1922 Maxwell Model 25 Touring

In 1903, Benjamin Briscoe and J.P. Morgan provided financial backing to Jonathan Maxwell to build his two-cylinder car. Seven years later, the Maxwell Company sold over 20,000 cars annually, making Maxwell third in automobile production. Buick and Ford held the title as the number one and number two producers of automobiles.

The Model 25 had a long production lifespan and was owned by several well-known individuals, such as Jack Benny and Mel Blanc. Blanc did an impersonation of the car's sputtering engine in his act. Benny owned his Model 25 for over twenty years.

This Touring car was used by Jack Benny in Arizona for public relations events. It was treated to a restoration that began in 1963 and ended a year later. The car still shows well in modern times though it has lost much of its patina. There are four embossed aluminum step plates, a Moto-Meter, a chrome radiator shell, a side-mounted spare tire, and running boards. The transmission is the same one it left the Maxwell factory in 1925, but the engine is a correct spare.

In 2008 this car was brought to the 2nd Annual Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey presented by RM Auctions, where it was estimated to sell for $20,000 - $30,000. It was offered without reserve. It was one of the first cars of the day to cross the block. When the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for a high bid of $18,700, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2008