1903 Olvera car: Have you seen any older than that?

[Orchidflower]

This car was made in Mexico in 1903. From what I gather, a group of Mormons immigrated down there and made these, but, in all honesty, I haven't done enough homework on the Olvera to confirm anything.
Regardless, there are only 5 of these left around today, and a nice gent who has one that lives near Phoenix brought it to an auto show near my house; so, I went specifically to see it knowing that if I missed this opportunity it might not come around again.
He gave me the 10 cent tour of how it works and started it for me. Pretty simplistic: a brake, a gas pedal, a clutch. I guess in 1903 you didn't need much more than that. (Note: the wooden spokes on the tires)
This car is so obsolete now that it is hard to even find a photo of it on the net, but here is one:

1903 Olvera pictures from rides photos on webshots

I'm guessing this might be his car since it had a painted "1903" on the front--something he told me he had done when it was refurbished. He did tell me a mechanic had it in his garage for 50 years+/-, and he bought it in a very junky condition from him and had it fixed up (photos to show the process, too). It's a beaut now, tho.

So, has anyone here seen an older car than that?

[omni550]

Here's one...the Ford Quadricycle (from 1896) now housed in Henry Ford Museum Village, Dearborn, MI

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rd_Quadricycle

omni

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni550 Here's one...the Ford Quadricycle (from 1896) now housed in Henry Ford Museum Village, Dearborn, MI https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...rd_Quadricycle omni

I used to work near this museum and would often eat lunch there and poke around. It is a tremendous auto collection under one roof with lots of very early cars.

Also has the car Kennedy was shot in and the bus in which Rosa Parks was arrested.

[omni550]

Here's an article about the oldest still-running steam powered car (from 1884) for sale in 2007....

World's oldest car for sale - CNN

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And here's the answer to: "What is the oldest car manufacturer?"

Answer = Peugeot in 1882.

Peugeot started as a coffee mil company in 1810, and car manufacturer in 1882 (Peugeot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Tatra reportedly started in 1850, and its car production in 1897 named the President (Tatra (company) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

While Mercedes was designed by a Czech-Hungarian German called Emil Jelinek in 1901 under the name Daimler (Mercedes-Benz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and (Emil Jellinek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Skoda goes back to 1895, with "automobiles" manufacturing starting around "1905" (History).

Whereas Ford did not start as a company until 1903.

"Steam-powered car is made by De Dion, Bouton & Trépardoux of France in 1884 and is most commonly known as the La Marquise. It is the first car invented but when we are talking about manufacturing it is the Fords company leaded by the founder Henry Ford."

The Ford Motor Company was not the oldest manufacturer.. The only thing that Henry Ford brought to the table was the invention of Mass Production via the assembly line, which simply made cars more affordable.

The oldest American car company is actually Buick which was founded in 1899 as a car manufacturer. Ford Motor Company was not started until June 1903, followed by Cadillac in August 1903. Henry Ford initially started Detroit Automobile Company in August 1899, but later dissolved it in January 1901. In Oct 1901, he started Henry Ford Motor Company, but left in 1902, causing the company to be restructured into Cadillac in August 1903.

Prior to its dissolution of the brand name in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest American car manufacturer starting bussiness to make cars in 1897.

Thus the oldest, still producing, car manufacturer in the world is Mercedes Benz.

Mercedes Benz was founded in 1881 and patented thier first car in 1886. But it was not until 1901 that they actually marketed a vehicle and it was not until 1926 that the Mercedes Benz brand name was established.

Read more: Answers.com - What is the oldest car manufacturer

omni

[Orchidflower]

What interesting information, thanks Omni!
Maybe there are just a handful of car buffs on this site, but I'm definitely one of them and always seeking a peek at one.