1899 Knox Model A 5hp Single-Cylinder Three-Wheel Runabout will be offered at Bonhams’ upcoming sale, “The Tupelo Automobile Museum Auction” that will be held on April 27, 2019, in Tupelo, Mississippi. The pre-auction estimate of this automobile is US$ 140,000 - 170,000 and it will be presented in lot 424 at the auction.  “Harry Knox was encouraged by his neighbor J Frank Duryea to enter the automobile business. Both were residents of Springfield, Massachusetts, a city known for its sophisticated manufacturing capabilities. Knox had experience with motorcars while working at the Overman Wheel Company where they produced several experimental autos. Contemporary accounts report Knox producing 16 three-wheeled motor cars in 1899 before ramping up production to approximately 100 in 1900. The elegant three-wheelers are marvels of superior engineering. Beautifully conceived and elegantly styled nothing about these motorcars appears primitive or experimental. The propulsion was of a unique design; the single-cylinder engine was air-cooled by means of steel pins, screwed into the sides of the cylinder walls. This expanded the cooling surface of the engine and allowed it to be cooled simply by the air flowing over it. Thus, Knox was one of the earliest air-cooled American cars. It became popularly known as the ‘Porcupine.’ The three-wheeled design lasted only through 1901, but air-cooling remained a Knox feature well into the decade,” states the auction house, while describing the origin of this model. Some of the major details of this motorcar are 95.4ci Single-Cylinder Engine; 2-Speed Planetary Transmission; Single Fully-Elliptical Front and Fully-Elliptical Rear Springs and Rear-Wheel Drum Brake. Bonhams also states that it is a beautifully preserved, iconic early motor car and it has an innovative air-cooled “porcupine” engine. Commenting on the history of this motorcar, the auction house says, “Mr. Spain acquired the 1899 Knox offered here at auction in the 1990s. Our research has found no existing Knox with a lower serial number, likely placing the car in the first batch of three-wheelers produced. Close examination of the Knox reveals a mouthwateringly original, correct, and intact machine. It sports its original Knox spray jet Carburetor/mixer, muffler, and most of its original paint. The Knox has seen some mechanical work in the past — most evident a rebuilt set of wheels. These rebuilt wheels wear a rare set of reproduction ‘Single-Tube’ tires all in fine order.” https://www.blouinartinfo.com/              Founder: Louise Blouin Read more