Lot 129

Hershey 2015

1914 Cadillac Four Speedster

The Richard Roy Estate

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$46,750 USD | Sold

United States | Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Engine No.
91132
  • Offered from the Richard Roy Estate
  • Originally delivered in New Jersey
  • Formerly owned by James Bragg
  • Unlimited Brass Era fun!

40/50 bhp, 365.8 cu. in. inline four-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs, full-floating rear axle, and rear-wheel mechanical expanding brakes. Wheelbase: 120 in.

One of the pleasures of owning any Cadillac is being able to order its original build sheet and learn about its history. In the case of this 1914 model, its build sheet indicates that it was originally delivered through the Crescent Auto Company, of Jersey City, New Jersey, which was a little over 50 miles from Richard Roy’s lifelong home of Branchville. That it returned to the Garden State so many years later is pure fortune, as, based on the file kept on the car, there is no indication that Mr. Roy—the connoisseur of Garden State history—knew of the Cadillac’s past.

What was known is that the car was registered in 1979 by the late James Bragg, of Woodbury, Connecticut, a well-known figure in the Horseless Carriage Club of America for many years. At some point it was fitted with its present body, a Mercer-style two-passenger speedster that had low-slung bucket seats, a cylindrical tank aft of the driver, and both a rear-mounted spare and a small luggage trunk with a canvas dust cover. The seats are quite supportive and comfortable, even for taller drivers, and face a dashboard with Delco automatic starter controls and a Phinney-Walker eight-day clock. The windshield is adjustable and can be kept folded, for wind-in-your-face thrills, or raised to its conventional position for more weather protection.

The Cadillac was acquired by Mr. Roy from Mr. Bragg’s estate in 1989, and it has remained part of the collection ever since. The car is well preserved, exhibiting highly presentable paint and upholstery, and is accompanied by several photographs that had been taken when purchased, as well as an original 1914 Cadillac “Care and Operation” manual and a spare set of copper water jackets that Mr. Roy apparently acquired for the car some years ago.

Undoubtedly, with a thorough mechanical service, this car will be an excellent AACA, HCCA, and VMCCA tour car for a new owner.