1905 Orient Buckboard

History

Charles H. Metz produced a car named the Orient. It was a small electric roadster that was shown to the public at the New York Auto Show in 1899. It would remain a concept and never put into production. Instead, Metz turned his attention - like many other automakers - to gasoline-powered cars. He became an agent for De Dion-Bouton, selling quadricycles and tricycles. For his own line of vehicles, he imported the French Aster engine to provide the power.

By 1902, his company, Waltham Manufacturing, was producing its own engines for its Orient car. During the first year of production, around 50 examples were sold. The following year, the Buckboard was introduced and would remain in production until 1908. As the 1900s progressed, so did the number of body styles offered by the Waltham Manufacturing company, including three-passenger cars, tonneau, surrey, and delivery vehicles.

The Buckboard was a simplistic and minimalistic vehicle that was advertised as 'The Cheapest Automobile in the World.' The price was $375, and the single-cylinder engine offered four horsepower, capable of carrying the car to speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2009