1910 Detroit Electric Model D

Sold for $55,200 at 2013 Bonhams - The Scottsdale Auction.
Sold for $41,800 at 2013 Preserving the Automobile : An Auction at the Simeone Foundation.
The electric automobile has always been very appealing for so many reasons; they are simple to operate, silent operation, lack of smell, and no need for costly fuel. One of the early producers of early electric automobiles was the Detroit Electrics, which were made by the Anderson Carriage Company. Originally from Port Huron, Michigan, Anderson was founded in 1884 as a maker of carriages and wagons. Its founder, William C. Anderson, moved his company to Detroit in 1895 and in 1907, began making electric vehicles under the name Detroit Electric.

The Detroit Electric was never an industry technical leader, but they did produce a well-manufactured product, especially after the 1909 acquisition of Elwell-Parker, maker of the Detroit Electric's electric motor and its controller. The fine engineering was complemented with finely finished and trimmed interiors.

This example is da four-seat brougham and one of the first (if not the first) vehicles to use curved glass in an automobile body. It has been in the long-term ownership of the Pierce A. Miller Carriage Collection. It was shipped on February 17th, 1910, to the California Electric Garage in Pasadena. This is one of the earliest known surviving Detroit Electrics.

In 2013, the vehicle was offered for sale at Bonham's Scottsdale, Arizona auction. As bidding came to a close, it had been sold for the sum of $55,200, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2013