1908 Success Model C

Sold for $18,400 at 2013 Bonhams - The Scottsdale Auction.
The Success Auto-Buggy Manufacturing Company was founded by John C. Higdon in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906. They emulated a buggy design Higdon had created in 1896. They were essentially a buggy with a 2/3 horsepower single-cylinder engine mounted on the right side of the wooden frame and body driving the rear wheels through a chain drive mechanism. These high-wheeled gasoline-powered buggies appealed to skeptical farmers who had to traverse deeply rutted tracks. Success was one of the few high-wheeler manufacturers to adopt the steering wheel and mount it in the middle of the boxy body in front of the buggy seat, just where a farmer would have sat when driving a horse. This helped make the transition easier and the prospect of driving something that did not require being fed after the journey was completed. In keeping with its buggy persona, the Success High Wheeler had a center-pivot front axle for steering.

In 1907, the company augmented the side-mounted single-cylinder engine with a more conventional horizontally opposed two-cylinder unit mounted below the floorboards. It drove through a planetary gearbox to a double chain drive to the rear wheels. In 1907, the engines were rated at ten horsepower. In 1908 and 1909, that figure rose to 12 horsepower. 1909 would be the final year of production for the Success Company.

This example is a 1908 or 1909 Model C with an opposed twin-cylinder engine. It has been owned by the Miller Carriage Collection for many years and is largely original and unrestored. The wood body and frame are sound, and the upholstery on the buckboard seat and dashboard appears original. There is a pair of kerosene side lights.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2013

The Success Auto Buggy Manufacturing Company was based in St. Louis, Missouri, and was in the automobile business from 1906 through 1909. The man behind the company was John C. Higdon, who had built his first car using his surname in 1896. They offered one of the lowest-priced auto buggies on the market, starting at a mere $250. They also claimed their product could achieve 100 mpg. Their advertisement claimed that 'The expense of operating the Success is lower than any other automobile or the keeping of a horse.' Their early vehicle, the Model A, rode on a short 62-inch wheelbase and was powered by an air-cooled, single-cylinder engine offering about six horsepower. The motor was attached to a two-speed planetary gearbox which powered the right wheel only. As the years progressed, their product evolved, going from a single-cylinder engine to either a two- or four-cylinder powerplant with a choice of air or water cooling.

The Success Auto Buggy Company held patents on certain features of the motor buggy. They tried to collect royalties from other high-wheeler manufacturers. When they did not comply, Success took them to court. They went after Economy of Ft. Wayne and Kiblinger of Auburn, Indiana but failed to get a favorable ruling.

Prior to building his first automobile, Higdon was a patent lawyer by trade, and he used the car for advertising purposes, boldly stating, 'Although we are patent lawyers, there is no patent on this vehicle, and everyone is free to copy it.' Years later, when he had a change of heart and mind, he began suing other manufacturers for patent design. His claim did not hold up in court.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2013