The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles is pleased to announce the newest addition to its fine collection of Pennsylvania-built automobiles, a 1915 Pullman Speedster. This fine automobile is actually a reconstruction of a 1914 Gentleman’s Roadster or Speedster built by a noted historian and Pullman restorer. Using original specifications from the Pullman Motor Car Company, the body was meticulously constructed and mounted on a 1915 Pullman chassis. The car is in beautiful condition and is ready to drive.
The York Motor Car Company was founded in York, Pennsylvania by Albert Broomell and Samuel Baily in 1905, just two years after the first car they built turned out to be a miserable failure, the Pullman Six-Wheeler. After building what is to believed only two examples of the Six-Wheeler, Broomell and Baily went back to the drawing board and scrapped their original design in favor of large, four-cylinder, 40 horsepower automobiles. These luxury cars were marketed as Pullmans, likely in an attempt to evoke the high-society connotations of Pullman rail cars, although the two companies were not related. Pullmans soon became known for their quality, and they skyrocketed to fame thanks to a win at the 1910 Fairmont Park Road Race, as well as three gold medals at the Russian Exposition Rost on Don in 1911. This was quite a feat, particularly for an American-made automobile. Their fame led to increased sales, and, unfortunately, a subsequent drop in quality in order to meet demand.
In 1915, facing numerous financial difficulties, the Pullman Motor Car Company (it had changed its name from York Motor Car Company in 1909 in order to capitalize on its name brand reputation) introduced the Junior line, a smaller, more economic version of its luxury autos in order to compete with such makers as Chevrolet. This last attempt to salvage the company was not enough, however, and in 1917 the company was disbanded. It is estimated 20,000 Pullmans were built in the 12 years the company operated. The Pullman now on display at the Boyertown Museum is a beautiful auto and a wonderful representation of the Pullman Motor Car Company and its history in the York, Pennsylvania area.
The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles is open seven days a week from 9:30 am to 4 p.m. The Museum, located at 85 South Walnut Street in Boyertown, in a former factory building of the Boyertown Auto Body Works, preserves the transportation history of Pennsylvania and displays more than 90 locally manufactured cars, trucks, carriages, motorcycles, sleighs and other types of vehicles.
Also on display are two examples of roadside architecture: a 1921 cottage style Sunoco gas station and the 1938 Jerry O’Mahony diner. For more information call 610-367-2090 or visit www.boyertownmuseum.org.
