They're back! Painstakingly crafted by Autopuzzles co-founder and contributor Ultra, these retrospectives began appearing at the old Autoweek Combustion Chamber in 2003. We now present them here for your enjoyment.

Originally posted onNov 8, 2003:

"I have decided to start a thread featuring Antique Vintage Cars.

When I have posted cars like these under the mystery variety (AKA, Name That Car -ed) the general consensus has seemed to be that they are too difficult to guess. That being said let's start off this thread with the idea that all cars posted here are 1896-1925.

Shall we begin...”

The 1896 Duryea

This 1896 Duryea on display at the Henry Ford Museum , Dearborn , Mich. , was one of 13 built by Charles and Frank Duryea in Springfield , Mass. It was the first commercial production of automobiles in the United States and marked the beginning of the nation's largest industry.

The First Production Automobile in America

The American automobile industry began modestly in 1896 when the Duryea Motor Wagon Company of Springfield , Massachusetts sold 13 identical gasoline-powered vehicles. The company would last only three years, however brothers Charles and Frank Duryea became the first Americans to attempt to build and sell automobiles at a profit. Thus opened the commercial period of the American automobile industry.

The first Duryea automobile, one of America 's first gasoline-powered cars, was built in Chicopee , Massachusetts by brothers Charles E. and J. Frank Duryea in 1893. Charles, the designer, called on his younger brother Frank, a trained machinist, to complete the prototype as he attended to his bicycle business in Peoria , Illinois . (The first Duryea is now in the Smithsonian Institution.) The second Duryea was built entirely by J. Frank in 1895. It was this vehicle, with Frank as the driver, that won the first motor car race in America , the Chicago Times-Herald race, on Thanksgiving Day in 1895.

That same year, Charles organized America 's first company for the manufacture of gasoline automobiles. In 1896, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company hand-assembled 13 identical motor vehicles. Two of these raced in the London to Brighton Emancipation run. The automobile driven by J. Frank Duryea was the first to cross the finish line.

About our Car: The Duryea Motor Wagon Company's assembly of 13 identical machines is considered to be the first instance of serial production of American cars. Mechanically, the Duryea was on a par with the best cars of the time. Of the 13 automobiles, this is the only known survivor.

The company was moved to Peoria and began experimenting with three-wheeled vehicles. The brothers began to argue and the company was dissolved in 1898. J. Frank remained in Massachusetts and joined the Stevens Arms and Tool Company, and ultimately produced the Stevens-Duryea automobile which lasted until 1927.

Charles moved to Pennsylvania and for the next several years tried many unsuccessful ventures in automobile manufacture producing primarily three- and four-wheeled three-cylinder cars with the single steering tiller control. However, automobiles remained a very important part of his life. With many writings on the subject, he also served as mechanical editor and consulting engineer for Automobile Trade Journal. He died in Philadelphia on September 28, 1939 at the age of seventy-six.

This sales brochure was probably first distributed in the fall of 1895. On the cover, Charles E. Duryea is shown seated in his 1895 automobile. This vehicle was used to establish the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in September 1895.

The 1896 Duryea is a blend of old and new technologies. The body panels, wheels, and front axle are made of wood, like a carriage or buggy. The sliding belt transmission is a miniature version of the systems used to power machinery in the late 19th-century factories. The pneumatic tires are larger versions of tires developed for bicycles.

But unlike buggies and carriages, the frame is made from steel angle. The two-cylinder engine has a float-bowl carburetor that was rare and very modern. The control tiller is an ergonomic marvel combining the functions of today's steering wheel, gear shift and throttle. Swinging the tiller left or right turns the car while movement up and down shifts the gears. A twist of the handle controls the throttle. The tiller shaft even telescopes in and out for ease of entry and exit from the vehicle.

One of the 13 now-famous 1896 Duryeas appeared with other novelties in the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Duryea Motor Wagon Company provided the vehicle to the circus in 1896. The driver, in a uniform and hat, has been identified as A. A. Jones. The 1895 Duryea that won the Chicago Times-Herald race had appeared with the circus the previous year.

1896 Riker Electric

This 1896 Riker Electric was built until 1900, when Andrew Riker decided to switch to gasoline engines. Riker became the first president of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He donated an electric car to the Henry Ford Museum .

Riker electrics were produced by Riker Electric Motor Co. of Brooklyn NY from 1896 to 1899, then by Riker Electric Vehicle Co. of Elizabethsport NY until 1900 and finally by the Riker Motor Vehicle Co (still in Elizabethsport) after 1900, all named for Andrew Lawrence Riker. While the Riker electrics included a variety of cars including a record-holder racer, the production vehicles were mostly 2-seater runabouts and dos-à-dos 4-seaters. The Riker marque is probably best-known however for their heavy electric trucks. After a merger with Electric Vehicle Co., only the trucks continued to be built under the Riker name. There are 3 Rikers in the holdings of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI : an 1896 3-wheeler electric Riker 2-seater; an 1898 electric truck (5 ton?); and, the 1901 Riker electric racer which set a world speed record of 57.1 mph. A Riker electric car was used by the Hershey Chocolate Company in Lancaster PA beginning in February 1900.

1897 Haynes - Apperson

Clouds of smoke rise around an 1897 Haynes-Apperson as its 2-cylinder engine is cranked to life. The vehicle, owned by George Holman, of Wilbraham , Massachusetts , is the oldest Haynes-Apperson in existence.

