This 1922 Milburn Electric is a Model 27L Brougham that was sold to the Antique Car Museum of Iowa by a Maine owner in the late 2000s and was later purchased by the selling dealer in 2022. Finished in two-tone brown, the car is powered by a General Electric motor that provides five forward speeds and two reverse speeds to the rear wheels via a driveshaft and a worm-gear axle. Additional features include seven 12-volt batteries, rear-seat controls with tiller steering, externally contracting and internally expanding rear drum brakes, electric driveline braking, leaf-spring suspension with Gabriel Snubber front shock absorbers, 25” wood-spoke wheels, brown cloth interior upholstery, and fold-down rear-facing front seats. This Model 27L is now offered in St. Louis, Missouri, with a bonded Montana title.
The Milburn Wagon Company was founded by George Milburn in Indiana in 1869 and soon after moved to Toledo, Ohio, where it eventually expanded from manufacturing wagons to producing automobile bodies for a variety of automakers. In September 1914, Milburn began constructing its own electric car, which the company marketed as lower, lighter, and more affordable than competitors. The company also offered a battery-exchange system that promised a rapid switch between discharged batteries and fully charged units via rolling trays of cells that could be transferred at central service stations. The Model 27L was introduced circa 1919 and remained in production until the company’s demise in 1923.
This example is finished in brown with tan upper surfaces, and areas of crazing, fading, and cracking are present in the paint along with corrosion on exposed surfaces. Features include a front bumper, electric headlights with dim and bright settings, cowl lamps, and a transparent windshield visor. The lights are not operable.
The wood-spoke artillery wheels are finished in brown with tan accents and are wrapped in 33×4 Goodrich Silvertone Cord tires. Corrosion is present on the metal rims and lock rings. Stopping is handled via an electric motor brake that can be activated by pulling the control lever rearward or by externally contracting mechanical drum brakes at the rear wheels. The latter are deployed through depression of the right-side floor-mounted pedal, while internally expanding emergency brakes are operated via a left-side pedal.
The cabin is trimmed in brown and tan cloth and houses a rear bench that seats the driver on the left while featuring a pull-out bottom cushion on the right that can expand passenger capacity. Areas of red and green discoloration are present on the driver’s side of the seat. The rear-facing fold-down front seats have been reupholstered in red, while brown carpeting covers the floors. Features include a retractable windshield and rear window, crank-operated front side windows, a rear roller blind, rear side-window curtains, dual courtesy lights, and dual rearview mirrors. The crank-operated windows are inoperable.
The front bulkhead hosts a Stewart drum-style speedometer and gauges monitoring amperage and voltage. The five-digit odometer shows 4,300 miles, with true mileage unknown. The gauges do not work, nor does the horn. Rear-operated controls include a foldaway steering tiller, a foldaway control lever, and a floor-mounted button for selection of reverse operation. The selling dealer notes that the speed selector lever has a worn first detent, requiring the driver to push the lever past the initial detent position to engage first speed, while the fourth and fifth detents do not increase the car’s speed.
The 81-volt, 46-amp General Electric motor is positioned just ahead of the rear wheels, which it drives via a driveshaft and a worm-gear rear axle. Suspension incorporates solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front and cantilever leaves at the rear, while Gabriel Snubber shock absorbers are utilized up front. Corrosion is noted on various underside components.
The front and rear compartments host a combined seven 12-volt batteries, six of which are wired in series.
The Montana title carries a bond that expires on March 10, 2025.