OLDSMAR - R.E. Olds' city has a new set of wheels to match its automotive ancestry.
The City Council has unanimously approved spending $14,000 to buy a replica of a 1901 Oldsmobile. The look-alike, which is fully operational down to its gravity gas tank, will be displayed in the lobby of City Hall, said Mayor Jerry Beverland.
Beverland said the Oldsmobile, built from a kit more than 60 years ago, is in perfect shape. It will be used at city events.
"This thing is beautiful," said Beverland, who clapped after the council approved the car's purchase Tuesday night. "It looks like it's brand-new. It's incredible."
The city bought the car from a Pinellas County man through Golden Classics, a vintage car dealership on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater. Sales manager Darwin Downey said the car is worth well more than the city paid for it.
"It had a very expensive restoration," Downey said. "There's a lot more than $14,000 put in that car."
Downey and Beverland said the car is worth at least $20,000.
But the black Oldsmobile with red trim isn't like anything people would consider a car these days. The model was known as the Curved Dash for its rounded front, and it sold new for $650 in 1901. Adjusted for inflation, that purchase price is equivalent to at least $13,491 today. With the production of the Curved Dash, Oldsmobile became the first mass producer of gasoline cars.
That success led Olds himself to create what is now Oldsmar. In 1913, he invested $400,000 in 37,541 acres on the northern tip of Tampa Bay with the idea of founding a city of 100,000. Ten years later, his investment had grown to $4.5-million, but the town's population was only about 200. He liquidated his assets and took a $3-million loss.
Tuesday night, one city official wanted to make sure that the city, while honoring Olds' pioneering spirit, didn't repeat his financial mistakes.
While looking at two photos of the replica, council member Babe Wright thought the Oldsmobile might cost too much. She couldn't even see all the parts.
"I want to know where the steering wheel is," Wright said.
"There is none," council member Janice Miller answered. The 1901 Oldsmobile uses a tiller rod to move the front wheels. There weren't steering wheels on Oldsmobiles until 1904. "Well, where's the gas tank?" Wright asked.
Someone told her it was actually above the trunk. "It's a whole lot of money," she then said. "What are we going to do with it?"
"It's who we are," Miller said. "It's a super idea. We're the ones that should have it."
Wright was convinced; she voted with the rest of the council.
Beverland said the city might put notes in a water bill mailing saying Oldsmar purchased the Oldsmobile. Residents could donate money, as little as $1, if they want to offset the costs, he said.
