In the early days of the American car, Locomobile was one of the best makes around. For those of you unaware of this brand, Locomobile was located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a pioneer manufacturer setting up shop in 1899 and building premier cars until 1929 when the stock market crash evaporated their customer base.They'd been involved in many aspects of early motoring including Steam power,
(bought Stanely Steamer in 1899 then sold it back to the Stanley brothers in 1902)and a reverse take over by William Durant in 1922. Locomobile may well have been the car company Phoebe Atwood Taylor was imagining when she wrote about her famous detective cum car mechanic, Asey Mayo who worked for the Porter Motor Company located in Massachusetts. If you like crazy 1920s and 30s mysteries with old cars in them, you'll love Asey Mayo.
Locomobile made excellent brass era and Vintage cars for touring and racing. I observed this fine specimen at the Brampton Cruise night. There are several interesting details about the car. The most eye catching feature is the canvas windshield. Mounted on brass bars through hoops sewn in the canvas, this screen gave some protection from the elements, yet allowed for speedy removal in good weather. Notice the attention to detail in the dashboard and floor area. The footrest is a brass rod lightly knurled to prevent the feet from slipping. The crankcase is made from government grade bronze, the upholstery is ten inches thick for the rear and front seats. Money was no object. This explains why Durant was able to buy the concern. The car is American despite the right hand steering column. Locomobile did not dedicate to left hand steering until 1915. Having said that, this car did come from Belgium a few years ago. According to the owner Mr. Hadfield, they bought it on auction and when it was shipped to Canada, they had to perform some minor restoration work to get it ready. It was a good condition car. This green convertible compliments nicely their silver touring Locomobile that won the Neil Young Award at a recent Classics Against Cancer show.
