Gasmobile Stanhope
1901 Gasmobile 9 hp three-cylinder Stanhope Registration number: WC 1175 Chassis number: 155 • The only restored surviving Gasmobile • Winner of the 1977 AACA National First Prize • Formerly part of the collection of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum • Dated by the Veteran Car Club and with entry to the London to Brighton 2023 • Extensive mechanical restoration carried out by NP Veteran Engineering Ltd. Like so many groundbreaking cars, the Gasmobile was little more than a 'flash in the pan': it produced fewer than 150 cars in a few years before the bankers came knocking at the factory gates. From 1899, the Automobile Company of America of New York, New York, offered a series of small cars under the brand names American or American Voiturette. In 1900, company chairman John H. Flager changed the name of the car to Gasmobile, because he considered it less obscure. The company received strong support from various influential industrialists, including Albert T.
1901 Gasmobile 9 hp three-cylinder Stanhope
Registration No. WC 1175
Chassis number. 155
• The only restored surviving gasmobile
• Winner of the 1977 AACA National First Prize
• Formerly part of the collection of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
• Dated by the Veteran Car Club and with entry to the London to Brighton 2023
• Much mechanical renovation carried out by NP Veteran Engineering Ltd.
Like so many groundbreaking cars, the Gasmobile was little more than a 'flash in the pan': it produced fewer than 150 cars in a few years before the bankers came knocking at the factory gates. Starting in 1899, the Automobile Company of America of New York, New York, offered a series of small cars under the brand names American or American Voiturette. In 1900, company chairman John H. Flager changed the name of the car to Gasmobile, because he considered it less obscure. The company received strong support from various influential industrialists, including Albert T. Otto and Robert L. Stevens, while the engineering was handled by chief designer Alexander Fischer, inventor of an automatic starting device. It also benefited from partnerships with the American Motor Company and the French Decauville Automobile, which influenced the Gasmobile's engine design.
Hardly short of ambition, Gasmobile advertised itself as "the best road car built in America" and launched multiple models, including a single-cylinder, three-cylinder, four-cylinder and a six-cylinder, with outputs ranging from 3 to 25 cylinders. pk. The Gasmobile proved to be a capable car, winning the gasoline vehicle competitions at the Automobile Club of America show at Madison Square Garden and taking first prize in the Long Island Endurance Contest.
Unfortunately for Gasmobile, resources were distributed too quickly and too thinly. The single flagship six, ordered by Mr. C.V. Brokaw for the 1902 New York Automobile Show, had the potential to become America's first production six-cylinder car—had the company built more than that single example. The trustees entered the fray in March 1902, and in August of that year, Gasmobile's production facilities were sold at a public auction.
This uniquely charming 1901 Gasmobile Stanhope is the only known restored example of this short-lived brand. Presented in a beautiful green and yellow livery, it embodies the spirit of early motoring with its unusual rear-mounted horizontal three-cylinder layout, chain drive, and coach-style bodywork. After being removed from the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum Collection, it was acquired by a private collector who embarked on an extensive restoration that took approximately 1.400 hours. The restored Gasmobile earned an Antique Automobile Club of America National First Prize award in 1977 and participated in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in 1983. It later passed to the Merrick Auto Museum Collection and was acquired from that collection during its disbursement in 2019.
The green bodywork is accented by a yellow chassis and wheels, with copper Gray & Davis lamps, copper horn and black leather seat upholstery. It has been lovingly maintained in the years since the renovation and is still in excellent condition, with a gentle character that invites regular enjoyment.
When purchased, the car was supplied to respected specialists NP Veteran Engineering Ltd., who carried out an extensive mechanical refurbishment to ensure the car could be used and toured. This included the installation of a new crankshaft, new pistons, new big ends, new exhaust valve guides, cylinder head bolts and a new drip oil syringe. New differentials were made and installed, while the wheels were also rebuilt and the rims replaced where necessary. A dynastart was added to support practical use. All invoices listed are recorded for amounts in excess of £70.000. When completed, the car was submitted for dating by the Veteran Car Club and the summary of the investigation in the comprehensive report was that the car would have been produced in late 1901.
The accompanying dating certificate, issued in 2022, guarantees that the car is eligible for the prestigious London-Brighton Veteran Car Run, for which it has been entered this year. As a multi-cylinder car with early starting number 82, it has a lot of potential for a quick trip to the coast!
This beautiful car, the only known restored gasmobile, offers a unique opportunity to acquire a truly unique piece of automotive history.