Antique Car

This is a postcard that has been in the family for many years. Apparently it shows a relative of ours from way back, but, I never knew him. What is amazing is the old antique car he is in.

Does anyone know what kind of car it was? I don't know what kind it is myself.

Chimo

Bujutsu

The car (and card) is certainly amazing, but I'll be it wasn't old or antique when he was sitting in it.

You got dat right, oh yeah, oh yeah

Chimo

Bujutsu

That is a sporty little roadster. I tried to identify something in the picture that would narrow the date. The unique shape of the bonnet, twin brass coach lights on both sides of the windscreen, and the hand crank might help to narrow the date. Early 1910s maybe? I'm curious about the driver being on the right hand side of the car. Were the early 20th century autos in Canada manufactured and driven with the right-hand steering column, gear shift lever and handbrake? Or did your relative live in the Britain? Really love those wide whitewall tires. Great picture; thanks for sharing.

Not in Canada lpmiller

Around the turn of the 19th century, we had relatives in the UK and this is a photo of him over there. I believe they lived in Newcastle in the UK. All the card says is "Cousin Harry". I am not familiar with him but think my Grandfather on my father's side was named after him(?)

Chimo

Bujutsu

Identifying old autos is far tougher than identifying old stamps! So many tiny automakers existed in the days before WWI, and many of them have very little surviving documentation. I knew I probably wouldn't find the answer with a quick search. But it's fun to look at old car pictures anyway, so off I went.

The design feature that instantly jumps out for me is the radiator behind the engine. That wasn't unheard of, but it certainly took away the easy use of airflow going in to the radiator as the car drove down the road. Apparently cars of this type often had fins on the flywheel to generate wind that helped air flow through the radiator.

I used that as my starting point when searching through old images. Surprisingly, what I found were a bunch of French cars. Radiators behind the engine were common in France back then - I didn't find much at all from British manufacturers.

Here's an example that clearly shows the radiator, on a 1911 Renault. If you decide to spend a bunch of time trying to identify the car in your photo, you can use the radiator as the starting point.

Ryan

Thanks again for the information. It certainly is an interesting car and would be worth its' weight in gold today if found in pristine condition.

Chimo

Bujutsu

The floor looks like marble or terra cotta. Could it be a staged photo like in an amusement park?

Zipper, in answering your question, as far as I know, the car is still in the dealerships property just after my relative bought it"? I am guessing this by the sign in the background and mentioning car washes etc.

I could be wrong. At any rate, they took pride in their business it would seem

Chimo

Bujutsu

Another clue that appears in the original photo but was not previously mentioned is the rather unique location of the spare tire right in front of the rear fender and basically sitting near the same location as the driver.

Bujutsu,

I was guessing because the car is outside, on an incredibly shiny floor.

Agreed Zipper.

I hope it was weather-proofed

Chimo

Bujutsu