Lot Ended
Description
Fabulous 'oily rag' survivor in highly original condition throughout;
good running order; recent new canvas hood; a show-stopping example of this rare
Veteran tourer, ready to enjoy
Established in
1908, EMF took its name from its founders' initials - 'E' being Detroit
coachbuilder Barney Everitt, 'M' being William Metzger, former Cadillac sales
manager, and 'F' being Walter Flanders, Henry Ford's former production manager.
Under the leadership of Chief Engineer William E Kelly, EMF chose not to contest
the low-price market dominated by Ford’s Model T, opting instead for a
well-finished medium-priced car, the Model 30.
Built on a sturdy pressed-steel chassis with a 108” wheelbase, the
Model 30 was powered by a 30hp 226ci (3.7-litre) four-cylinder engine with
three-speed sliding-gear rear transaxle, leaf-spring suspension and rear-wheel
mechanical drum brakes. Costing $1,250 (compared to $850 for the Model T), the
Model 30 proved an immediate success, becoming the fourth best-selling car in
the USA by 1910 and the second best-selling car by 2011.
However, tensions between the EMF founders and litigation with their
ambitious distributor/selling agent Studebaker eventually led to a Studebaker
takeover in 1911. This resulted in the formation of the Studebaker Corporation
of South Bend Indiana, and from then onwards all EMFs were badged as
Studebakers.
Built in 1911, this wonderfully
original EMF Studebaker Model 30 Tourer spent many years in a private museum
owned by Earl Muir of Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Mr Muir was a senior figure in the
Antique Automobile Club of America and when he died in 2007 his collection was
dispersed at auction, the EMF being bought by well-known collector, David
Mihalko of Windber, Pennyslvania.
When Mr
Mihalko passed away in 2016, the EMF was acquired by another collector, Frank
Castella of Poughkeepsie, New York, and then by Paul Teutul Jr. It was then
briefly owned by Thomas Laferriere of Missoula, Montana, from whom our vendor
acquired the car in September 2020.
Notes on
file state that the car has been carefully conserved by the previous owners,
retaining its original touring body and original button-tufted black leather
upholstery. The original brass door handles are still in place, as are the brass
Edmunds & Jones sidelights and headlamps, the Boyce Moto-Meter calorimeter
and the Stewart-Warner warning klaxon. The original Warner Auto-Meter
speedometer shows 70,550 miles.
Much of the
wiring has been replaced for safety reasons and a new canvas hood has been
fitted over the original frame at some point, but other than that the car is
pretty much as it left the Detroit factory 114 years ago.
A Veteran
car enthusiast and collector, our vendor got the car UK registered in December
2020 and has kept it in good running order, including having the coils and
magneto rewound and a new water pump shaft made. We are told that it runs and
drives well, as shown in the video.
Documentation includes the V5C, copy Montana Certificate of Title,
NOVA document confirming that all import duties have been paid and a copy of an
original 24-page owner’s manual which tells you everything you need to know
about operating and maintaining the car.
As you
can see in the photos, this EMF is in spectacularly original condition
throughout and needs to be preserved exactly as it is for another 100+ years.
What a find!
Consigned by James Dennison –
07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com