1900 Mobile Runabout

Classic Mobile

The Mobile Company of America was founded by John Brisben Walker at Tarrytown, New York. He was editor and publisher of the Cosmopolitan magazine, his partner was Amzi Lorenzo Barber who put up most of the $250,000 which the partners offered to the Stanley twins for their patents. In June 1899 they set up the Automobile Company of America, only to find that another firm had already claimed that name, so they changed it to Locomobile Company of America. Their partnership did not last long and when they broke up Barber kept the factory which made Stanleys and would henceforth make Locomobiles, which seemed only fair since he had put up the money. However he allowed Walker to make cars of the same design, which he did, under the name of Mobile at a new factory at Tarrytown on the banks of the Hudson river. The first Mobile did not leave the factory until March 1900 which gave Barber a good start. The models in common between the two makes were much the same in price, but when Walker offered many more models, 28 in all between !900 and 1903 including havy commercial vehicles which Barber did not make. Walker's prices ran from $550 for a "special runabout" to $3000 for a "Model 50 9 passenger coupe".
Walker gave up his steamers at the end of 1903, but Locomobiles were made for a further season during which they were joined by petrol cars which lasted until 1929. Walker sold his factory to Maxwell-Briscoe.