1920 Locomobile Model 48 Landaulet

Magazine publisher John Brisben Walker and Amzi Lorenzo Barber, the 'Asphalt King,' took over the steam car business of F.E. and F.O. Stanley in 1899. They gave it the name 'Locomobile' and priced it at $600. By 1901, they were producing approximately 2,200 cars annually. They became the best-selling car in America until 1903 when its sales were overtaken by the curved-dash Oldsmobile.

Engineer Andrew L. Riker was hired by Locomobile to design a gasoline-powered car. The four-cylinder engine was installed in an aluminum-bodied car and priced at $4,000. A twin-cylinder soon followed, but the four won out and by 1905, was the sole model, built in four sizes.

In 1911, Locomobile introduced the Type M. It was powered by a six-cylinder engine that had its cylinders cast in pairs. The balanced crankshaft had seven main bearings. The T-head unit displaced 429 cubic inches and offered 48 horsepower. The '48' grew to 525 cubic inches and its wheelbase to 142 inches. By 1914, a smaller six became the entry-level Locomobile, and the four-cylinder cars were dropped.

This particular 1920 Locomobile Model 48 Series 7 Landaulet has an open chauffeur's compartment and a folding roof for the rear passengers. It wears an older restoration with the body painted green and there are black fenders and moldings. The chauffeur's compartment is done in green buttoned leather, while the passenger compartment is buttoned taupe mohair. There are dual side-mounted spares with mirrors, a running board spotlight, and a hand-wound clock in the passenger compartment. To make the car suitable for modern traffic, directional signals have been installed.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2017