Founded in 1909 in Detroit, the Abbott Motor Car Company and its successors were typical early manufacturers assembling purchased components like Continental engines in proprietary frames and bodies. In Abbott's case the formula proved to be successful, achieving some success in production car competition and producing just over 1,800 cars in 1912 while sustaining a more normal rate of 4-5 cars per working day (you didn't get Saturdays off in the Teens) for most of its life. In 1916 Abbott moved to a new plant in Cleveland but the relocation was a failure. Production plummeted and by 1918 the company, by now known as the Consolidated Car Corporation but still selling under the name Abbott-Detroit, was liquidated.

This 1917 Abbott-Detroit 6-44 Four-Passenger Roadster was part of a long-term collection for many years, having been discovered and restored in the mid-Sixties. The 224 cubic inch six-cylinder engine is by Continental, driving through a three-speed transmission. The body style, called a Four-Passenger Roadster by Abbott-Detroit, is unusual but effective, being both sporting and having room for a growing family. It is finished in Abbott-Detroit's standard blue with black fenders and has black upholstery and a black cloth top. Equipment includes an Abbott-Detroit branded MotoMeter, nickel rim headlights, an opening windshield and a single spare mounted behind a small bustle-style trunk which contains the jack and crank (backup to the standard electric starting).

Although it appears to be modest-sized in its photographs it is in fact a large, comfortable, powerful automobile. The restoration has held up remarkably well and, although toured, is in very presentable condition. It also comes with a quantity of Abbott-Detroit and Consolidated Car Corporation documentation including stock certificates and period correspondence which seems to be related to the company's financing for the move from Detroit to Cleveland. There is also a newspaper article about its discovery and restoration, an original photo of some of the Cleveland staff and an original stock prospectus from those pre-SEC years. It is handsome package that captures some of the feel and appeal of the American auto industry in the second decade of the twentieth century and gives additional character and personality to this rare 1917 Abbott-Detroit 6-44 Four-Passenger Speedster.