1909 Sears Model H Motor Buggy

In 1886, Richard Sears bought a supply of unwanted watches from a jeweler and opened R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A year later Sears moved his company to Chicago. He needed a watchmaker and the first applicant was Alvah C. Roebuck, whom Sears hired.

Throughout the years, the Sears-Roebuck catalogue was the source for products ranging from clothing to toys to household items. In the fall of 1908, the catalogue included, for the first time, an automobile: The Sears Motor Buggy.

In its initial production year of 1909, the Sears was offered only as a $395, solid-tired runabout. Starting in 1910, Sears offered five different models. The car was designed with an angle-iron frame, four full elliptical springs, and Timken roller bearings for each wheel. The engine was a 10-horsepower air-cooled engine with a top speed of 25 mph.

You had color choices back then - red, black, or a combination of green and black. You could pick the car up in Chicago or have it delivered by rail to the closest depot. All the new owner had to do was uncrate it, and do some minor assembly. Unfortunately, Sears found that the cost of production was more than they were getting out of a sale. So, in 1912, Sears turned over the machinery and closed its doors.