1909 Locomobile Model 30 Speedster

In 1908, the Locomobile, famously known as 'Old 16', won the Vanderbilt Cup contest on Long Island. It was originally built for the 1906 Vanderbilt race, where it was piloted as #12, by Joe Tracy. It won the elimination race and had the fastest lap time of any entry. During the main race, tire trouble and a muddy course consigned Tracy and the Locomobile to finish in 10th place. French driver Louis Wagner took the sport's first checkered flag in a Darracq. There was no 1907 Vanderbilt Cup race, as a melee broke out in the crowds at the 1906 event, resulting in the death of a spectator.

For the 1908 event, the race promoter William 'Willie K.' Vanderbilt II had completed a private highway, the Long Island Motor Parkway, which provided a safer course for the race. Locomobile entered their two-year-old racer and re-numbered as 16. This time, George Robertson was tasked with piloting the car, setting a furious pace, and winning the race with a new record average speed of 64.3 mph. Old 16 spent many of its later years with artist Peter Helck, and is currently in the collection of The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan.

Though the company was capable, it did not offer a speedster to the public. Many inspired individuals created their own, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, when cars with derelict bodywork were fairly plentiful.

This example has a Second Prize brass plaque on the dashboard, from the 50th-anniversary celebration of that famous 1908 Vanderbilt race, which was held on October 25, 1958, at Old Westbury, Long Island. It is not known who performed the speedster conversion, but it owes much of its design inspiration to the Bearcat and Raceabout. There is a monocle windshield, brass lighting, a center-mounted Rushmore spotlight, gas headlights, and kerosene side lamps. There is removable leather upholstery, a Warner Auto Meter odometer-speedometer fitted to the dashboard, a Warner Chelsea clock, and the ignition is of a Bosch dual-coil system.

This car rides on Firestone Non-Skid tires with dual spares at the rear. It is finished in dark blue paint, which is accented with white pin-striping.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2014