1910 Baker Electric Victoria Project

This 1910 Baker Electric was purchased out of Santa Cruz, California, in 1972 as a project by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation for eventual display at Tony Hulman’s Early Wheels Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana. The restoration project was never completed, and the car has since remained in the IMS Museum collection, spending the last decade in their climate-controlled storage facility. Bodywork is finished in black with leather fenders and tufted upholstery, and the car retains a General Electric 48-volt, four-pole electric motor and bevel gear shaft drive. This Baker Electric is now offered at no reserve by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation as a non-running project with purchase correspondence, period photographs, and a clean Indiana title. The Cleveland, Ohio-based Baker Motor Vehicle Company began producing electric vehicles in 1899 and by 1906 was the largest EV maker in the world, producing approximately 800 examples a year. This example wears cracked black paint under layers of dirt, and the leather fenders have deteriorated. Features include dual headlights, a top frame, and a black soft top with holes and tears. The wood spoke wheels feature steel rims and are mounted with deteriorated Kent whitewall bias-ply tires. The car features semi-elliptic leaf springs up front, full elliptic leaf springs out back, and rear mechanical brakes. The forward-mounted battery compartment is empty. The bench offers seating for two and features cracked tufted leather upholstery. A steering tiller is mounted ahead of foot controls as well as a dashboard featuring an ampere-hour meter and additional gauges for amperage and volts. Total mileage is unknown. The is fitted with a General Electric 48-volt, four-pole electric motor and bevel gear shaft drive. Corrosion is visible underneath. A photograph of the car as it was purchased by the IMS Foundation is included in the sale, along with purchase correspondence. Located inside the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, the IMS Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that relies on the support of visitors, members, donors, and corporate partners to make possible their daily operations, exhibits, restoration and preservation initiatives, and educational programming. To learn more about the IMS Museum and the many ways you can show support, including their “Adopt-a-Car” program, please click here.