1913 Rambler Model 83 Cross Country Touring

During the 1890s, the Rambler was the second-best-selling bicycle in the United States. As the Nineteenth Century came into view, Thomas Jeffery became interested in the automobile. A single-cylinder Rambler car was built in 1897. The following year, he and his son Charles built two more cars and exhibited them in shows in his home city of Chicago and in New York. The cars had two-cylinder engines mounted in the front. The cars were left-hand drive.

Jefferys sold his bicycle business in 1901 to Colonel Albert Pope's American Bicycle Company. Jefferys went into the auto industry using his 1898 car as a guide for the production version. In February 1902, the production version was introduced and it was rather different from the prior models. It was powered by a single-cylinder engine that had been placed under the seat. A tiller on the right was used to control the vehicle. During its first year, 1500 buyers agreed with the car at a cost of $750.

By 1905 and 1906 the Rambler Company was in third place in terms of sales. They remained in the top ten throughout the decade. In 1910, Thomas Jeffery died of a heart attack and in 1914 Charles re-christened the Rambler with the family name. After nearly escaping death when the Lusitania sank, Charles acquired a new outlook on life and chose to retire. The company was sold in 1916 to Charles Nash. The Rambler name soon faded away, replaced with the 'Nash'.

There was only one series produced by Rambler in 1913, and it was the Model 83. It was available in four body styles with the seven-passenger Gotham limousine being the most exclusive. The four-passenger coupe was just below the limousine in terms of cost. The two-three-passenger roadster and the four-five-passenger touring car both shared the name 'Cross Country'. Their cars were guaranteed for 10,000 miles in 1913.

This 1913 Rambler Model 83 Cross Country Touring is painted Brewster Green with black fenders, splash aprons, and a hood. It was restored in 2001. It was offered for sale at the 2007 Bonhams Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia at the Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club where it was sold for $60,000 plus Premium and tax.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2008