A product of the C.H. Blomstrom Motor Company of Detroit, the Queen was advertised as having “Big Power and Few Parts.” Introduced at the end of 1904, it was, in the words of the late historian Beverly Rae Kimes, “a simple little runabout with one cylinder…commanding 5-1/2 by 6-inch bore-stroke dimensions,” which is a nice way of saying it packed its entire 2.3 liters of displacement in a single basket. Two-cylinder models with a horizontally opposed engine were soon introduced—the Model E, as offered here—developing 16 hp and riding an 84-inch wheelbase. Late in 1905 came a four-cylinder, 24-hp Model D, and finally in 1906 a 26/28 hp four called the Model K.

That summer, however, Blomstrom’s company was deemed “defectively incorporated,” a problem that was resolved by a merger with De Luxe Motor Company of Toledo, maker of the Car De Luxe. Thereafter, Car De Luxe moved to Detroit, and the Queen motor car quietly disappeared. By the end of 1909, so had Car De Luxe.

This rare Model E Queen was purchased by the Merrick Auto Museum in 1999. It was previously in the Charlie Sens Collection in Marion, Ohio. The subject of a 540-hour complete and accurate restoration, it has ultramarine blue paint with black fenders and cream running gear. The upholstery is black buttoned leather, and the cape top, tie-downs, and tires are also new. The car uses Dietz Dainty side and taillamps; there are no headlamps. The opposed two-cylinder, 18-horsepower engine drives through a planetary transmission, with single chain drive to the rear axle.

Produced for barely two years, this Queen is extremely rare. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire one of the finest.