Offered from the John B. McMullen Collection
Beautiful older restoration
Tiller steering
Fully functional
125 year old glimpse into the future
Milburns were built in Toledo, OH, by the Milburn Wagon Company from 1915 through 1923. The Milburn was a light electric automobile with a top speed of 19 mph, and required a recharge every 60-75 miles. Milburn went on hard times, and started building bodies for Oldsmobile to help cover their overhead. In 1923, General Motors bought the building and began producing Buicks. As a result, Milburn was no longer. The color on this example is original to the car and a light pink shade was offered as well, a novelty for its day, when most cars were painted somber tones of blue, brown, and gray.
The Milburn Electric’s innovation addressed the shortcoming of all electrically powered automobiles, the battery pack’s limited range, by mounting the batteries on a tray on rollers which made it easy to swap out one set of batteries for a freshly charged set. While the Milburn 27L’s speed was modest, its range of 50-75 miles was more than sufficient for use around town, especially if it wasn’t necessary to use the lights. This 27L Light Electric Brougham is a remarkably usable and practical example, even today. Its left-hand drive tiller steering is simple and intuitive and it is nicely equipped with blue cloth upholstery and interior trim, opening windows, windshield sun visor and whitewall tires that attractively set off its attractive light blue paint. A very nicely done and preserved older restoration. It has been displayed, shown, driven and enjoyed for many years by its owner.
