1911 Oldsmobile Autocrat Tourer

Founded in Lansing, Michigan, in 1897 by Ransom E. Olds, the Olds Motor Works launched its Curved-Dash Oldsmobile in 1901. Priced at just $650, the single-cylinder gas-buggy weighed only 700 pounds. Between 1902 and 1905, it would be America's best-selling car.

In 1904, Olds sold out to his stockholders. The company's new management shifted its focus to luxury cars. By 1908 - the year Billy Durant's General Motors bought Oldsmobile - the Lansing automaker built only top-end models, priced from $2,750 to $4,500.

Oldsmobile was the flagship luxury division of General Motors when this 1911 Autocrat was made. The 40-horsepower Autocrat and 60-horsepower Limited ranked with the biggest and most powerful cars of the period. The massive Autocrat four-cylinder and Limited six-cylinder engines shared a five-inch by six-inch bore and stroke.

Spanning a 124-inch wheelbase, the Autocrat was equipped with 38 x 4.5-inch tires on demountable rims. Even with the tall tires, Oldsmobile advertised the Autocrat as having 'a very low center of gravity.'

Upholstered in hand-buffed leather, this Autocrat Touring model seated seven passengers. It shared its $3,500 factory list price with three other 1911 Autocrat open models. A closed Limousine was available for $5,000.

The more than 900 workers employed by Oldsmobile during 1911 built just 1,000 Autocrats and 250 Limiteds that year.