 1984 and have continued to use the car as extensively as the previous few owners. They have done two Millard Newman Trans-Continental Tours as well as a tour of Great Britain. This car is one of just two existing 1912 Pope-Hartford Model 27s, and the only Model 27 with this Pony Tonneau-style body.