THIS PAIR OF 1916 OLDSMOBILE MODEL 44S FROM THE JOHN MCTAGGART COLLECTION WAS REMANUFACTURED FROM PARTS
Oldsmobile made headlines for the debut of its OHV “Rocket” V-8 in 1949, but it wasn’t the automaker’s first V-8. Lesser known is that Oldsmobile first introduced a V-8 all the way back in 1916, with its Model 44, a.k.a. the “Light Eight.” That L-head V-8 displaced 246-cu.in. and Oldsmobile rated it at 40 horsepower, an impressive figure for the time and double Ford’s Model T output as a frame of reference.
Though the car proved somewhat popular for the company, Oldsmobile Model 44s are few and far between today. With a pair of 1916 Oldsmobile Model 44s presently offered on Hemmings Auctions as part of The John McTaggart Collection, including a Roadster and a Speedster, it’s worth taking a look at how these cars arrived on the auction block.
John McTaggart has been a lifelong car collector and restorer. Along with putting many classic American cars back together in his life, John has also driven them plenty. His experience with the Oldsmobile Model 44 might be among the most unusual of circumstances of all the cars he has owned over the years.
Gary Halford, a NASA engineer, became enthused with the Oldsmobile Light Eight and spent 30 years accumulating parts before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2005. A mutual friend suggested to John that he purchase the parts, which included multiple chassis and engines. To John, that seemed a lot like taking advantage of someoneand predatorial.
To John’s surprise, Gary reached out and insisted that John was the one guy who could actually follow through and complete this project. Gary’s expertise had been in accumulating knowledge along with the components to build multiple cars. That knowledge included a trove of documents, including some detailed drawings that Gary himself had drafted.
Reflecting on Gary’s work, John declares, “his effort harvesting manuals, parts books, literature, art, sales promotions, and more – undoubtedly is the most extensive reference resource in the United States on 1916 Oldsmobiles. His data includes notebooks of due diligence on part diagrams and drawings to assist remanufacture of needed restoration components.” John describes the extent of Gary’s collecting parts and information, including “three derelict cars,” as “generating engineering data, census data. He generated all of the engine numbers and production numbers so we could relate to that. He had two garages full of parts.”
Ultimately, John did purchase everything related to the 1916 Oldsmobiles in Gary’s possession. John spent the next three years “remanufacturing” two Model 44s, a Roadster and a Speedster. Gary’s deep research indicated that just four complete Roadsters were extant in 2000, out of some 7,838 total Roadsters and Touring models built by Oldsmobile for 1916.
The Roadster build was inspired by the heroic efforts of Amanda Preuss, a Sacramento clerical worker, who, at just 25 years old, drove a Model 44 Roadster from Oakland to New York City, some 3,520 miles, entirely on her own, finishing the drive in just over 11 days. She bested the previous women’s record by an astounding 37 days. Her journey was not without challenges as during a training period, she broke her arm when the crank starter kicked back on her. For the publicity, Oldsmobile provided a Model 44, complete with an electric starter.
During her journey on the rudimentary Lincoln Highway, Preuss hit a horse in Wyoming, damaging the radiator. The horse, though freed, had to be put down and roughly 20 miles later in Nebraska, she was arrested for the accident and had to pay a $150 fine to continue her journey.
Oldsmobile published a book of Preuss’s trip, in which she noted averaging 14 miles per gallon with the Model 44 and suffering only one tire failure caused by driving over a sharp rock in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She also indicated getting a deep tan in the open car, but shared that her skin remained in “excellent condition” due to her diligent use of cold cream.
Since completion, John’s Roadster, which features reproduction body panels, but an original chassis, engine and many other components, has received a slew of AACA accolades, including Junior, Senior and Preservation awards, attesting to the authenticity of the build.
Though his original plan was to find a sponsor to promote an enterprising young woman to retrace Amanda Preuss’s drive in 2016, an accident occurred when the trailer carrying the Roadster was hit. Though badly damaged, the Roadster was rebuilt—for the second time—by John and today looks as good as ever.
The Model 44 Speedster came from a different inspiration. For the New York Auto Show in 1916, Oldsmobile built a one-off Speedster to highlight the performance of its new Light Eight V-8 engine. The model never went into series production, but given the blank slate situation of the accumulation of parts and chassis, John embarked on the ambitious plan of recreating the Speedster, again using reproduction bodywork built to his specs and based on the drawings and data compiled by Gary.
For John, the completed Speedster “served a different purpose” than the Roadster. He shares, “it has provided 15 years of trouble-free country road travel. It’s a pleasure to drive and get that truly open-car experience. Bottom line: It’s a joy to drive.”
Both cars are setup to run and drive, both have original flathead Oldsmobile V-8 engines and three-speed transmissions. And both appear to be kept in excellent condition in the dedicated garage John had constructed for this collection in his rural Vermont property.
There is one other element of these historically significant Oldsmobiles that goes beyond the cars. For those of us in the hobby who know that the real appeal is not the vehicles themselves, but the people we meet along the way, there is a prologue to this story. John had been previously widowed before he purchased Gary’s Model 44 collection and during the process, he began a conversation with Pat, Gary’s soon to be widowed wife. That conversation later led to more and ultimately a friendship that turned into a second chance for both as John and Pat later married and today enjoy their lives together in Vermont.
Take a look at this pair of 1916 Oldsmobile Model 44s currently offered on Hemmings Auctions as part of The John McTaggart Collection, a labor of love in more ways than one.
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44