1900 Winton 9HP 'Special' Runabout - VCC Dated
Registration No. PP7987
Engine No. 570
VCC Dating Certificate No. 1631
£100,000 GBP
In 1896 the Winton Bicycle Company owned by Alexander Winton, turned from Bicycle production to an experimental Single Cylinder automobile. The cars were built by hand, having painted sides, padded seats and a leather roof. By 1897 Winton had produced two fully operational prototypes and in May that year a single cylinder Winton was recorded at an astonishing speed of 33.64 mph on test around a horse track in Cleveland. A speed that was previously thought unachievable on US soil at the time. To prove its reliability, Winton had the car undertake a 800 mile endurance run from Cleveland to New York City.
In March 1898, a Mr Robert Allison from Pennsylvania became the first man to purchase a Winton automobile and was followed by a further 21 others that year. One of which was to a James Ward Packard who was very underwhelmed with his new purchase and upon complaint about its comfort was challenged by Winton ‘to make one that’s better’, igniting the flame that would become the Packard Automobile Company.
In 1899 more than 100 Winton’s were sold and the company’s image was dramatically boosted when in 1900 and 1901 cars were sold to Reginald and Alfred Vanderbilt. These cars were of the single cylinder 8HP and Single Cylinder 9HP (Long Distance Variant as shown here).
Winton cars were expensive to buy in period, but were championed by their reliability and exceptional engineering. The cars were built to an incredibly high standard, made to last and used the finest materials available at the time. At the centre of the 1900 Single Cylinder cars were a 5 inch wide cast iron flywheel, weighing in excess of 300kg, bigger than anything previously seen in the USA. The drive was via an enclosed gearbox with internally operating clutches, linked to a single chain drive to the rear wheels. Cooling was provided by a giant rear mounted radiator mated to a bronze Waterpump and lubrication via wick oiling to the big end and cylinder head.
Winton’s ideas were unconventional and innovative and this was displayed at best by his throttle and carburation methods that involved an air pump that limited the opening of the inlet and exhaust valves, allowing the Winton to rev far higher than its competitors of the time.
The early history of this Winton is relatively unknown although we know it spent a time in the profilic automotive museum of Bill Harrah from the early 1960s. It made its way to the UK in the mid 1970s and completed the 1989 London to Brighton Run. Ownership continued until 2025, a period of some 40 years.
Documentation with the car shows that indeed the car is extremely original and intact, including its Coachwork by ‘Franz’, original Radiator, Waterpump and connecting rods in the engine which are marked Winton. The same can be said for the oiling system, axles and transmission. Notes appear to show this 9HP model as a ‘Special’ or long distance variant with increased water tank capacity and an extra 1HP on the standard models, making for increased top speed. The car carries the same flywheel, which at the time was the largest flywheel ever inserted into a horseless carriage. In 1901 Winton cars were steered via wheel, showing this tiller steering car to be a very rare 1900 example.
A note from Tom:
‘ Some cars are just exciting, from a mechanical and innovative point of view. Everything about this extremely rare, early Winton, showcases that innovation and in remarkably original guise. This car is a true piece of American Automotive history and is a car that you will do very well to see another.’
