After early experiments with both steam and electric propulsion, Ransom Eli Olds developed a light runabout with a unique “curved dash” layout, the prototype for which was completed in 1900 and readied for sale in early 1901. A fire at the factory delayed the start of production, and the first production Oldsmobile didn’t reach the public until later that summer, selling at $650.

That the “Curved Dash Olds” became such a swift success among the American public was due largely to its simple yet elegant design. A long leaf spring on each side connected the front and rear axles, with wooden bodywork mounted directly atop the springs, and a small transverse full-elliptical spring in front dampened out any rocking motions from the front to the rear. (A set of truss rods were added to the axles in 1902, as the design continued to be refined.) Power came from a horizontally mounted single-cylinder engine under the seat, sending its power to the rear axle through a two-speed planetary transmission. The driver steered using a center-mounted tiller with his left hand, controlling the speed of the car with his right.

By 1903, the Oldsmobile was the United States’ best-selling automobile, setting the stage for decades of success for the car from Lansing. In 1905, a popular song, “In My Merry Oldsmobile,” was released, and it remains one of the best-known motoring ditties, as it was appropriated for Oldsmobile advertising for several decades.

The 1904 Model 6C offered here was formerly owned for some 50 years by Thomas Archibald, of Norwalk, California, who corresponded with such Curved Dash notables as the late George Green. It was restored for the present owner’s collection and features a beautiful and correct new wooden body, which had been built by P. Gluck Woodworks, of Oak Park, Michigan. Over the course of the restoration, the restorers corresponded regularly with Oldsmobile guru Gary Hoonsbeen and other knowledgeable persons in order to determine correct finishes and methods for the car. It is finished in a beautiful and proper black and carmine red, with gold leaf pinstriping, and wooden wheels wrapped in white rubber tires. The interior has been beautifully upholstered in diamond-tufted black leather, and the brass trim, which is evident throughout, has been polished to a beautiful shine.

As this example is accompanied by a thick file of restoration documentation, photographs, and reprinted period Oldsmobile brochures and a parts catalogue, as well as its original body, it would be a superb entrant to London-to-Brighton, as, indeed, so many of the “Merry Olds” have been over the years.