1912 ALCO 40 Tourer
America’s most exclusive automobile emerged from an unlikely source when the American Locomotive Company entered luxury car manufacturing in 1906. ALCO leveraged its locomotive-building expertise alongside licensed Berliet engineering from France to create automobiles rivaling the finest European imports.
ALCO’s commitment to exceptional quality resulted in extraordinarily high prices that positioned these cars above even Pierce-Arrow’s finest offerings.
While top Pierce-Arrow models sold for around $5,500, ALCO’s flagship exceeded $10,000, with the company advertising that each motorcar required more than a year to complete.
This 1912 ALCO 40 Tourer featured a 454-cubic-inch T-head four-cylinder engine producing approximately 60 horsepower. Power was delivered through a four-speed sliding-gear transmission, with traditional semi-elliptic leaf springs used front and rear.
The brand gained racing credibility through a Vanderbilt Cup victory using a largely stock 60-horsepower model, demonstrating both performance and durability.
ALCO combined French Berliet design sophistication with American manufacturing resources at its Providence, Rhode Island facility, drawing on New England’s skilled workforce and established coachbuilding industry.
Production ceased in the early 1910s, making surviving examples exceptionally rare. Today, fewer than 15 ALCO automobiles are believed to exist worldwide, with only a handful being the large four-cylinder models like this one.
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