In the machine shop known as Riverside Machine Works, in Kokomo , Indiana , brothers Elmer and Edgar Apperson were approached by Elwood P. Haynes to build an automobile. The resulting creation sported a spur gear transmission, three forward gears (NO reverse!), a friction differential, tiller steering and a floor throttle. Residents of Kokomo were introduced to this auto on July 4th, 1894 . A new "independence declaration that could truly be called a "horse of a different color!" This model was eventually donated by Haynes to the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian loans the vehicle to museums and it is currently being displayed at the Haynes-Apperson Museum in Kokomo .

By 1898 the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company was producing one car every two-three weeks. Later that year they relocated from the former Riverside Machine Works location to a larger factory. Soon they were turning out three different models (for 2, 4 & 6 passengers) at a rate of 2-3 cars per week! This production rate also meant the factory was open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, two shifts per day.

Haynes-Apperson production numbers increased steadily: five in 1898, 30 in 1899, 192 in 1900 and 240 in 1901. Later that year, the Appersons and Haynes dissolved their business partnership and began two individual companies.

The Haynes-Apperson cars were known for their "long distance running" capabilities and were entered in race/distance competitions on a regular basis. Such early competitions included the 1899 Kokomoto New York Endurance, the Long Island Endurance, the New York to Rochester Endurance and the Londonto Brighton Endurance.

The 1897 Haynes-Apperson "now showing" at BRV this season is one of the three produced that year. She is a six passenger surrey with a two cylinder opposed engine and a three speed, spur gear transmission. This model was capable of achieving speeds of 22 - 24 mph on pnumatic tires. At this writing, it is believed to be the fifth Haynes-Apperson ever made.

ANECDOTE:

A Mr. William Kjellman, of Mount Horeb, Wisconsinpurchased a seven foot tall Haynes- Apperson in 1899. The first car in the state. Said Kjellman of his purchase, " The car cost $2000... There were only two makes at the time in the Middle Westmarket, The Winton, known as the 'White Elephant' and the Haynes-Apperson Surrey - I can say truthfully that all of them were of the 'White Elephant' family, more or less related. My experience with it was mainly to keep off the road band try to hide it while the DaneCountydairy farmers passed by. Perhaps more milk was spilt in passing my standing still car than for all other reasons or causes put together." ( Mt.Horeb Area Historical Society)

1899 Packard Old No. 1

The first Packard built by James Ward Packard in 1899 was this"Old No. 1," which Packard bequeathed to his alma mater, LehighUniversity in Pennsylvania .

The car had been sitting in the case for well over five years. The first step in removing the car was to remove the special "jack stands" which hold the vehicle off the ground in order to protect the tires. After this was done, the pneumatic tires were inflated to approximately 50 psi. Special ramps were then used to roll the car out of the case. Then, a series of three-point turns were used to prepare for the trip down the lobby staircase and out the front door of Packard Lab.

Once the vehicle was out of the lobby, it was pushed to the rear of Packard Laboratory and then west on Packard Avenue to the Packard Lab garage. Once inside the garage, the car was moved into the main shop where Dick Towne ( Lehigh University ) and Terry Martin (National Packard Museum ) coordinated the work necessary to prepare the vehicle for running at the Concours d'Elegnace of the Eastern United States .

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Old Number One was to be removed from its case in Packard Laboratory at Lehigh University and sent on a cross country tour. Scheduled stops included:

Concours d'Elegnace Eastern United States . June 19-20, 1999 .

• Packard Centennial Celebration. July 4-6,99 .
• Meadow Brook Hall Concours d'Elegance. August 6-8, 1999 .
• Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. August 28, 1999 .
• Henry Ford Museum . September 11-12, 1999 .

The first stop on the Packard's tour was the 1999 Concours d'Elegance of the Eastern United States . Old Number One was a crowd favorite, and received an enormous round of applause when it was started up and taken for a test drive just before the parade.

Unfortuately, during the parade a transmission lock-nut vibrated loose which all but eliminated the forward gears, but the transmision was quickly fixed and Old Number One motored back through the spectators accompanied by another large round of applause.

A Personal Message from Terry Martin printed in the official program of the 10th Anniversary Concours d'Elegance of the Eastern United States:

A partnership called Packard & Weiss built the first Packard and operated from July 3, 1899 until it incorporated as the Ohio Automobile Company in September 1900. The Packard Motor Car Company name came about two years later in October 1902. The company moved to Detroit in October 1903, operating under that name until 1956.

James Ward demonstrated his appreciation for his Lehigh University education with a $1,000,000 gift for the construction of the Packard Laboratory. Old #1 arrived in 1930 in time for the dedication of the new building. The car was put on display to honor this Lehigh graduate who at the age of 36, co-founded the Packard Motor Car Company.

Shortly after the car arrived at Lehigh, a new young Professor named Thomas E. Jackson was placed in charge of the first Packard.

This relationship lasted over 47 years. Jackson was very protective of the car as he knew its place in history, yet shared it with those who had a legitimate reason to use it. Researching Packard's history back in 1972, I made my first visit to Lehigh and was given the red carpet treatment by Jackson, who allowed me to go inside the glass case for a close look. I was overwhelmed by the history this car had made. My relationship with Jackson began that day and lasted until his death in June 1998.

It was my pleasure to head the 75th anniversary celebration of the birth of the first Packard. Lehigh accepted the invitation to returnOld #1 to Warren for the first time since the company moved in 1903. Jackson drove the car in every event from a pageant to the parade. He knew the car was the center of attention in its town homecoming. Jackson said the trip to Warren with Old #1 was the highlight of his tenure as curator of the first Packard.

It is with great pleasure that I am allowed to stand in for Tom Jackson on this day, with the Packard he so faithfully watched over during his years at Lehigh.

Watch this space - more to come!