One of the first ever electric cars is set to sell for £375,000.
The restored Baker Electric Model V, built in 1912, is heading to auction.
It’s widely regarded as one of the finest early electric cars ever produced.
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The car being offered is a Model V four-passenger Special Extension Coupe, one of the last and most desirable enclosed Baker designs.
It features elegant, lightweight aluminium bodywork, a style discontinued shortly after, as reported by Whats The Jam.
Power comes from a 60-volt battery feeding a General Electric high-speed motor, controlled by an advanced five-speed rotary controller.
The car sits on a light chassis with a solid rear axle and semi-elliptical leaf springs, making it one of the best-engineered electric vehicles of its time.
It has undergone restoration by renowned specialists Bill Auerbach and Mark Larder, including reconstructed patent leather fenders, handcrafted by Amish craftsmen, a correct brown broadcloth and brocade interior, recreated using period-accurate material.
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The vehicle was originally owned by Hugh Holbrock, a flamboyant Ohio attorney known for showcasing his vehicles at parades and local events.
After his wife’s death, the collection was sold in 2005, with the Baker acquired by James Cousens, one of the most important collectors of early electric vehicles.
It later formed part of the prestigious Cedar Crossing Collection, before passing to Houston billionaire John O’Quinn, and then to celebrated enthusiast Terry Adderley.
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It’s described as “indisputably one of the very best-restored extant examples of perhaps the most prestigious pre-war American electric car, this Baker Electric has everything to recommend it to the collector of fine automobiles who seeks an electric and desires absolutely the very finest”.
It is being sold by RM Sotheby’s in Phoenix, Arizona, US, on 23 January.
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