Other Early Automakers

In the United States, Henry Ford received more publicity than most of the other auto manufacturers in the early 1900's. But he wasn't alone.  Characters in Yours in a Hurry ,which takes place from 1908 to 1912, have experiences with other early automobiles.
​
Bugatti
It's said that Ettore Bugatti, an engineer from Cologne, Germany built the first Type 10 model in his basement. That year, 1909, he took his family in that Bugatti to the Alsace region of Germany looking for a place to build a factory.
In YIAH, Harry Spoon, a Glenn Curtiss mechanic, travels from Reims, France to Brescia, Italy with his co-workers and the disassembled aeroplanes via train while Curtiss rides in a new Bugatti like the one shown at right.

---

The Packard 30
Hiram Cowell, Anna Hartle's employer, takes her to meet her cousin, Ida Beveridge in style in his new Packard 30.  With its bright red color, retractable top for inclimate weather, and white wall tires, it's attractive to his real estate clients, too.  As he tells Anna, "The first couple I took property hunting yesterday had neve ridden in a vehicle like this before and were quite impressed!"

---

Mercedes Benz
The Benz 22-50 PS Limousine was large for its time. Anna, YIAH heroine, first rides in one when she goes to San Antonio for an interview with the successful developer, H.C. Thorman. As he takes her to visit several of his housing developments he has to assist her in exiting the automobile. It's a high step. Thorman notes, "It works well for rough roads and terrain with higher ground clearance and larger track width."
​
See For Yourself
You can find these automobiles and others in automotive specialty and other museums around the country. The Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland is the closest one to us We have visited them as far away as Fairbanks, Alaska's Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California.

​
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Model_30_(series_U)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti

Next time:  Anna's professional contemporary Clara Pierce Wolcott Driscoll Booth

---