Part of the Family

My friend and neighbor, Jim, has an interesting car. It is an ’08. It is in pretty good condition, al­though he bought it used. Normally, I write about cars, and a car will be play a part in this story. I’ll let you decide as you read along if that is what this is about. Let’s think a little bit about the year ’08. In that year Massachusetts again joined the majority of the country and voted in a new president. Massachu­setts is so predictable that way. There was a huge explosion in Russia that killed many people and is still not really fully explained. There was also a small controversy because during the Olympic Games the United States did not dip its flagto the royal box of the host country.

The flag, of course, had 45 stars, because the year was 1908. Massachusetts voted Republican again, for Taft succeeding Roosevelt (also a Repub­lican). The explosion was in Tunguska, Russia. Nor­folk had peacefully separated from Wrentham only 38 years earlier. Backing up a couple of years to 1906 takes us to a time when James Lehan of Stoughton was run­ning a popular bicycle shop. James was successful partly due to his offering of “Bank-note” financing of the bicycles. James had a hobby collecting a spe­cial

glass made only on Cape Cod called Sandwich Glass. It was a trip to a Sandwich Glass convention that brought James together with Henry Ford. Mr. Ford was planning a big introduction in the com­ing

couple of years, the Model T Ford. He knew the car would make or break his company. It would be introduced late in 1908 and the model would drasti­cally

change the ratio of cars to people in the United States. Mr. Ford was planning to sell his cars di­rect. Dealerships had not yet been established. Henry and James hit it off and they found they had some things in common besides a love of glass. Maybe they also discussed their shared Irish heritage. Both were first-generation Ameri­cans.

Eventually the talk turned to their business and found they might be able to work together in some way. After some consideration James offered to help Henry get a foothold in the New England market. He made the stunning offer to buy 13 Mod­el

Ts for $100 each. Thus was started a relationship that would result in James Lehan of Stoughton be­ing one of the first car dealers. James was successful in the car business and continued to also offer bicycles. Eventually, the business took on a new name that better described it: Lehan’s Garage. James would have many car lines in addition to Ford, including Stanley Steamer and Tucker. In later years, the tag line for the busi­ness became “The World’s Oldest Ford Dealership.” As he entered this new world of dealing in autos, James wanted something special for himself. He found it in a 1908 Buick Roadster. The roadster was sportier than most of the cars on the road at the time. It was a 2+1 seater. That means two seats up front and a “Mother-In-Law Seat” in the back. The car had all the modern conveniences. For example, kerosene lamps, Shat-R-Proof glass windscreen, and oil pans that were mounted to the sides of the car. These were to be removed and placed under the car when parked to catch the oil that dripped down. That oil was not a leak, but rather the oil that sprayed from the open valve areas at the top of the engine. Valve covers were not yet invented.

James loved the car and used it as a daily driv­er. The years passed and James lived well until he died at the age of 77 in 1945. James’s son, Ralph, had become the proprietor of Lehan’s Garage. Ralph also took ownership of the 1908 Buick. His family loved the car and it was a favorite in parades and special events in town. His children, especially Jim, looked forward to rides. Since it had become a car used only for special occasions, and for fun rides on sunny days, it was moved to Cape Cod, where the family had a summer home. On the Cape, Ralph befriended Chris Crowell, a local architect. Chris also had a passion for cars and owned a number of antiques and other fineautomo­biles. He was a frequent attendee and exhibitor at cars shows. In 1957 Ralph lent the Buick Roadster to Chris, who planned to show it in an antique car parade. Sadly, Chris died before the event.

Chris’s death was a blow to Ralph, in more ways than one. During the months that followed, Chris’s widow sold off the collection of cars that Chris had brought together over the years. The 1908 Buick Roadster was one of the cars sold. When Ralph dis­covered

the mistake, there was no good option to remedy it. Titles for antique cars were not handled the same way as they are now, and the buyer was long gone. Undoing the deal was not possible, and Ralph treaded lightly to avoid causing more pain to a woman with more than enough to deal with. So the car that had been part of the family for three generations and half a century was gone. The story doesn’t end there, but this article does. Look for the conclusion next week here at the Boomerang.

Send car questions by email to john@columshift.com.