1916 Woods Mobilette Model 5

Description

OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

The AACA Museum at Hershey is truly America’s transportation experience. The 71,000-square-foot museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opened on 26 June 2003 and since then has displayed vintage automobiles in a truly unique way. Visitors walk through eight decades in time while traveling from New York to San Francisco with iconic settings revealing vehicles from generations of American motoring. The AACA Museum at Hershey ranks among the top automotive museums in the world and has been recognized by the Smithsonian as an Affiliate Museum. Hagerty Marketplace is honored to offer this collection of exceptional and unusual vehicles from The AACA Museum at Hershey. 

The first “horseless carriages” were expensive, costing more than the annual income of most families. The race to produce a vehicle Americans could afford was on, and inventor Francis A. Woods of Harvey, Illinois, took on the challenge. Woods’ early hopes were to produce an electric car that could be converted to gasoline power in less than ten minutes. When that venture failed Woods produced a small, affordable vehicle that would better than the popular Ford Model T. Woods’ Mobilette was introduced with tandem seating and an air-cooled engine in 1911 and production peaked in 1914 at a claimed 1,000 units per month. In 1915, Woods updated his design with the introduction of the Model 5, featuring staggered seating for improved comfort and a four-cylinder engine. The car offered 30-40 mpg versus the Model T’s 25 mpg, and ads for the Mobilette claimed it would “give gasoline a new value, a new worth, new distances, new mileages.” 

The small, spartan Mobilette was no match for the less expensive full-sized Ford Model T and by 1917 Woods ceased production. This 1916 Woods Mobilette Model 5 from The AACA Museum at Hershey represents a very innovative approach to motorizing America. 

Highlights 

• Offered from The AACA Museum at Hershey  

• Early people’s car, base price $380 ($20 more than a full-size Ford Model T) 

• AACA National First Prize Winner 1982 

• Low-profile underslung chassis 

• Water-cooled 86.6 cu-in inline-four engine producing 12 hp 

• Magneto ignition 

• Two-speed rear axle with “no clashing, no grating, no slipping or grabbing” 

• Brakes ($10 option) 

Features 

• 1916 total production: 723 units 

• Wood-rimmed steering wheel 

• Hand-operated horn 

• Fuel-burning head, cowl, and tail lamps 

• Staggered seating 

• Folding windscreen 

• Delaware assigned VIN 

• Folding vinyl convertible top 

• Cooling System: Thermo-syphon 

• Weight: 950 pounds 

• Wheelbase: 104 inches 

• Tire size: 28x3 inches 

Known Imperfections 

• One of the leather straps holding the top needs to be replaced  

Ownership History 

This 1916 Woods Mobilette Model 5 has been on display at The AACA Museum at Hershey since 1995. 

Additional Notes 

A Broad Arrow Group Consignment Specialist is working as an agent on behalf of the owner of this vehicle.     Contact: Donnie Gould   Phone: 954.647.0779  email: dgould@hagerty.com