1904 Holsman Model 3

Chicago-based Holsman Automobile Works was established by architects Henry K. Holsman and C.H. Bryan. In production from 1902 to 1911, the company is remembered as a producer of America's first and best-known 'High-Wheelers.' After two years of production, the company's production facilities were enlarged six-fold allowing production to grow substantially.

Mr. Holsman's first automobile used a Manila rope for its final drive and the hand-operated brakes acted directly on the solid rubber tires. The rope proved unsatisfactory after it sustained wet-weather use, so its design was improved with a chain braided over with manila and steel wire. Eventually, a chain was adopted.

Simplicity would remain paramount for the company, as its chassis utilized a steel-braced wooden structure suspended by elliptical springing at both ends. A single vertical tiller operated the brakes and the transmission. The most prominent feature was the high wheels leading to the 'high wheeler nomenclature. With lightweight construction and large diameter wheels, the Holsman vehicles had a high ground clearance and were ideally suited for the rough and rugged dirt roads of North America's Midwest prairies. A twin-cylinder horizontally opposed air-cooled engine initially offered 5 horsepower, later increasing to 12 horsepower. By 1909, the company offered a four-cylinder 26hp model. A surrey model on a longer wheelbase was added to the range for 1905.

As the automotive marketplace evolved, Holsman remained true to its initial concept, with runabout / buggy bodies and high wheels. As the company's rivals switched to pneumatic tires, Holsman remained faithful to its wooden, solid rubber tires. The Ford Model T's arrival in 1908 brought the country's first wide-scale expansion into motoring as horse-drawn carriages were rapidly replaced by motorcars. A decline in demand for Holsman's horseless carriage sent the company into receivership by 1910. Mr. Holsman left the Chicago area and relocated to Plano, Illinois, where he created another company called the Independent Harvester. This new business venture was (predictably) even less successful.

by Dan Vaughan

Runabout

Henry Kerchner Holsman, an architect who held over 1,000 patents, built his first car, a two-seat 'high-wheeler' Runabout in 1903. Designed to cope with the rough prairie roads of the Midwest, it easily traversed the heavily rutted mud and clay. The first Holsman car had a 6-horsepower engine and was equipped with a patented rope direct drive system and unique tiller steering. At the 1908 Algonquin (Illinois) Hill Climb two 12-horsepower Holsman Runabouts came first and second in the Motor Buggie class. The Holsman Company closed in 1910 after building around 2,500 cars - all with distinctive high-wheel chassis.

This preserved 1904 Holsman Model 3 Runabout retains all of its original equipment. It was purchased by Henry Holsman's grandchildren in 2004 from the original owner's widow.

Runabout
Chassis number: 1893

The high-wheeler was essentially a horseless carriage that was without a horse but instead powered by a motor. Henry Holsman, the founder of the Holsman Automobile Company of Chicago, Illinois created a simplistic design. Initially, the driveline was a manila rope. This, however, proved unsatisfactory when it encountered wet weather. Later, Holsman and his associate, C. H. Bryan, devised a chain braided over with manila and steel wire. Braking was operated by a hand-operated device and applied directly against the solid rubber tires. Steering was controlled by a right-hand tiller.

This particular example is a Model 3 Roadster that was owned in 1961 by James B. Howell. It is currently finished in the classic Holsman livery of black with red trim. It has spindly wooden wheels and solid rubber tires.

by Dan Vaughan