The 1912 Case Forty: a luxurious working horse

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Tractor manufacturers who also built cars are many, with perhaps the story of Lamborghini being the most famous. A slightly lesser known car manufacturer, however, who has a name for agricultural machinery manufacture, is Case (or J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co.).

J.I. Case Threshing Machine Co.

This American company was already known for threshing machines, steam traction engines and agricultural tractors before they took over the Pierce Racine Automobile Company in August 1910 and started building cars under their own name. The cars were only sold through farm equipment dealers and little was done to advertise or promote them. It is, therefore, quite a surprise that the car manufacturing side lasted until around 1927. They were regarded as high-class cars and, it is said, the best that one could buy for the price. In total, approximately 24,000 units were produced. Today, only a few Case automobiles are known to exist.

1912 Case

Recently, a 1912 Case model M came up for sale in our online marketplace and we asked the owner to take us for a ride. When we stood eye to eye (or rather eye to brass headlight) we were amazed at the high quality of the car. A total of 1,220 Case 'Forty' or Model M cars were produced in 1912 and 1913. 1912 was the last year that the Case automobile had a wooden scuttle, which adds to its charm.

The car is in a warm red two-tone colour (the mudguards are slightly darker) and, together with an abundance of brass, has a kind of elegance about it. Compared to similar cars we have seen like Overland/ Hudson this one is less brutal. The older restoration is nicely done and the car is well patinated. It was bought in the 1990s by a well-known Dutch collector of early cars and, at that time, was completely blue. Literally, everything was blue. It turned out that the previous owner had lent the car to someone and, on the death of the owner, a dispute had arisen between the heirs and the user. Before he returned it, he sprayed everything blue: the body, the wheels, the chassis etc. The car was sold to a dealer in Europe before it ended up with the Dutchman. Together with his mechanic, he started the nut and bolt restoration. Fortunately almost everything was saveable but had to be thoroughly checked and overhauled. The upholstery also needed cleaning and is now back to how it was originally. Around the turn of the millennium, the car was ready and was in regular use. The mechanic was still in love with the car and two years later he bought it from his friend. He is still the owner today and showed us the car.

Driving the Case

Starting is easy: a little fiddling, ignition set up and a slip of the crank and the engine starts immediately. A big, heavy and impressive sound comes from the 5.54-litre four-cylinder engine.

Getting behind the wheel doesn't take much effort — what a difference from a brass-era French car I recently drove! The seats are nice and comfortable and the back seat is very spacious. The fuel tank is under the front seats. The switches on the dashboard look so elegant and well made that they could have been on a Panhard-type car. When you take a drive, you know you are in an American-made car again; the torque is impressive and you can feel that it really wants to go. It has a 3-speed gearbox and once you get the hang of it, it's easy to shift. Because it's an old car, city driving requires your full concentration. When you are out of the busy traffic, it's easier to relax and enjoy your ride. Whether it's to a picnic or to your farm, this is the car for you!

If you would like to know more, or have any questions regarding this Case, the advertisement with contact details can be found here.

Words by LK. Source: JI Case Collector.

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