Curved dash olds kelly

1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile as a company existed as early as 1897, but it wasn't until 1900 that they had a "production" car available to the public.  By late 1900 only 3 or 4 cars were built, none of which are known to exist today.  This 1901 is known as a model R.  About 450 of these cars were built in 1901, and throughout the year minor tweaks were made without noting when or with which serial number the change was made.  Its single cylinder has a 4 1/2 inch X 6 inch bore and stroke and developed a whopping 4 1/2 HP at 600 RPM. Its two-speed transmission was "open" without provision for lubrication retention.  Flat out running is about 25 MPH which was better than most horses and it didn’t get tired so if the road was smooth and relatively flat, you could really make good time.  Lubrication for all the rotating/reciprocating parts was done by drip oilers so every 50 miles or so you would need to stop and refill the oilers.  Keep in mind, this car was built as a play-thing for wealthy folks and not for cross-country transportation.  The low-speed gears were made of brass and the reverse gears were made from pressed raw-hide so it was clearly not designed to be bullet-proof.   Folks at the time understood the use of a tiller on a boat for steering and this car employed this familiar function for navigation.  The upside of this is obvious, but the downside becomes apparent if you drive one on gravel roads as your arm is not very strong holding a bar that goes left and right and when you strike a rock or pot hole in the road (very common) it has a tendency to jerk the car one way or the other.  The “frame” of this car is very small and light weight.  The wheelbase is attained by its long reaching springs which gave the car a comfortable albeit bouncy ride.   The single chain drive connects the rear end to the transmission and the only provision for a brake is a drum on the transmission.  In fact, the rear end is kept fastened to the car by the tension of the chain so if your chain breaks you have no brakes and a possibility of the rear end separating from the rest of the car.  Despite its fragility it is a real hoot to ride in as there is nothing in front of you and scant little behind or beside you.  It’s like riding down the road in a high chair driven forward by a guy kicking the chair in a steady thump, thump.  Over the last century, a number of brave souls have navigated cross-country runs in these little cars successfully.

The Collection on Palmetto Technical Information Audio Tour
  1. Welcome to The Collection on Palmetto
  2. 1928 Ahrens Fox Piston Pumper
  3. 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen
  4. 1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile
  5. 1902 Locomobile Stanhope B
  6. 1904 Pope-Waverley Electric Chelsea Runabout
  7. 1904 Cadillac Model B
  8. 1906 Winton Model K
  9. 1906 White Model F Steam Car
  10. 1907 Northern Model C
  11. 1908 Locomobile Model E
  12. 1908 Schacht High Wheeler
  13. 1910 Stanley Model 70
  14. 1910 Stanley Model 85
  15. 1911 White Model GE-75
  16. 1914 Benoist
  17. 1912 Stanley Model 73
  18. 1913 Stanley Model 64
  19. 1913 Cole Series 60 Roadster
  20. 1913 Pierce-Arrow Model 48
  21. 1914 Ford Model T
  22. 1914 FIAT Tipo 55
  23. 1915 Peerless Model 48
  24. 1915 Stanley Mountain Wagon
  25. 1925 Stanley SV
  26. 1927 Pierce-Arrow Model 36 Phaeton
  27. 1952 Allard J2X
  28. 1954 Jaguar XK120
  29. 1969 Jaguar XKE
  30. 2014 Lamborghini Aventador
  31. 1917 Dodge
  32. 1918 Cretors Popcorn Wagon
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