1911 Oldsmobile Limited 7-passenger Touring

Without evidence of time, what does a real object offer the collector that a perfect replica does not as well?

by Miles Collier

Oldsmobile made its name with the tiny single-cylinder “curve dash” buckboard in the early years of the 20th century, but went on to produce one of the most significant and largest early American cars.

Based on the earlier Model Z, the 1910 Limited rode on the same 130-inch wheelbase with massive 42-inch wheels. The following year the wheelbase was stretched to 138 inches and the engine was expanded from the Z’s 505-ci 6-cylinder to a massive 707-ci unit. A roadster, a touring car, a four-passenger “tourabout,” and a limousine were offered, at prices from $5,600–$7,500, competing with Packard, Peerless, and Pierce-Arrow.

Oldsmobile built only 159 7-passenger touring cars in 1911, so finding one in any condition is unlikely. This car was bought new by the president of the Brewyn-White Coal Company in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. It is one of three known and the only one never restored.

The car was discovered by collector William Swigart in...