Museums 101: Automobiles Before 1910 in America's Car Museum (Photo Diary)

While the automobile was originally invented in Europe in the late nineteenth century, the idea of the car—a horseless carriage—soon took root in the United States with a number of inventors, tinkerers, and business people playing with this new machine.

Harold LeMay, a Tacoma businessman, loved cars and managed to collect more than 3,000 automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles over forty years of collecting. A number of the vehicles from his collection form the nucleus of the LeMay—America’s Car Museum. This collection of more than 300 cars, motorcycles, and trucks is displayed in a four-level building in Tacoma, Washington. Shown below are some of the pre-1910 vehicles displayed in this museum.

Ford:

Shown above is a 1906 Ford Model N Roadster Boat-tail.

Cadillac:

Shown above is a 1906 Cadillac, Model M, Tulip Tourer, 5-passenger. This car was powered by a single cylinder, 10 horsepower engine.

Oldsmobile:

Shown above is a 1903 Oldsmobile Runabout. Notice that it has a tiller rather than a steering wheel.

Pierce-Arrow:

Shown above is a 1907 Pierce Great Arrow.

Hudson:

Shown above 1909 Hudson Model 20 Roadster.

Regal:

Shown above is a 1909 Regal Model 30, 5-Passenger Touring. Regal Motor Car Company of Detroit manufactured cars from 1907 until 1914. They were the first automobile company to issue a recall: they recalled all of the 175 cars they built in 1908 because of mechanical problems. In 1909 they shipped out 2,000 cars.

Hupmobile:

Shown above is a 1909 Hupmobile Model 20 Roadster.