1918 Locomobile Model 48-2 Sportif Touring Car
Bridgeport’s finest luxury automobile represented American engineering excellence during an 18-year production run from 1911 to 1929. Known as the “American Mercedes,” this prestigious motorcar delivered exceptional quality and performance to elite clientele including the Vanderbilt family, Andrew Carnegie, and William Wrigley.
The distinctive design featured elegant proportions created by French-born designer J. Frank de Causse, formerly of Kellner, who headed Locomobile’s custom body department.
Power came from a massive 525 cubic inch T-head inline six-cylinder engine with iron cylinders cast in pairs, a bronze crankcase, and seven main bearings. The powerplant produced 85 horsepower and featured chrome-cobalt steel exhaust valves with dual ignition. A four-speed manual transmission delivered power through a full-floating rear axle.
Priced at $4,800 compared to about $1,800 for a similar Cadillac, production was limited to roughly four cars per day. Today, only about 167 examples are known to survive, making these cars exceptionally rare and valuable.
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