1902 Westfield Model G 13hp Twin-Cylinder

There a few makes more obscure than Westfield, which took its name from the eponymous town in Massachusetts, USA and was only in existence from 1901 to 1903. Founder Charles J Moore's first Westfield automobile of 1902 was steam-powered, and in 1903 he added a four-cylinder petrol-engined 16hp car to the range, though it appears that it never entered production. Unusually, Moore preferred to sell his petrol-engined models in chassis-only form, 'ready for power', leaving the customer to install the engine of their choice. The steamers appear soon to have taken a back seat, with Moore's advertising concentrating on his chassis, which were available with either shaft or chain drive and a wide variety of body styles. When his Westfield venture folded, Charles Moore moved on to join Packard's engineering department.

The Westfield presented here is powered by an advanced 2½-litre twin-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine built by Remington. However, the latter was not the firm that had forged its not inconsiderable reputation making firearms and typewriters, but one set up by Philo E Remington, grandson of the original company's founder. Unlike his grandfather's business, Philo's soon collapsed, though he did make a further two attempts at automobile manufacturing, neither of which was ultimately successful.

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