Hansom Cab
Chassis #: 701
The hansom cabs operated as motorized taxicabs in New York City. Among the earliest examples were the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of 1897, later followed by Morris and Salom's Electric Vehicle Company. The layout had the passenger compartment in the front and the driver on an elevated seat behind. The W.C.P Taxicab Company began operating 11 motorized taxis in 1909, using cabs that were built by the Bristol Engineering Company of Bristol, Connecticut. One of the principals of the company was Albert F. Rockwell, founder of the New Departure Bell Company. Rockwell taxis were powered by four-cylinder gasoline engines and the body styles were of a landaulet style. By 1910, around 200 Rockwell cabs were in service in New York. This was short-lived, as he was soon removed from his position in the Connecticut companies. The New York Taxicab Company took over and used cabs imported from France.This particular Rockwell Hansom Cab is believed to have been originally powered by electric power. It was later fitted with the current water-cooled gasoline engine. The work is believed to have been done around 1910 for Mr. Rockwell.
This vehicle has been completely restored. It was a part of James Melton's museums, first in Norwalk, Connecticut, and later in Hypoluxo, Florida. After the museum closed, the vehicle went to Rockefeller's museum in Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas. More recently it has been part of Roy Warshawsky's J.C. Whitney Collection, and the Merrick Auto Museum Collection.
By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020
