Fore Door Touring

The Havers Company was organized in Port Huron, Michigan in the spring of 1910 by brothers Fred and Ernest. The first cars were built in a plant that formerly housed the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company and in 1912 the company relocated to another Port Huron facility which was formerly used as a factory for the E-M-F automobile.

The first production vehicles were sold in 1911. Named the Six-44, they had six-cylinder engines that produced 44 horsepower and were mounted on a 115-inch wheelbase. In 1912, the wheelbase changed to 122 inches and in 1913 and 1914, larger engines were offered as well as longer wheelbases.

Advertised as the 'big man's automobile' and 'A car as good as it looks', Havers were built from 1910 through July of 1914 when a tragic fire completely destroyed the factory.

Havers was quite conventional in design, except that they featured a considerably longer chassis for the time, thus the advertising claims. One of the unique features is the Prestolite tank that holds the Acetylene gas self-starter. This rare feature pre-dates the electric starter and made these quite desirable.

In 1912, when this example was produced, Havers built and sold 200 vehicles. Unfortunately, in 1914 the factory was destroyed and the company did not have the funds to rebuild.

This 1912 Havers Model Six-44 Touring Car is one of only a few Havers automobiles in existence today (it is one of just three known to exist). This car was driven by actress Debbie Reynolds in the movie 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown.' Debbie Reynolds actually drove this car in several scenes.