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1909 ALCO 40HP Runabout

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1909 ALCO 40HP Runabout
SOLD: $280,500 Including Commission
Gooding Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2014
Chassis: 3634018
Engine: 142408
The automotive and locomotive industries have always seemed locked in a bitter struggle. However, one company, American Locomotive Company, or ALCO, would be one of the very few that would manage to bridge the gap.

Founded in 1901, ALCO would quickly become a popular builder of locomotives that would make their way up and down the eastern coast of the United States. The company would be birthed after a group of smaller railroad companies came together and formed the larger entity.

ALCO would be a rather big and influential company by 1905, just four years after it came into being. However, in spite of the growth of the company, those in management would realize there was a burgeoning market in the automotive industry. Instead of being an amalgamation of a number of smaller railroad companies to become one large company, ALCO could get the jump in the automotive industry and become one of the large companies straight-away.

Sparing no time, ALCO would begin producing automobiles in 1906. Initially, the company would build existing designs, particularly Berliets. A couple of years later, ALCO would begin producing cars of its own making. The company wouldn't just look into production road cars either. In fact, ALCO race cars would be rather popular and successful. In fact, in 1909 and 1910, an ALCO would win the Vanderbilt Cup.

But while the company's racing cars would be considered some of the best, ALCO automobiles for the road would have to be considered rather exceptional. The company would boast in its advertising that it took more than a year and a half just to build one car and chassis 3634018 would provide a good explanation as to why.

Being part of an influential, and therefore, wealthy company, ALCO automobiles would not skimp when it came to meticulously building and refining their road cars. Prices ranging from between $5,000 and $9,000 it would be little wonder why the automotive niche of ALCO would be defunct by 1913.

Chassis 3634018 is a 1909 ALCO 40HP Runabout. Its early history has been lost to time, but what is clear is that this particular is anything but commonplace. First of all, there are only to be around 12 ALCO automobiles known to exist anywhere in the world. However, this particular example features a dual-chain drive configuration. Such configurations were rare and that fact makes this ALCO all the more precious.

Robert Myrick Photography
Category
Kereta - Car
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