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Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 517•

1916 Rauch & Lang Model BX6 Electric Brougham Chassis no. 60441

Schätzpreis
0 $
Zuschlagspreis:
70.200 $
Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 517•

1916 Rauch & Lang Model BX6 Electric Brougham Chassis no. 60441

Schätzpreis
0 $
Zuschlagspreis:
70.200 $
Beschreibung:

Body no. 287 Rauch & Lang of Cleveland was a prestigious name in the electric car field and, before that, in the carriage trade. The company dated from 1884, when wagon builder Jacob Rauch and real estate magnate Charles E. J. Lang formed a partnership to manufacture high-end carriages. By the dawn of the 20th century, Rauch & Lang carriages were among the more prestigious—and costly—horse-drawn conveyances available in their area. In 1903, the company opened a Buffalo Electric dealership, and in 1905 began to build and sell electric vehicles under the Rauch & Lang name. By 1916, the typical electric car was an enclosed Brougham such as the example offered here. These were favored by wealthy urban women, as they were easy to drive and operated quietly. The high-torque electric motors powering these “drawing rooms on wheels” enabled them to carry heavy closed coachwork, even with several passengers aboard. The advent of the self-starter on gas-powered cars around 1912 diminished the market for early electrics. By the mid-’teens, sales of electrics were generally in decline. By 1915, Baker, another well-known Cleveland-based builder of electric cars and Rauch & Lang were combining forces—both offered very similar vehicles powered by Baker-built motors, with Rauch & Lang bodies. In 1917, the two companies formally merged, creating the Baker R&L Co., also known as Baker-Raulang. All vehicles produced by the new combine carried the Rauch & Lang nameplate. While still producing up to 900 electric cars a year, Baker R&L diversified by establishing its successful Raulang body-building division in 1919, while also expanding its lines of electric commercial vehicles. Surprisingly, the Rauch & Lang electric car business was acquired in 1920 by the Stevens-Duryea Company, a manufacturer of gasoline-powered luxury cars in Chicopee Falls, Mass. Production was transferred to a newly constructed factory there, and the new Rauch & Lang set out to offer taxicabs with either gas or electric power to what proved to be an unresponsive market. By 1928, Rauch & Lang production had all but ceased. A single experimental gas/electric hybrid, developed in conjunction with General Electric engineers, was completed in 1929 and subsequently sold to Col. E.H.R. Green, son of multi-millionaire investor, Hetty Green. The stock market crash in late1929 finished off Rauch & Lang. The vendor reports that the “matching numbers” body and chassis of the offered 1916 Rauch & Lang Brougham have been restored, while the original interior remains intact while showing signs of age. The stately electric Brougham is said to be fully operational and its 90-volt electric motor appears to have good batteries. It has been equipped with a built-in charger that negates the need for an external charging device. Renewed interest in alternative propulsion vehicles has reawakened collector interest in vintage electric cars and the offered example presents a rare opportunity to acquire such a vehicle.

Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 517•
Auktion:
Datum:
04.10.2008
Auktionshaus:
Bonhams London
Brookline, Larz Anderson Auto Museum Larz Anderson Auto Museum 15 Newton Street Brookline MA 02445 Tel: +1 415 391 4000 Fax : +1 415 391 4040 info.us@bonhams.com
Beschreibung:

Body no. 287 Rauch & Lang of Cleveland was a prestigious name in the electric car field and, before that, in the carriage trade. The company dated from 1884, when wagon builder Jacob Rauch and real estate magnate Charles E. J. Lang formed a partnership to manufacture high-end carriages. By the dawn of the 20th century, Rauch & Lang carriages were among the more prestigious—and costly—horse-drawn conveyances available in their area. In 1903, the company opened a Buffalo Electric dealership, and in 1905 began to build and sell electric vehicles under the Rauch & Lang name. By 1916, the typical electric car was an enclosed Brougham such as the example offered here. These were favored by wealthy urban women, as they were easy to drive and operated quietly. The high-torque electric motors powering these “drawing rooms on wheels” enabled them to carry heavy closed coachwork, even with several passengers aboard. The advent of the self-starter on gas-powered cars around 1912 diminished the market for early electrics. By the mid-’teens, sales of electrics were generally in decline. By 1915, Baker, another well-known Cleveland-based builder of electric cars and Rauch & Lang were combining forces—both offered very similar vehicles powered by Baker-built motors, with Rauch & Lang bodies. In 1917, the two companies formally merged, creating the Baker R&L Co., also known as Baker-Raulang. All vehicles produced by the new combine carried the Rauch & Lang nameplate. While still producing up to 900 electric cars a year, Baker R&L diversified by establishing its successful Raulang body-building division in 1919, while also expanding its lines of electric commercial vehicles. Surprisingly, the Rauch & Lang electric car business was acquired in 1920 by the Stevens-Duryea Company, a manufacturer of gasoline-powered luxury cars in Chicopee Falls, Mass. Production was transferred to a newly constructed factory there, and the new Rauch & Lang set out to offer taxicabs with either gas or electric power to what proved to be an unresponsive market. By 1928, Rauch & Lang production had all but ceased. A single experimental gas/electric hybrid, developed in conjunction with General Electric engineers, was completed in 1929 and subsequently sold to Col. E.H.R. Green, son of multi-millionaire investor, Hetty Green. The stock market crash in late1929 finished off Rauch & Lang. The vendor reports that the “matching numbers” body and chassis of the offered 1916 Rauch & Lang Brougham have been restored, while the original interior remains intact while showing signs of age. The stately electric Brougham is said to be fully operational and its 90-volt electric motor appears to have good batteries. It has been equipped with a built-in charger that negates the need for an external charging device. Renewed interest in alternative propulsion vehicles has reawakened collector interest in vintage electric cars and the offered example presents a rare opportunity to acquire such a vehicle.

Auktionsarchiv: Los-Nr. 517•
Auktion:
Datum:
04.10.2008
Auktionshaus:
Bonhams London
Brookline, Larz Anderson Auto Museum Larz Anderson Auto Museum 15 Newton Street Brookline MA 02445 Tel: +1 415 391 4000 Fax : +1 415 391 4040 info.us@bonhams.com
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