Manufacturer: Detroit Electric Car Company (Detroit, Michigan)
Special features: Henry Ford bought his wife Clara a new Detroit Brougham every two years from 1908 to 1914 since she refused to drive a gasoline powered car.
Provenance: Thanks to a kind and generous donation from Dr. Michael Werckle and wife Patti of Caledonia, Illinois.
Additional info: The Anderson Carriage Company was founded by William C. Anderson in 1884. Originally located in Port Huron, Michigan it was relocated to Detroit in 1885, and in 1907 produced its first electric car, the Detroit Electric. Designed by George M. Bacon, the Detroit Electric was rated at 80 miles per charge and recorded over 211 miles on a single charge. By Christmas of 1907, one hundred and twenty-five Detroit Electrics had been built. In 1909, Anderson acquired Elwell-Parker, maker of the Detroit Electric's electric motor and its controller. Elwell-Parker's products were considered as the very best available. The Company changed its name to the Anderson Electric Car Company in 1911, and in 1920 the name was changed again to The Detroit Electric Car Company. The company filed for bankruptcy after the stock market crash in 1929. A.O. Dunk bought out the company and kept it alive until a few years after his death in 1936.
