Lot 190

Hershey 2015

1910 Cameron Open-Back Runabout

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$55,000 USD | Sold

United States | Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Chassis No.
1151
  • Rare Massachusetts-built Brass Era automobile
  • Older high-quality restoration
  • AACA Grand National winner

Model 24. 24 hp, 176.9 cu. in. air-cooled inline four-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transaxle, solid front axle and live rear axle with full-elliptical leaf springs, and two-wheel mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 104 in.

The Cameron brothers, Everett and Forrest, were not exactly automobile manufacturers. Instead, the former racing bicycle makers from Massachusetts usually contracted various industrial concerns to build their cars, with the result that, over the make’s 17-year lifespan, Camerons were at one time or another made in 10 different factories in six states.

Their first car, a single-cylinder vehicle that was introduced in 1902, was built by the Brown Company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. By 1904, both two- and three-cylinder models were available, and from 1907, there were fours. In 1908, production moved from Brockton to Beverly, Massachusetts. From 1909 to 1911, some sixes were built in New London, Connecticut. The teen years saw three more Connecticut factories, as well as one each in Ohio and Michigan. In 1920, the venture finally petered out in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Camerons were on the forefront of such features as wheel steering, torque-tube drive, and a rear-mounted transaxle. The cars were air-cooled until 1913. The brothers campaigned them earnestly in hill climbs and oval track events. A Cameron set a half-mile record in Cincinnati, Ohio, and another became the first air-cooled car to climb New Hampshire’s Mount Washington without stopping. The cars also raced at the famed Brooklands track in England and in Pretoria, South Africa.

The consignor of this rare Cameron, a Beverly-built car, purchased it about 10 years ago from Robert Chase, of Earlville, New York. He restored it over the next two years, following which it achieved AACA Grand National honors. More recently, it has appeared at the Amelia Island and Greenwich, Connecticut, Concours d’Elegance and has been shown at several AACA Fall Meets at Hershey.

The car is very handsome in dark green with white pinstriping, and its chassis and running gear are painted cream beige. It has brass head, side, and tail lamps and a correct carbide generator on the right running boards. The brass, paint, and fittings are all in excellent condition.

The car has been on museum display for several years but has recently been recommissioned for the road. It is said to run and drive well, and it will be well suited for tour or show.