1911 Mitchell Model R

Sold for $41,250 at 2007 Vintage Motor Cars at Hershey.
The Mitchell Motor Car Company produced automobiles from 1903 through 1923 and was based in Racine, Wisconsin. The company was originally a bicycle company named Wisconsin Wheel Works but changed after its first vehicles were introduced in 1903. Their first cars were a two-cylinder chain-driven runabout. They experimented with air-cooling and two-stroke engines for a while before settling on a four-cylinder unit in 1907 with shaft drive and water-cooled.

As the years progressed, the roadways became better suited for higher-speed transportation, and the coachwork on the vehicles became larger and heavier. By 1910 Mitchell introduced their six-cylinder engine, and the public approved. Total production for the Mitchell Company in 1910 reached 5,000. A V8 unit was introduced in 1916, but it was a short-lived, one-year-only occurrence. All Mitchells in the following years were powered by six-cylinder engines. Sales in 1917 and 1919 were rather strong, surpassing 10,000 units in both years. As the post-war recession began during the early 1920s, the sales of Mitchell Cars decreased. In 1921 fewer than 2500 units were produced. By 1924 the company was out of business.

This 1911 Mitchell Model R 5-Passenger Phaeton was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars sale at Hershey, PA, presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $15,000 - $25,000. It was offered without reserve and sold for a high bid of $41,250, including the buyer's premium. It is powered by an F-head four-cylinder engine that displaces 284 cubic inches and produces 30 horsepower. There is a three-speed manual gearbox and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes. The 100-inch wheelbase is suspended in place by a solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and a live rear axle with 3/4-elliptic leaf springs.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007