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1912 Little Roadster

The Little Car Company of Flint, Michigan, produced cars from 1912 through 1913. It was one of two cars William C. Durant had decided to build after being removed from his other company, General Motors. The Company was organized on October 30th, 1911, with the first automobiles appearing a short time later, in mid-1912.

Though they bore the name 'Little,' the cars were not that much smaller than other production vehicles on the road at the time. The 1912 and 1913 four-cylinder Little cars had a wheelbase size of 90 inches. The six-cylinder 1913 Little Touring car was larger, at 106 inches. The company's name was from Durant's former general manager at Buick, William H. Little (who was a rather large man). Alex Hardy was placed in charge of the car's production and produced at the Flint Wagon Works, formerly the location for the production of the Whiting automobile.

The other venture Mr. Durant was involved with during this time was the Chevrolet, named after Louis Chevrolet. Its arrival was announced just a week after the Little Car Company. Production of the Little automobile began much sooner than the Chevrolet. A prototype version of the Chevrolet was shown in mid-1912 and, upon its arrival, did not sit favorably with Mr. Durant. The Little sold for around $690, while the Chevrolet was estimated to sell for at least $2150. Reluctantly, Durant put the Chevrolet into production along with a six-cylinder version of the Little, priced at $1285.

Both the Little and Chevrolet were Durant products, but they were very different. The Chevrolet was carefully designed and well constructed but came with a heft price tag. The Little had been brought to market very quickly and was not as sturdy or as rugged, but it was priced at a more affordable price point.

Sales for the Little automobile were strong, while the Chevrolet's were slow. After just a few years of production, Durant decided to dissolve the Little Car Company but integrate its strong points into the Chevrolet automobile.

The Little automobile production lasted from 1912 through 1913, with around 3500 examples created.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 218

The Little automobile, named for William Little, formerly William Durant's General Manager at Buick, was ironically a big man. Introduced on October 30th, 1911, the Little was a runabout powered by a four-cylinder engine delivering 20 horsepower and priced at $690. In 1912, the company introduced a Little Six, which would become a Chevrolet Light Six in May of 1913, and the Little Four was discontinued entirely.

Little was in business for barely 18 months, with just 3,500 cars produced.

This example has an older restoration with a body that has been rebuilt and finished in light gray paint. The four-cylinder L-head engine develops 20 horsepower and is mated to a three-speed manual gearbox. There are two-wheel mechanical brakes, and the wheelbase measures just 90 inches.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey, presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $20,000-$25,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for $26,400, including the buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan