20 hp, 198.8 cu. in. T-head four-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, solid rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and double chain drive, two-wheel mechanical brakes and mechanical driveline brake. Wheelbase: 96"

- From an important private collection

- Rare surviving Type E Locomobile

- Ex-David Uihlein Collection

Locomobile’s rise to success was impressive, becoming the most popular car in the United States and adopting the slogan, “Easily the Best Built Car in America.” The Type E Locomobile was new for 1905. Built on a 96-inch wheelbase, it had a 15/20-hp T-head four-cylinder engine of 198.8-cubic inch displacement. Priced at $2,800 for a tourer or $3,300 as a landaulet, it continued in production through 1908. “Its size makes it a very convenient car to operate and to maintain, and it is particularly desirable to those owners who like to take care of their own machines,” said the company catalog.

Noted collector David Uihlein discovered this Locomobile in a Michigan junkyard during World War II. Riding home to Milwaukee from his Rhode Island duty station on a motorcycle, he passed through Shelby, Michigan and came across Edward Babinec’s scrap yard. Initially attracted by the tall canvas top of a Mitchell, Mr. Uihlein became entranced by a Locomobile, its back end converted to a truck, sitting next to it. Quickly purchased from the yard owner, the Locomobile escaped the wartime scrap drives.

The Locomobile’s previous owner had apparently been a farmer, who had removed its tonneau and replaced it with a flatbed for hauling produce to market. Mr. Uihlein located the farmer, who providentially had saved the rear body and seats, neatly stored in his barn. Restoration commenced in 1947 but was not completed until 1963. The Marchese brothers of Indianapolis rebuilt the engine and transmission; Dick Braund of Elroy, Wisconsin restored the body, made the top bows and did the final assembly and painting. The top was by Ray Platek of Milwaukee. It received Best of Show honors at AACA national shows at Minneapolis, Minnesota and Lake Forest, Illinois, following its completion. The current owner acquired it from the Uihlein Collection in 2007. Although now an older restoration, it is a thoroughly presentable car that anyone would be anxious to own, proud to show and eager to drive.

As part of a large private collection, this car has been treated to climate-controlled storage but has seen little exercise in recent years and will require thorough professional inspection before being driven. Although the chassis number dates it as a 1907, it has been titled as a 1906.