1922 Milburn Electric Model 27L Brougham

From the dawn of automobile production, several sources of power have been attempted. Early on, much experimentation occurred with steam and electricity, but it would be the internal combustion with an electric starter that would eventually win. Electric cars were clean, quiet, and easy to operate, but they suffered from limited range and lack of infrastructure, for homes without electricity lacked the means to recharge batteries. Electric mains did not reach a significant portion of the United States population until 1910.

The Milburn Wagon Company of Toledo, Ohio entered the car building business in 1914. They offered an electric vehicle that had a battery pack on rollers, allowing fresh batteries to be quickly installed and eliminating the downtime for charging.

Most of the Milburn-built vehicles had the high-roof 'phone booth' body style, though they did build a roadster, a delivery van, and a town car. The early years of production were prosperous for the company, selling 1,000 cars in 1915 and 1,500 the following year. From 1919, the Light Brougham became the standard model. Production would continue until 1923, at which point the factory was sold to General Motors.

This Milburn Light Brougham is a 1922 model that was owned for many years by Col. David E. Wolff, of Closter, New Jersey. James Cousens later purchased it and began a frame-up restoration in 2006. The next owner was the John O'Quinn Collection.

This Model 27L electric vehicle is finished in silver-grey with black fenders. It is powered by a 76-volt General Electric DC motor controlled with four forward speeds and two reverse speeds. The wheelbase measures 105 inches, and there are two-wheel mechanical brakes. The interior is elegant with intricate petit-point embroidery in a very high-fashion motif.

In 2012, this car was offered for sale at the St. Johns Concours auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $50,000-$80,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for $56,100 inclusive of the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2012

The golden age of the electric car did not begin until 1910, when electric mains had reached a sizable portion of the United States population. The Milburn Wagon Company of Toledo, Ohio entered the business in 1914. An advantage of the Milburn was a battery pack on rollers, allowing fresh batteries to be quickly installed, thus eliminating the downtime for charging. Most Milburns were of the high-roof 'phone booth' style. When fully charge this vehicle was capable of a range of 100 miles at about 30 mph. There are 14 6-volt batteries powering this vehicle. The company was bought by General Motors in 1923, and the electric car division was closed and production ceased.