1910 Mercedes 45hp 4-Seat Tourabout

1910 Mercedes 45hp 4-Seat Tourabout

This example, car number 7686 with engine number 10288 was shipped from their German works and arrived with the U.S. Distributor in January 1910 as a complete rolling chassis ready for coachwork. The agent who received the car was William Steinway. Popular coachbuilders in the New York City area included Brewster, Holbrook, and Rothschild & Company.

The car is thought to have been bought by Scher on the East Coast in the late 1950s. It is possible that the car existed in that region of the country new. In 1958 and 1960, Dr. Scher advertised in The Antique Automobile for a carburetor for a 1906/7 Mercedes 45 'must be original', so it seems likely that he restored this car in that era.

By the mid-1960s, the car was in show condition. Around this time, Dr. Scher concluded his multi-car sale to Richard C. Paine Jr. and was part of the deal on the 41 cars listing of that sale. The car remained in Paine's collection until his death in 2007 and was subsequently sold by Bonhams at their September 2008 Owls Head, Maine auction when it passed to the current owners. During this ownership, the car was displayed at the Casino in Baden-Baden in Germany alongside a Mercedes Factory SS Sports Tourer.

The car is finished in beige with a maroon undercarriage and body accent and highlighted by deep tufted leather upholstery and a beige cloth top. It has Gerhardt bullseye kerosene headlights, sidelamps and taillight, dual rear spares, leather covered top frame, blackwall tires and a brass trumpet horn. The four-cylinder T-head engine has a single carburetor and offers 45 horsepower. There is a chain drive, 4-speed manual transmission, and rear drum brakes.

The car wears 'Double Roadster' coachwork. Healey & Co., one of the favored coachbuilders for Mercedes cars, was particularly fond of the double roadster style and built many bodies for Mercedes motor show display cars. The other prominent American sporting coach builders Quimby and Holbrook also produced numerous double roadster bodies. Thomas Flyer offered a double roadster as well as Simplex.

Descriptions & pictures by classicmotorhub & classicdriver