This year’s Graham Bradley and Sears sold equipment show was held at the showgrounds of Sandusky County Restorers of Antique Power – otherwise known as S.C.R.A.P. – located at White Star Park in Gibsonburg, Ohio.

While there were many beautiful pieces of machinery, like Graham Bradley tractors and Thrifty Farmer conversion kits that changed Model As and Ts into tractors, the loveliest of all was Kent and Karl Jansen’s 1909 Sears Motor Buggy. This century-plus-old machine was found at an auction.

“We knew it would fit because it was sold through the Sears catalog,” Kent said.

“My son Dan gave me a subscription to AntiqueWeek and we saw the item in there. It was at an obscure public auction,” Annie, Kent’s wife, added.

The auction by Kaufmann Realty & Auctions was in October 2016, held just south of Springfield, Ohio. Kent and Karl bought the Motor Buggy sight unseen. “We were incredibly surprised when we got it,” Kent said. “It was way better than we thought it would be.”

Kent and Karl run Jansen Brothers Garage and they work on and restore vehicles and tractors. “It was October and it got cold,” Kent recalled. “We’d work on it and drive it. We had to fuss a bit. What we did was not really a restoration; it was really just a good tune-up.”

The only other Sears Motor Buggy the Jansens have seen was in an auction in California that took place about a month ago. The members of the Graham Bradley and Sears sold equipment group had never seen one, and were excited about this new find. (What especially thrilled them was that Kent offered rides to many of the members.)

While the Thrifty Farmers were durable either on the road or the field, that wasn’t true of the Motor Buggy. “Sears had other cars than these,” Kent explained, “but this had to be kept on paved streets because it was underpowered. On a mud road, it would be a struggle to drive.”

The car has many features that surprised the men. “It has dual exhaust, a tilt wheel is the only steering, and it has a buggy top that rolls up and the back opens up, which is nice in the summer. It drives like a surrey,” Kent noted.

As far as the inside, it is set up like a buggy. “It has the original leather; I’d like to get a bit of repair on the leather. It also has brass lights that are kerosene.”

This vehicle has been great fun for the family. “We took the kids and grandkids on rides at Easter. We took it to Teutopolis and Casey to parades and won with it both times. It is a heck of a lot of fun to drive.” The only thing the Jansens are looking for now is period clothing to wear while riding.

The Sears Catalog sold everything, from clothes to houses to tractors. Then in the fall of 1908, the catalog included, for the first time, an automobile – the Motor Buggy – which sold for a whopping $395.

According to John Daly’s Sears Motor Buggy website at http://searsmotorbuggy.com Sears had Alvaro S. Krotz, who was famous for building an electric car, design and produce the auto. The first cars were built in the Hercules Buggy plant in Evansville, Ind.

The company moved the manufacturing operations to Chicago in late 1909. From then on, the Motor Buggy was manufactured at the Sears Motor Car Works factory there.

Kent has been able to narrow down his model as a solid-tired runabout. Those cars that were built after 1910 came in five models with a top and fenders. In 1910, Sears offered the Models G, H, J, K and L. Between 1908-12 it is estimated approximately 6,200 were made, with around 1,000 of the 1909 runabouts like the Jansens’ manufactured.

According to the Motor Buggy website, after 1910, the 10-hp engine increased to 14. It is a two-cylinder opposed air-cooled engine made by the Reeves Co. out of Columbus, Ind. The transmission is a double chain drive and the Motor Buggy had a top speed of 25 mph.

The Jansens’ Motor Buggy was a huge hit, and it was a great chance to see history in motion.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. Learn more of Cindy’s finds and travel in her blog, “Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl,” at http://travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com