The Automotive Showplace is a changing exhibit space at the entrance to America's Motor City that features rare and unique vehicles from the Detroit Historical Society’s collection, presented by Warner Norcross + Judd.
1924 Rickenbacker Model C
NOW OPEN in the Automotive Showplace at the entrance of America’s Motor City!
From WWI flying ace to professional race car driver and early automobile manufacturer, Eddie Rickenbacker was a man who knew speed, innovation, and adventure. After returning from the war, he put his name and reputation behind the Rickenbacker Motor Company, founded in partnership with Detroit industrialists Barney Everitt and Walter Flanders. Rickenbacker automobiles were built in Southwest Detroit from 1922 to 1927 and engineered with a host of innovative features, including a double top frame (for more strength and durability), steel disc wheels, twin flywheels (one at each end of the crankshaft), and four-wheel brakes, which were considered revolutionary—and controversial—at the time.
The Detroit Historical Society's 1924 Model C was donated by its original owner in 1956 and remains unrestored. It showcases several Rickenbacker hallmarks: four-wheel brakes, disc wheels, straight six engine with twin flywheels, and distinctive “top hat and orbit” emblem, adapted from Rickenbacker’s WWI fighter squadron insignia.
Specifications:
- Engine: 218-cubic-inch inline-six
- Horsepower: 58
- Color: Two-tone, dark blue and black
- Units produced: Around 7,000
Price new: $2,035 (About $28,000 today)
