1911 Oldsmobile Autocrat Runabout

During the early years of the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, the company experimented with a variety of vehicles including some electric vehicles but settled on building a small, single-cylinder car that would soon become the best-selling car in America from 1901 to 1904. Their small car weighed only 650 pounds and ironically sold for $650.

In 1904, Olds left the company and started a new company bearing his initials, R.E.O. The company built cars in Lansing from 1905 until the mid-1930s. After Olds left the Oldsmobile Company, the company began producing large and expensive vehicles and became the flagship, luxury division of the new General Motors Company when it joined in 1908.

In 1911, Oldsmobile produced four and six-cylinder vehicles. The Autocrat was the largest four-cylinder vehicle built by Olds and carries a rare sporting roadster body, making it one of Detroit's first high-performance 'muscle cars.'

Over the past 70 years, this Autocrat roadster has had just three owners. It was given a comprehensive restoration in the 2000s, after which the car enjoyed display in a private museum collection. When new, it was apparently finished in the unusual three-passenger roadster configuration. By the early 1950s, the car was discovered by Barney Pollard. At some point, the car was converted to a service vehicle of some kind with an elevated floodlight in place of the rear seat.

The Autocrat remained in Mr. Pollard's care for over two decades. In the early 1970s, the car was sold to Dick and Sue Neller who treated it to a restoration by Eldon Ebry. A single rear seat was installed and the body was refinished in light grey paint with black fenders.

In 2005 the Autocrat was purchased from Mrs. Neller by Jim Bradley, and he commissioned a frame-off restoration that included repainting the frame and exterior in a two-tone scheme of light and dark red and installing an electric starter for more reliable operation. In 2009 it was shown at the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, winning a class award and the Most Significant General Motors Car Award.