1926 Minerva AF

Société Anonyme Minerva Motors was established in 1903 by Sylvain de Jong, a manufacturer of bicycles and motorcycles in Antwerp, Belgium. The automobiles were initially powered by a variety of engines of side-valve configuration. They were popular in the United Kingdom where they were promoted by the firm's London agent, David Citroën, who had joined the Minerva Company in 1903. In 1908 the company obtained a license to produce engines in the Charles Yale Knight sleeve-valve design. Every Minerva vehicle that followed until the end of production in 1939 would feature sleeve-valve engines.

Minerva earned a reputation for their build quality, advanced engineering, and craftsmanship. The vehicle's they built were popular among Europe's elite as well as with the wealthy and famous in the United States. The cantilevered rear leaf-spring suspension, which it shared with the Rolls-Royce, put it on par with the smoothness of its ride and ease of maintenance. The quiet operation was attributed to its sleeve-valve engine.

By 1910 all Minerva automobiles were powered by Knight engines. The larger models, such as the MM, were popular with European royalty, including the Kings of Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. The elegant and well-engineered automobile soon made Minerva the largest car plant in Belgium, employing 1,600 workers.

In 1926, Minerva introduced the AF model. A year later, the company joined with another Belgian automaker, Farbrique Nationale, who had been manufacturing automobiles since 1899 and would continue into the 1930s, making it Belgium's longest-lived make of car. Also in 1927, the engine in the AF was increased to 6 liters with double sleeve valves.

For buyers seeking a sportier version of the AF, Minerva offered the AFS or Sport model. It had a shortened chassis, sporting coachwork, and a 5925cc Double Sleeve-Valve six-cylinder engine with a Zenith dual carburetor rated at 32 CV.

The Great Depression of the 1930s crippled Minerva's business. The company's fortunes declined steadily, and in October of 1935, it merged with Belgium's only other surviving motor car manufacturer, Imperia. The Minerva company limped along for another year or two, and after World War II, the company produced Land Rovers under license from the Belgian Army.

by Dan Vaughan

Town Car by Paul Ostruk Coachworks
Chassis number: 56543
Engine number: 56544 AI

Paul Ostruk of New York was a Czech émigré who had arrived in America in 1908. He became a coachbuilder and worked at the coachbuilder A.T. Demarest. He subsequently met and teamed up with Emerson Brooks. Brooks was a designer for coachbuilder J.M. Quinby & Co. and treasurer for the Automobile Club of America. The Ostruk and Brooks partnership prospered as Brooks was well-connected and Ostruk had a talent for coachwork. The Brooks-Ostruk company often worked with Pierce-Arrow or Packard frames and built bodies with European flare.

Ostruk was able to acquire Minerva chassis, often for more favorable terms than similar American contemporaries. This led to an agency for Minerva, until the depression began to cripple both companies.

By 1923, the collaboration between Brooks and Ostruck had been dissolved and in its wake would form Paul Ostruk & Co, New York. Most of the Ostruk Minervas was built on the largest horsepower six-cylinder cars, such as the AF.

This particular Town Car is a Minerval AF with coachwork by Paul Ostruk Co Inc. It was purchased by Jacques Vander Stappen from Seymour Rappaport of Teaneck, New Jersey in May of 1988. At the time of purchase, the car had 17,000 original miles. Mr. Rappaport is believed to have purchased the car in the 1970s. Mr. Rappaport had retrieved it from a garage where it may have slumbered for more than four decades. The car was given a restoration, and its two-tone original color scheme was replicated.

While in the care of the past two owners, an additional 20,000 miles have been added to its speedometer reading.

by Dan Vaughan