5 — 1902 Oldsmobile Model R Curved Dash Runabout
While history justly records that the Ford Model T was the car that brought the possibility of owning a vehicle to the masses, the first car to be mass-produced was actually the celebrated Curved Dash from oldsmobile.
The company was founded on August 21, 1897 by Ransom Eli Olds, and it was the first in Michigan to focus solely on the production of motorized vehicles. Olds the founder was seen as an unrivaled expert in the domain; he had tested first car, equipped with a steam engine, back in 1887.
In 1901, Oldsmobile sold 425 of the Curved Dash at a price of $650. In 1902, it sold around 2,500 units, and in 1903, 3,924. But by 1904 it was all over.
The model offered at the RM Sotheby’s auction has been conserved esthetically in its original state, but the 1-cylinder, 5-hp engine has been entirely restored. The bidding stopped at $40,000 for the car.
6 — On the phone
The auction room counted several hundred potential bidders, but there were many more taking part via phone. You can see the army of people ready to take bids this way. When someone receives a call from someone wanting to make a bid, they stand up so they are visible and can follow the bidding in the room as well.