1903 Haynes-Apperson 7½hp Twin-cylinder Runabout Chassis no. 792

1903 Haynes-Apperson 7½hp Twin-cylinder Runabout Chassis no. 792 For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website •Rare early survivor of a once prominent American make•Formerly part of the Imperial Palace Hotel Collection in Las Vegas, Nevada•Acquired for the Bühner Collection in 2001•Past participant in the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run The Haynes-Apperson marque originated in 1893 when Elwood P Haynes, a senior employee of the Indiana Natural Gas and Oil Company, visited the Riverside Machine Works in Kokomo, Indiana to ask its proprietors, the Apperson brothers, for assistance in building an automobile. Haynes would later (falsely) claim that his was America's first automobile. For the next few years Messrs Haynes and Apperson continued with their existing employment, and it was not until 1898 that the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company was formed. Automobiles of 7/8hp with a choice of two, four or six seats were soon leaving the Riverside Machine Works. Demand was strong right from the outset and the factory was soon running 24 hours a day. Haynes-Apperson cars were soon setting new long-distance records, their achievements somewhat embellished by Haynes. According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars: 'There was no doubt, however, that the Haynes-Apperson was a fine automobile; it won a blue ribbon in the Long Island Endurance Run and two first prizes in the New York-Rochester Endurance Contest in 1901.' Haynes and the Appersons parted company that year, the latter to build their own Apperson automobile while Haynes continued with Haynes-Apperson before dropping the name of his erstwhile collaborators in 1905. Haynes cars grew in size and complexity - the company introduced a 6.0-litre V12 in 1916 - but so did the firm's financial difficulties, and in September 1924 its creditors fled for bankruptcy. It was a sad end to a marque that had consistently built cars of quality. This rare early Haynes-Apperson was formerly in the renowned collection belonging to the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it was purchased in 1981 from one John L Skaff. According to copy correspondence on file, Ralph Englestad, the then owner of the Imperial Palace, used the car to participate in the London-Brighton run in 1982 or 1983. The car features a 3,120cc twin-cylinder engine producing some 7½ horsepower, which drives via a four-speed gearbox. Top speed is around 50km/h. The Bühners have owned the Haynes-Apperson since circa 2001 and participated with it in the Ibbenbürener Schnauferl-Treffen in 2001 and the London-Brighton Veteran Car Run in 2002 (programmes on file). The car is offered with an old Nevada Certificate of Title, a quantity of correspondence, and Dutch registration documents. Haynes-Apperson Runabout 7½ ch bicylindre - 1903Châssis n° 792 •Rare survivante d'une de premières voitures d'un ancien important constructeur américain•Autrefois membre de la Collection de l'Imperial Palace Hotel de Las Vegas (Nevada)•Acquise pour la Collection Bühner en 2001•Ancienne participante du London-Brighton Veteran Car Run La marque Haynes-Apperson a pris naissance en 1893 lorsque Elwood P. Haynes, un des responsables de l'Indiana Natural Gas and Oil Company, se rendit à la Riverside Machine Works de Kokomo (Indiana) pour demander à ses propriétaires, les frères Apperson, de l'aider à construire une automobile. Haynes proclamera par la suite, à tort, que c'était la première voiture américaine. Pendant les années qui suivirent, ces messieurs conservèrent leur activité professionnelle et ce n'est qu'en 1898 que la Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company fut fondée. Des voitures de 7/8 ch avec au choix deux, quatre ou six places ne tardèrent pas à sortir des usines de Riverside. Elles rencontrèrent dès l... For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website