Reeves Octoauto 1911 by Autocult
Four
axles, eight wheels – a flop
Miserable
road conditions in the USA on the threshold of the 20th century led
Milton Othello Reeves to think about giving drivers a pleasantly soft ride.
In
1910 he bought a noble sedan from the U.S. manufacturer Overland and
implemented his idea to increase driving comfort – he doubled the number of
axels. He mounted another axle on both the rear and front, so that the luxury
sedan grew up to eight meters in length. The rest of the car was pretty much
left as standard. With the double-axle construction, Milton Othello Reeves
thought he could cushion the unevenness of the roads much more pleasantly. Reeves
thus transferred the idea of Geroge Pullman, who invented the parlor car in railway
in 1867 under the very same aspect an train of thought –spreading the load and reducing
the vibrations by doubling the amount of wheels – to the automotive industry.
In
order to be able to steer the excessively long vehicle, Milton O. Reeves designed
the two front and one of the rear axles steerable – the front one had the
largest steering lock, the second one a slightly smaller one, and the hinder
rear axle steered in the opposite direction than the front axles. Thus, the car
de facto turned around its own medial axis. In practice, the system seemed to
work and the car pioneer went on a 3,000-mile promotion tour with his car. The
journalists were very impressed by the unusual passenger car in terms of
comfort. Based on the number of wheels, Reeves offered his vehicle under the
name ‘OctoAuto’.
But
in the end, Reeves did not sell a single copy of his car, as it was far too expensive
with its purchase price of U.S.$ 3,200.
Description: | Reeves Octoauto 1911 |
Catalogue#: | ATC01015 |
Product Type: | Resincast |
Scale: | 1:43 |
Event: | Road, Concept Cars |
Colour: | Green |
Drivers: | - |
Sponsors: | - |
Dates: | 1911 |
Race/Position: | - |
Release Date: | December 2021 |
Weight: | 750 grams |
Comments: | Limited edition of 333 pieces |
About Autocult
A relatively new maker of very well finished resincast models, established in 2015. Very imaginative choice of subjects, often concentrating on the more eccentric episodes in motoring history! Production limited to 333 pieces of each subject, which often means that we get one delivery and that is it, so pre-orders strongly recommended!! Made in China for Germany.