When the car sold new, the buyer paid $53,000 in today’s funds.
From the “Standard Catalog of American Cars (1805-1942)…
Mr. Harry Jewett made his fortune in West Virginia’s coal industry and had the idea he could do the same in this new industry that involved automobiles. In 1909, he took a test-ride in a 3-cylinder, 25HP automobile built by Andrew Bachle and promoted by Fred Paige. Mr. Jewett knew very little about automobiles but was impressed with this little roadster. By the fall of 1909 Jewett created the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company with an investment of $100,000. The investment equals about 2.5 million in 2024 dollars. Mr. Fred Paige was installed as president of the new company.
By the spring of 1910, Mr. Jewett had learned a bit more about automobiles, especially his Paige-Detroit vehicle. He was quoted as saying, “It’s rotten. A piece of junk.” He shut down the assembly line, fired Mr. Paige and most of the engineers and started over. Jewett’s 1911 automobiles were simply called Paige and that year introduced the “all new Paige” in four different models; roadsters, coupes, surreys and touring. The rest is history. Between 1908 and when the Graham Brothers purchased the Paige Company in 1927, over 400,000 Paige automobiles were built.
So, how did Gary Olney end up with this beautiful 7–passenger Paige Touring Car? The story begins in the early 1950s when Gary’s dad purchased two 1913 Cadillacs from a service station in Hartland, Vermont. One Caddy was used as a wrecker and the other for on-the-road service work. Soon after the purchase, a couple from Denmark (yes, the one just north of Germany) heard about the two Caddys at the Hershey Show. They visited the Olney home in Springfield, VT and fell in love. They tried desperately to purchase them but were told no. Fast forward seventy years and the two Cadillacs are now parked in the couple’s garage across the Atlantic with a promise to preserve them “as is.” From Gary’s perspective, the couple got their dream cars and he got a Paige Tourer, running, and ready to go, in the trade.
Gary’s Lakewood Paige is called the 6-66 because of the 6-cylinder, 70HP Continental engine under the hood. Most big carsfrom this era are known for their “heavy” clutch, but the Paige, ata gross weight of 3500 pounds, has the reputation of being a veryeasy driver. The 33X4.5 tires and the car’s final drive ratio makesfor a fantastic driver on country roads. Congratulations to Garyand Nancy on their new-old vehicle.
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