In the lustrous new age of the automobile, small makers flourished – at least momentarily. Who remembers Pope, Reeves, Metz, Duryea, Locomobile, Marmon, Peerless, St Louis, Adams, Buffum, Grout… ? Most amounted to a flash in the pan, some persisted for decades, and a very few others proved as sturdy as the North Star. Paige-Detroit was founded in 1908. By the time it was sold to Graham in 1928, it had manufactured around 400,000 vehicles – a moderate achievement. That said, few Paige automobiles remain today, but one of those can be found here on eBay, selling for no reserve. This is a 1919 Paige Larchmont Sport Touring Model 6-55, with seating for four. Bidding sits at a paltry $365; the car is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it’s in project condition after a partial restoration.
The seller has owned this car since 2000; the prior owner also had the car for 25 years. I can completely sympathize with the phenomenon of a stalled restoration – whether because of health, money, difficulty finding help and parts, or simple procrastination. I owned a non-running shell of an MGA coupe with its parts stored in Rubbermaid tubs for some fifteen years before I finally did anything with it, and that was not an obscure make. The roster of work completed here includes crafting new woodwork, a restoration of the chassis, and a rebuild of both motor and transmission. Critically, we don’t know how long ago the mechanical bits were completed or how they’ve been treated since.
Speaking of the motor, it’s a Continental six-cylinder displacing 300 cu. in. and good for about 30 SAE hp. The car is equipped with a three-speed manual gearbox and mechanical rear brakes; it sits on a 127″ wheelbase. By now Paige was considered a luxury car maker, having dropped its little four-cylinder models and convinced Duesenberg to supply it with engines for its top-shelf Linwood.
The cabin is tight quarters for today’s American – taller and (ahem) broader that we are. This photo shows off more of the fresh woodwork, and the looong gear lever. A plethora of parts accompany the car – that photo above shows only a fraction of the supply – but we’re not advised whether every bit is there – or not.
In 1919 when this car was made, the economy was in an uneven recovery from WWI; smaller companies had difficulties obtaining materials. Paige managed to make about 50 cars a day back then, while Ford was making 1000 Model Ts. To gain an edge, Paige marketing trumpeted “The Most Beautiful Car in America” – and with a relatively low-slung body, racy back end, and high hood, most of its models struck a sporty chord. When the Larchmont arrived, it was produced in six different body styles from a limousine to this roadster. Back then, the cars cost a hefty $2900, give or take a few hundred dollars depending on which body you chose. Today, these cars are struggling in the marketplace, with some individual vehicles seen showing up at auction for years in a row. This 1921 example with the larger 331 cu. in. engine didn’t sell at Mecum, ending with a high bid of only $5000. Occasionally a really nice Paige will excite bidders – this 1918 seven-passenger model sold a year ago for $24k. A restoration candidate like our subject car might be best used as a donor for parts; what do you think?
Just goes to show that the collector car market has more to do with emotion than history. People will pay massive dollars for the car that was their high school dream while cars of true historic value languish. I once bought a 1913 Jackson Touring car at a bankruptcy auction for a low dollar price. The car had a very interesting history. It was purchased new in 1913 by an aging Civil War veteran, who, after his first outing managed to run into the side of his barn. He parked the car and decided to stick with horses. The car sat in his barn for decades until his family sold it to a local museum, where it sat for more decades fortunately missing the scrap drives of WW II. The museum finally closed and the collection was sold off. The guy who bought the car was named Jackson and he sort of used it as his ego booster until he fell on hard times and had to file bankruptcy. After getting it in the bankruptcy auction I kept it for a number of years before passing it on to a more serious collector of early cars.
LS swap.
Knew you’d be along!
Great idea for a classic.
You could technically Pinto motor swap it and double to triple the HP! Then it will be exciting with mechanical rear brakes!!!
Days gone by just not worth restoring younger generation doesn’t want is old relic yard art
Heard of many. Remember them, not really. Great write up, Michelle. Always good to learn about something new.
Not a huge place but the R E Olds Transportation museum in Lansing Michigan is a good stop for some lesser known marques. Durant, Star and of course Olds based vehicles like REO and Viking. They have a GM EV-1, the Aero Oldsmobile and the Hurst Hairy Olds among others. Lots of cool old stuff.