1911 Flanders Studebaker Twenty Tourer

Registration No: SV 4002
Chassis No: 62001
MOT: Exempt

• Rare, UK-supplied, right-hand drive example
• Comprehensively restored between 1983 and 1985 to the expense of some £16,000!
• Four-cylinder, 20hp engine with three-speed manual transmission
• Long-term previous ownership of some thirty years

The Flanders Automobile Company operated out of Detroit, Michigan, from 1910 to 1913, with its one and only product distributed through Studebaker dealerships. The brainchild of Walter E. Flanders, who had previously been employed in the position as General Factory Manager at the Ford Motor Company's Piquette avenue plant, he co-invented the ingenious manufacturing methods which made the Model T Ford so famous. At the beginning, there were two offerings, model "30" and model "20". The "30", although prone to many faults, became a huge success but failed to outsell the Model T Ford. The 20 employed a four-cylinder engine with 20hp, a 100-inch wheelbase and was focused on a price of $750 in 1909 - then lower than Ford's "T". But, as Ford was able to cut its price regularly, the Flanders remained more expensive than the Model T for the most part. Offered in Runabout (two passengers) and Tourer (four passengers) initially, body styles became available in 1911. A total of some 31,500 cars are reputed to have been built in its three-year existence!

A very rare, UK-supplied, right-hand drive example of the scarcely seen Flanders Studebaker, chassis ‘62001’ displays the supplying plaque for Studebaker Corporation of Portland Street, London on the dashboard. Understood to have been supplied new to a Doctor in Southern Ireland, the Studebaker is known to have been in a period of long-term ownership for some thirty years (understood spanned the 1960s-1980s). During this ownership, between c.1983 and 1985, the Flanders was lavished with an extensive restoration by Hightone Restorations which totalled some £16,000 in expenditure, a vast amount at the time! The works completed included full chassis shotblasting and restoration, ash frame renovation, bodywork restoration, engine overhaul, and refurbished steering, axle cases, brake shafts, prop shafts, and springs, amongst much more!

Letters in the history file note that the long-term custodian was seen using the Flanders both in unrestored and post-restoration conditions. Previously a regular attendee of VCC events, the Flanders has most recently been re-commissioned and is now said to be running well, and has been driven to the local village fete and around Cambridgeshire, although there is a suspected gearbox leak that will need attention. Offered with a history file, the file contains a collection of invoices relating to the restoration, technical information, the aforementioned letters, and a V5C document. A very scarcely seen Edwardian car, especially in right-hand drive, this Flanders would be a great addition to any pre-war collection or for use at events!

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452