The Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company, later simply Paige, was the brainchild of entrepreneur Harry M. Jewett, who had done well for himself selling coal in Detroit and saw the great potential of the rapidly developing automobile industry. Yet Jewett knew nothing about motorcar design or manufacturing, and—in keeping with the often-convoluted histories of early automakers—invested heavily in a design promoted by Frederick O. Paige (a design that was apparently created by engineer Andrew Bachle). Paige gave his name to the company and became its president and general manager, and by 1909 Paige-Detroit was building its first product, the Model Number 1 Roadster, which used a novel two-stroke, three-cylinder engine producing 25 horsepower.

Jewett may have been an automotive novice when he jumped into the fray, but he was a fast learner, soon determining that the construction and performance of this first Paige-Detroit offering was quite unsatisfactory. By 1910 Paige had (voluntarily or otherwise) left his namesake company, and the product line had been revamped; the two-stroke three-cylinder was phased out in favor of a more conventional four-cylinder four-stroke, still producing a stated 25 horsepower. Interestingly, the automaker would apparently offer both the three- and four-cylinder for a time, and it continued to market the three-cylinder for marine use thereafter. By 1911, “Detroit” was dropped from the company’s name, and it was thereafter known simply as “Paige.”

The car offered here is of particular note, as it dates from the late-1910 transitional period when the Model B began to use the four-cylinder engine, yet before the marque had changed to “Paige.” It is believed to be the only such four-cylinder 1910 Paige-Detroit to have survived to the present.

For over six decades, this Paige-Detroit has resided in the collection of a dedicated Midwestern enthusiast who enjoyed restoring and driving rare Brass Era motorcars; this Model B Roadster was a natural fit for his collection. Wearing an older restoration in highly attractive blue with a cream undercarriage with brown leather seats, the car’s 90-inch wheelbase gives it pleasing, sporty proportions. Brass headlamps, cowl lamps, and single taillamp nicely complement the bold brass grille complete with “Paige-Detroit” badge and script, while the tan roadster top features a deployable windscreen—enough to offer a modicum of weather protection on the Brass tours for which this car is eminently suited.