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Detroit Electric Model 99. A luxury electric in 1937

PHOTOS DETROIT ELECTRIC MODEL 99: HYMAN LTD

If something characterizes the current automotive landscape, it is the challenge of the transition to electricity. A giant step in which we will experience a mechanical revolution under the hood. Obviously, there are many voices that view this with skepticism, providing a multitude of arguments to maintain combustion over electricity. One of them is the one that turns to the past, saying that electrification is something totally new, unknown and without roots within motorsport. There they are wrong. And flat, because Almost a century ago there were already vehicles like the Detroit Electric.

In fact, if we explore the beginnings of the motor vehicle we will find clues that invite us to rethink combustion as the most natural way. Something that we can understand by examining the historical context. And it is that, although the electricians of the beginning of the XX shared with those of today the problem of autonomy ... The truth is that there was no further research on how to give better performance to batteries. Why? Well, perhaps the pressures of the burgeoning Texas oil industry have something to say. Possible explanation for Detroit Electric's ultimate failure.

Theories aside, the truth is that the first electric cars had a good market in urban areas. With ease of recharging in daily use on city commutes, brands like Detroit Electric were prized for their ease of starting, quiet, and cleanliness in the face of smoking, hand-cranked combustion engines. So things, the emblem brand of the first electric cars was active from 1907 to 1939. A not inconsiderable period, in which he came to produce such interesting cars as the Detroit Electric Model 99. A true magic carpet for the time.

DETROIT ELECTRIC MODEL 99. THE COMPANY SWAN SONG

In 1908, just a year after the founding of Detroit Electric, Ford introduced its Model T. The vehicle that put the automobile within the reach of the masses, inaugurating the idea of ​​mass production so necessary to surpass the horse or bicycle as more widespread means of transport. Due to the push of the oil industry and the greater autonomy presented by combustion vehicles, the first electric vehicles were being relegated to the background. Nevertheless, Detroit Electric sold up to 5.000 units a year in its best moments. Some of the most common vehicles among the upper class of Chicago or New York.

And it is that, covered the spectrum of the great mass by Ford, Detroit Electric focused on meeting the urban mobility needs presented by the elite of the moment. There we have the first commercial problem: the scarcity of its clientele. A bare market where the only form of competition was to offer exclusive quality as a status symbol. And be careful, because that is obviously not new among high-end brands. But nevertheless, Were these customers willing to buy a Detroit Electric above a Duesenberg or a Packard? Even more so when in terms of status representation the latter are much more visible than a concise and rational electric due to the good finishes it has?

The answer is no. So, little by little, Detroit Electric went from being a small luxury electric brand to a very different one focused on industrial delivery cars. However, it continued to produce passenger cars until the end of its days. Of course, on request, since This Model 99 did not enter the production chain but had already been awarded a buyer. It is because of that units like this they are the rarest and most coveted. Even more so if we take into account its excellent state of conservation. Sample of the excellent finishes of this car that, despite its simple appearance, hides an interior as comfortable as a flying carpet.

DETROIT ELECTRIC MODEL 99 FROM 1937. DRIVING A FLYING CARPET

If we think of the finest vehicles from the beginning of the century, Rolls & Royce immediately comes to mind. In fact, in them the concept of comfort was sublimated in such a way that you even had to drive. Rolls herself ran a driver-butler academy from which there was a staff of the most qualified in city driving and good manners. An attendant who would take you out into the countryside in your Rolls to diligently set up the picnic. But nevertheless, its combustion engines vibrated and made louder than a Detroit Electric. And it is that, at the level of comfort, the thing about this old electric is incredible.

The first thing to review is the bodywork. By the 30s, Outdated Detroit Electric designs were replaced by signing a contract with bodybuilder Willyes-Overland. Thus, the brand's passenger cars left the carriage aesthetic to join a modernity in which they share lines with the Dodge of the moment. To the point that the nose retains the grill and ventilation slots despite not needing them at all due to its electrical mechanics. However, the most interesting thing about this Model 99 is inside. Upholstered with care, it continues to preserve the layout of the first electric saloon.

What does this mean? Well, the cabin is completely clear, placing the front and rear seats facing each other. In this way, the driver sits on the rear calmly stretched out while steer the vehicle not with a steering wheel, but with a rudder. If we add to this the ease of maintenance by saving many of the cooling mechanisms required by a combustion engine, we have the Detroit Electric Model 99 as one of the most comfortable and simple cars of the moment. A technological boast that, unfortunately, disappeared buried by the oil boom.

What do you think?

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Written by Miguel Sánchez

Through the news from La Escudería, we will travel the winding roads of Maranello listening to the roar of the Italian V12; We will travel Route66 in search of the power of the great American engines; we will get lost in the narrow English lanes tracking the elegance of their sports cars; We will speed up the braking in the curves of the Monte Carlo Rally and we will even get dusty in a garage while rescuing lost jewels.

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