1907 Chase Canopy Express

Sold for $30,800 at 2010 RM Auctions - Vintage Motor Cars of Hershey.
Aurin Chase, the former vice-president of the Syracuse Chilled Plow Company, formed the Chase Motor Truck Company in 1906. Their first vehicle was a versatile machine, which could be converted from passenger to commercial service. It was a high-wheel surrey that had a 700-pound capacity, capable of carrying plenty of passengers or commercial products. The engine was a two-stroke, two-cylinder air-cooled unit mated to a two-speed planetary gearbox. The wheelbase measured 84 inches and had two-wheel mechanical brakes. Other engines were available from Chase, in two-, three- and four-cylinder capacities.

A three-ton forward-control truck was introduced by the Chase Company and 1908. By 1912, the production of passenger vehicles had been phased out completely, as the company focused its skills on producing commercial vehicles. In 1914, the Chase vehicles were given a more conventional drivetrain, driven by a four-cylinder Continental engine, and featuring a four-speed sliding gear transmission and worm drive rear axle. The range By the mid-1910s, the company was offering trucks ranging from 3/4-ton to 3 1/2 capacity. By 1917, they were out of business.

This Chase Canopy Express Truck was a former AACA National First winner in 1988. The car has rubber tires and an older restoration. There are roll-down curtains, leather upholstery, and a two-stroke engine.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2010