Rare cars add to streetscape of Wiscasset Homes on Tour Oct. 18
This 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom has a Hollywood pedigree. Owned by actress Clara Bow, known as the “It Girl” in the 1920s, this luxury vehicle will be on display during Wiscasset Homes on Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
This dashing Autocar Type XII, 1906, was the first make and model car to be shaft-driven in the U.S., and will be on display during Wiscasset Homes on Tour, Saturday, Oct. 18. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
This 1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout, featured during Wiscasset Homes on Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18, was the first light auto to make a transcontinental trip – in only 73 days. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
This 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom has a Hollywood pedigree. Owned by actress Clara Bow, known as the “It Girl” in the 1920s, this luxury vehicle will be on display during Wiscasset Homes on Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
This dashing Autocar Type XII, 1906, was the first make and model car to be shaft-driven in the U.S., and will be on display during Wiscasset Homes on Tour, Saturday, Oct. 18. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
This 1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout, featured during Wiscasset Homes on Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18, was the first light auto to make a transcontinental trip – in only 73 days. Courtesy of Owls Head Transportation Museum
Thanks to the generosity of Owls Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head, a collection of rare and intriguing vehicles will be part of the streetscape during Wiscasset Homes on Tour on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to Christopher Hart, who made the request to the museum on behalf of Homes on Tour, OHTM wanted to complement the opulence of the historical homes as they offered their one-day loan of three antique cars, weather permitting.
The Lee-Smith-Payson-House, built in 1792, will host a 1902 Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout, costing $650 new in its day, and the first light car to complete a transcontinental journey from San Francisco to Portland, Maine. It took 73 days for the trip, but with the Runabout’s body open to the elements, only 48 of those days were suitable for driving. A 1906 Autocar Type XII will also be parked curbside at the grand Lee-Smith-Payson House. This make and model car has the distinction of being the first shaft-driven car in the U.S., a significant upgrade from using chains to move power from the engine to the wheels.
The brick mansion, Daybreak, built in 1927 by Philadelphia socialites, will showcase a luxurious 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom originally owned by Clara Bow, the "It Girl" of the 1920s. The actress starred in more than 60 films and had a well-known reputation for fast cars. Daybreak’s owners say they are delighted to host an age-appropriate car in their driveway during the tour!
According to its website, Owls Head Transportation Museum is a working museum established in 1974 by the Owls Head Foundation. It has an unprecedented collection of more than 150 rare and beautifully restored ground vehicles, aircraft, bicycles, motorcycles, engines, and related artifacts.
Tickets for Wiscasset Homes on Tour are $30 each. Visitors are encouraged to buy tickets online in advance of the tour on www.WiscassetCreativeAlliance.org Tickets can also be bought on the day of the tour from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the parking lot at 36 Water St., Wiscasset, with parking and bathrooms nearby. All tickets will be picked up at this location. Cash, checks and plastic accepted.
Homes on Tour is a fundraiser for Wiscasset Creative Alliance to support the Alliance’s community programs. Lead Sponsors are Hawkins Building Group and Sherri Dunbar/Tim Dunham Realty. Sponsors include Ames True Value, Back River Bistro, Red Bull Antiques, Grounded/Panacea, Bradbury Art & Antiques, and Carriage House Gardens. In-kind sponsors are 40 Federal Studio and Owls Head Transportation Museum.
