This 1921 Milburn Electric Model 27L Brougham is a non-running project that was purchased by the selling dealer in 2022. The car wears faded black paint and retains a 60-volt General Electric motor. Equipment includes cream-painted wire-spoke wheels, dual taillights, and rear-facing jump seats fitted in the cabin. It is not equipped with batteries or side quarter windows, and the cabin upholstery and bench seat are missing. Areas of rust on the body and underside can be seen in the gallery below. This Model 27L project is now offered at no reserve 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 wears faded black paint and features electric headlights, running boards, and dual taillights. The rear quarter glass is missing, and areas of corrosion on the body can be seen in the gallery.
Cream-painted wire-spoke wheels wear Milburn-branded hubcaps, and they are mounted with older Universal bias-ply tires. The 27L rode on a 105″ wheelbase and features solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptical leaf springs at the front and cantilever leaves at the rear. The factory braking system incorporates 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 the depression of the right-side floor-mounted pedal, while internally expanding emergency brakes are operated via a left-side pedal.
The cabin retains worn dark blue carpets, while the rear bench seat, door panels, and headliner are missing. A pair of rear-facing jump seats are mounted on the firewall.
Controls mounted at the driver-side B-pillar include an on/off switch, foldaway steering and control levers, and a floor-mounted button for the selection of reverse operation. The firewall houses a Stewart drum-style speedometer and a battery charge gauge. The five-digit odometer shows 9k miles, and total mileage is unknown.
Photos of the front and rear compartments can be seen in the gallery. The car is not fitted with batteries.
The 60-volt, 50-amp General Electric motor is mated to the rear wheels via a driveshaft and a worm-gear rear axle, and it provides five forward speeds and two reverse speeds. Rust on the underside can be seen in the gallery.