Jackson

50 hp (ALAM), overhead-camshaft, overhead-valve four-cylinder engine with hemispherical combustion chambers, three-speed sliding gear manual transmission, solid I-beam front axle with single tie rod, live rear axle, full-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, and mechanical rear-only brakes. Wheelbase: 120"

- Restoration by Tired Iron Works
- Proven concours award-winner and tour participant
- Ex-Barney Pollard

Like so many of America’s earliest marques, Jackson progressed from bicycle to automobile design and manufacturing at the close of the 19th Century. In this case, however, a steam-powered Stanhope of 1901 and a patented three-cylinder steamer succeeded Jackson’s prior gasoline-powered car design. So named for its location in Jackson, Michigan, the young marque soon lost its founder in 1903, when the inventive Byron J. Carter struck out on his own to produce the Cartercar. A single-cylinder internal-combustion car in the mold of the Olds Runabout followed, along with a twin in 1904 and a four-cylinder model in 1906.

While Jackson’s marketing emphasized quality and durability, its engineers soon developed a very advanced and powerful four-cylinder engine. Unlike most engines of the era, with their rather limited L-head layout, the Jackson design featured an overhead camshaft and efficient cylinder heads with overhead valves, hemispherical combustion chambers, valves opposed at a 45-degree angle and spark plugs placed almost precisely over the centers of the piston crowns.

While Jackson never published “official” power ratings, this efficient power plant was later verified in testing by the Horseless Carriage Club of America to have produced 50 ALAM-rated horsepower, confirming Jackson’s remarkable engineering. Other advanced features included a crank supported by five main bearings and an ingenious oiling system with oil feed initiated by the spinning flywheel, as well as a durable multiple-disc clutch and a three-speed sliding gear transmission.
Blessed with this advanced engine and a robust chassis, the Jackson was a natural candidate for motor racing during the era, particularly at the newly constructed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was located just 230 miles southwest of Jackson’s factory in Michigan. During the inaugural August 1909 racing meet at Indianapolis, held on the original and dangerous crushed stone and tar surface, Leigh Jackson won the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy race, the main event, behind the wheel of a Jackson.
Remarkably, the last page of Jackson’s sales brochures from the era confirm that the marque actually offered a factory-built racecar, the Model 59, which was identical in mechanical specification to the example offered here, with the exception of a shorter wheelbase. In fact, one of the Jackson entries at Indianapolis was a factory-built Model 59, while the other two were built from the basic passenger cars. Of particular note, a Jackson started at the 1911 Indianapolis 500, finishing the race in the top 10, while Stutz became world-famous with its lesser 11th place finish. This enviable competition record, achieved under some of the most dangerous and demanding racing conditions in history, forever earned Jackson its well-deserved place in motorsports history.
This 1911 Jackson 50-horsepower Touring clearly continues to benefit from a concours-level restoration completed in 2002 by the Pebble Beach-winning Tired Iron Works of Monrovia, California. It was formerly a part of the renowned Chicago-area collection of Mr. Barney Pollard, who thankfully saved a great many early cars but was also noted for his practice of literally hanging his cars in his building to increase the storage space available. However, during the restoration, it was confirmed by Chris Kidd, the proprietor of Tired Iron Works, that this car did not receive the same treatment, given the telltale evidence provided by the patterns of the rust formations on the body during a pre-restoration inspection.

While the Jackson has not yet been displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, it has been shown once at Palos Verdes, where it took Best in Class honors. Offered in concours-quality condition today, the Jackson is also an excellent and proven touring car. It has completed the annual Holiday Motor Excursion since the completion of its restoration, and it has participated in numerous Horseless Carriage Club of America touring events as well.

In addition to its handsome open bodywork and desirable color combination, the Jackson is fitted with a number of fascinating period accessories as well. The stylized eagle radiator mascot is a correct period accessory that was originally sold by the National Highway Association to raise funds for highway construction during the pre-WWI era. The unique horn sounds unlike any other, with a clarinet reed employed to produce its sound. The car rides on a frame that is dropped at the rear and fitted with a set of 36 X 4-inch tires.

This beautifully presented, expertly restored and well-maintained 1911 Jackson Touring is Pebble Beach ready. With its highly advanced and race-inspired overhead-camshaft engine, it also represents a piece of America’s earliest motorsports history, as the Jackson marque was one of the earliest victors at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.