|
partner
David Buick, whose name is commemorated by the GM firm
even today. For
the first few years, the partners’ automobiles were
known as McLaughlins, then the name McLaughlin-Buick
came into vogue, lasting until the end of the 1920s,
when the McLaughlin was dropped, giving way to the
well-known Buick marquee of today. This
1909 McLaughlin was restored to its present condition by
Mr. Clarkson long before the founding of the Antique
Automobile Museum and has been kept in excellent running
order for many years. Give it a gallon of gas, retard
the spark and close the choke a bit, “twist her
tail”.... and the car will run today, just as nicely
as the day it first rolled out of the factory!
Powered
by a 4-cylinder, twin-block, four-stroke engine, the
McLaughlin features the famous “caged valve”
assemblies which became so popular during and after the
First World War for quick valve-and-seat conversions on
aircraft engines. The transmission gives three forward
speeds and a single reverse gear and power is through a
cone clutch and drive shaft.
in
common with many of the cars of this very early period,
this McLaughlin has a road speed of about 35 miles per
hour with the throttle close to the “wide open”
position: not much in today’s terms, but quite
sufficient for the roads at that time. The visitor will
note especially the old-time auto engineering so evident
on this fine McLaughlin, including the elliptical
springing, extensive use of brass trim, folding
windshield and Pres-To-Lite acetylene gas headlamp
system. Note also the real leather upholstery, a rare
luxury in this day and age, but standard on all but the
cheapest cars of the first decade of the century. At
this early date, the McLaughlin still had right-hand
steering with outboard gear change and brake levers; the
shift pattern of McLaughlin's for many years was the
reverse of the system later standardized and still used
today. |
