1916 Locomobile Model 38 Custom Roadster

The Locomobile Model 38 had a generous 140-inch wheelbase chassis and was powered by a robust 425 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine offering 63 horsepower. Although slightly smaller and less powerful than its Model 48 sibling, the Model 38 was among the most expensive on the market with prices that ranged from $4,400 to $5,700.

This Model 38 wears custom roadster coachwork by Healey & Co. of New York City, a company that was founded in 1849 to build high-quality carriages and coaches. They later switched to automobile body production and ceased production by the mid-1920s.

The original owner of this Model 38 was R. Bleeker Rathbone, an insurance executive from White Plains, New York. Around 1930, it was purchased from a junkyard in Rockville Centre, New York by a teenage Donald Cardwell. Mr. Cardwell named the Locomobile 'Pegasus,' reflective in the 'Pegasus' radiator badge and Pegasus hood ornament that remain on the car today.

The Locomobile was put into storage by 1938 and did not see use again until after World War II. In 1947, Mr. Cardwell returned the car to the road briefly, with 1949 being its final registration for road use.

'Pegasus' was extracted from the Cardwell carriage house in Massapequa, New York, in 2009 when it was sold to Walter McCarthy. The car was quickly sold to Mark J. Smith and remained with him until his passing in 2021. It was displayed at the Antique Automobile Club of America museum when displayed in the 2017 exhibition, Garage Finds: Unrestored Treasures that Survived Time, but it has not been shown since.

This Locomobile Model 38 is in highly original condition, finished in a blue-green tone that may well be its original paint. There is original tufted leather upholstery, original side curtains, and an original top boot cover. The rumble seat is concealed below the tapered rear deck, and there is a fold-down windshield and dual rear-mounted spare tires.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023