1912 Premier Model 6-60 Roadster

One of the early pioneers of automobile production, George B. Weidely built and sold a buggy powered by a water-cooled engine in 1902. The following year, with the help of Harold O. Smith, the Premier Motor Manufacturing Company was formed. The water-cooled engine had been an experiment, and it was Weidely's belief that an air-cooled engine would be a better alternative. The Premier cars would be powered using this type of design. With a capital stock of $50,000, the company began producing vehicles. The engine featured overhead valves and powered the rear wheels via a sliding gear transmission and shaft drive.

The company produced 25 vehicles in 1903, followed by 50 in 1904. Production would double in 1905 and then double again (to 200) in 1906. In 1907, the company utilized engines that were both air and water-cooled. Production would rise to 250 that year.

The Premier cars, with their large green oak leaf on the radiator badge (often cited as the first use of an emblem as an automotive trademark), were quick to differentiate their automobiles from other Indiana manufacturers. They built a reputation as builders of superb touring cars. By 1910, they had completed three Glidden tours with a perfect score. The company also had an interesting connection with Los Angeles, organizing a tour of 10 wealthy customers to promote the Transcontinental Highway Project and the reliability of their vehicles.

For 1911, the company would produce a thousand vehicles in two model ranges, a four-cylinder powered Model 4-40, and a six-cylinder Model 6-60. Both came available in four body styles including a Roadster, Clubman, Tourer, and Limousine. The Model 4-40 had a wheelbase size of 126 inches while the Model 6-60 with its 60 horsepower engine measured 140 inches. These cars featured self-contained circulating splash lubrication and a low frame.

This Model 6-60 Roadster is powered by a 501 cubic-inch T-Head 6-cylinder engine that was cast in pairs. There is a single Stromberg carburetor and a three-speed selective sliding gearbox.

In the 1950s, the car was in the care of Steven R. Gasparovich of Peoria, Illinois. The next owner was George Ken Sorensen of Pasadena, California. In his care, the car was cosmetically restored.

The next owner was J.B. Nethercutt of Sylmar, CA who purchased it on June 29th of 1964. A mechanical restoration was undertaken in February 1967. In 1968, the Premier Roadster made an extended East Coast trip appearing at the Glidden Tour in Vermont, where it was awarded the Lincoln Highway Tire Co. Award, and at the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey, it received a 1st Junior Award. It was later shown at the 1972 Horseless Carriage Club of America's National Convention and Car Display in Pasadena.

The car is finished in cream and the bodywork appears to be authentic. There are Gray & Davis cowl lamps, a Warner clock, an Autometer speedometer, an exhaust cut-out, belly pans, and an Eisenmann magneto. There is an air starter that consists of a pressure pump and an air-cylinder. As the car is about to stop, the driver turns on the air-pump and turns off all the valves tightly. To start the car again, all that is required is to open the proper valves and the air distributor shoots the air through tiny pipes into the combustion chamber. The car should start with virtually no noise.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company. the car was estimated to sell for $200,000 - $300,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $297,000 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010