créé le 02 octobre
2006 et mis à jour le 02 octobre 2006
marque
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SIMPLICITY
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modèle
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HORSELESS
CARRIAGE
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finitions
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Touring
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année
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1 9 0
4
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quantité/prix
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exemplaire unique
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carrosserie
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torpédo à 5
places
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moteur/boite
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monocylindre
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DU SITE
D'ENCHERES <<E-BAY>> usa 2006
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- hôte :
e-bay,
le fameux site d'enchères aux USA
- voitures
américaines : il y en a toujours beaucoup et
particulièrement bien classées
- photos : elles
sont du propriétaire-vendeur
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HISTOIRE
CHRONOLOGIQUE DE LA MARQUE SIMPLICITY
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- au départ il ne
faut pas confondre avec la marque SIMPLICITY de
Evansville (Indiana) qui a produit des voitures de 1907
à 1920. Ici c'est une voiture unique construite
par un particulier
- 1902 : Ira J
Hollenbee débute la construction d'une automobile
à Greensburg (Indiana). Il choisit un moteur
monocylindre. C'est la date qui est donnée par le
petit-fils du constructeur en 1956
- 1904 : c'est une
autre date qui est donnée par la famille, avec
l'aide d'une photo datée
- c'est tout ce que l'on
sait officiellement sur cette voiture (Standard Catalog)
mais voir le texte en anglais ci-dessous
|
- I guess I'm going to
have to eat my words! I swore I would never offer this
car for any less than $49,000.00. Oh well, time to move
on. The "Buy it Now" and Reserve price have been lowered
to $39,000.00. The auction for this vehicle several weeks
ago came close to meeting this amount. You will never
again find a 2 cylinder London to Brighton eligible
vehicle for this price again, especially in this size and
condition.
- 1904 Simplicity (not
Simplicity Highwheeler Car Company). One off, hand built
auto by Mr. Ira Hollensbe of Greensburg, Indiana. Mr.
Hollensbe was a friend of Henry Ford and built radiators
for him and served as the first Ford agent in Indiana.
Mr. Hollensbe hand built the entire car with the
exception of the motor, transmission, and wheels. The
automobile has an approximate wheelbase of 90 inches. The
front passenger seat swings over on hinges to allow 1-3
passengers access to the rear seat. It is a 5-passenger
touring car. It is in superb condition, including paint
and interior. The running gear is also excellent but
needs to be restored. I have not tried to start it, but
it has excellent compression. The auto is quite large,
being bigger than a 1904 / 05 Ford, Cadillac, and
Oldsmobile Touring Car and twice as powerful! It has a
large, two cylinder, horizontally opposed, engine in the
16 horse power range, and a planetary transmission, two
speeds forward, one in reverse. The automobile was owned
by Mr. Hollensbe from the time it was created in 1904
until the late 1920's or early 1930's when it was sold to
Lloyd and Norman Kanouse, also of Greensburg, Indiana.
The two brothers drove the automobile on a regular basis
and sold it to Mr. Sam Jacob of Ohio in 1963. Mr. Jacob
rolled the automobile into his garage in 1963 where it
sat untouched until I acquired it in early 1998. Included
with the automobile is a copy of the August 1941 issue of
Hobbies Magazine.(See below) A two-page article in this
magazine sets out the life and history of Mr. Ira
Hollensbe and the car he created. The article was written
three years after Mr. Hollensbe died in 1938. His widow
was still alive at the time of this writing. Inside is a
photo of Mr. & Mrs. Hollensbe sitting in the 1904
Simplicity. He proudly drove this car to the first
Indianapolis 500 Race in 1911. Several years ago I was
able to locate and speak at length with Mrs. Vivian
Kanouse of Greensberg, Indiana, widow of Norman Kanouse.
Mrs. Kanouse was in her late 80's and has a razor sharp
mind. She has informed me that the information set out in
the article is correct. She remembers that her husband
owned the automobile when they were dating in 1934 and
they rode in it together on a regular basis. She has
signed a notarized affidavit to this effect, which goes
with the car. In addition, since it is a pre-1905
automobile, it is eligible for the London to Brighton Run
in England of Veteran vehicles and thus is quite valuable
due to this fact alone. The car comes with a clear
Florida title. Transportation for this vehicle can be
arranged. With 1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905 Cadillac,
curved dash Olds, Rambler, Ford, Reo, Peerless, Pierce
Arrow cars going in the $30,000-$75,000 range it is an
excellent investment for a collector, museum, brass hit
and miss engine collector, etc.
- Email questions to
gnalbright@gmail.com
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PHOTOS
DE LA SIMPLICITY HORSELESS CARRIAGE 1904
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