1903 Thomas Rear Entrance Tonneau

The E.R. Thomas Motor Company began producing automobiles in 1903 after several years of selling motor bicycles. The company became famous for the Thomas Flyer, one of America's most successful automobiles, which won the 1908 New York to Paris Road Race. The Model 18 was the more expensive of the two Thomas models offered in 1903 and was only built in this body style with an 8-horsepower, single-cylinder engine.

This 1903 Thomas Rear Entrance Tonneau is one of only three known to exist. It was purchased in 2014 from the longtime collector Johnny Crowell, who had bought the car from the Harrah Collection 38 years earlier.

The Model 17 was the first production automobile produced by the E.R. Thomas Motor Company and quickly established the company's reputation for expensive, well-built, performance automobiles. Its water-cooled, single-cylinder engine displaced 106 cubic inches and produced eight horsepower. The Model 18 was a more deluxe version with an all-steel frame, a three-speed transmission, and improvements to the engine, which included a camshaft-operated intake valve.

During the early burgeoning era of the horseless carriage, the companies that often succeeded were utilitarian in nature. The engines were not powerful enough to carry the additional weight of non-essential luxury items. Performance, durability, and reliability suffered as the weight increased. The E.R. Thomas Motor Company, however, defied conventional practices and succeeded where others failed, and they were one of the earliest American 'luxury' car manufacturers.

The history of this Model 18 traces to the early 1950s when it was in the ownership of Bay Area Horseless Carriage Club of America member Iver Iverson. It was given a restoration by Mr. Iverson while in his care, with the body being modified via substitution of a rear-entrance tonneau from a 1903 Ford.

Around the close of the 1960s, the car was loaned to Bill Harrah so his restoration staff could study and replicate the car to complete their work on Harrah's own Model 18. In exchange, Mr. Iverson's Model 18 received a full set of fenders.

After Mr. Iverson passed away, his Model 18 was acquired by Johnny Crowell of San Ramon, California, who quickly added a pair of wicker baskets. After forty-five years of ownership, Mr. Iverson sold the car to the current caretaker, who soon embarked on a concours-grade restoration executed by their in-house restoration team in Valencia, California. Using another surviving Model 18 as a guide, the team recreated every detail of the car's original factory-supplied rear-entrance tonneau. Their efforts were rewarded with a Third-in-Class award at the 2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Two years later, it earned Best of Show at the Greystone Mansion Concours d'Elegance in Beverly Hills. In July 2023, the Thomas participated in the Thomas Flyer Week festivities in Buffalo, New York.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2024