View our 1914 Metz Model 22 literature here:
- CONCERNING the advantages…METZ “22” Winner of the Glidden Tour
- METZ “22” $600 WITH COMPLETE ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT
- METZ SPEEDSTER: The classiest car in the speed car class. $500
- METZ CARS / Metz “Twenty-Two”
- METZ CARS PRICE LIST OF PARTS: 1914 MODELS INCLUDING 1909-10-11-12 PART LISTS
- What Owners Say of METZ CARS
- A CAR that saves you money when you buy it…METZ “22” Winner of the Glidden Tour
1914 Metz Model 22
Donated in 2017 by Don & Micky Bohne, Crosby, TX
“No Clutch to Slip, No Gears to Strip” was the advertising mantra for the Metz car, sold out of Waltham, MA from 1909 – 1921. Instead of gears and a clutch, the Metz used a friction drive system that consisted of a cork faced flywheel and drive wheel. When the two met, power was transmitted to the rear wheels by chain. A sales catalog from 1914 stated that “the life of the friction rim under normal conditions is from 3,500 – 5,000 miles, and the cost of renewal is but $2.50, which is cheaper than the grease required for the ordinary transmission.”
The Metz Company could trace its roots to the Waltham Manufacturing Company, a company started by Charles Herman Metz in 1893. Waltham built bicycles in the late 1800’s and eventually automobiles but Charles Metz would go his own way in 1901 due to disagreements with investors. By 1909, however, Metz would find himself back at Waltham but renamed the company after himself. At that time the company had incurred a large amount of debt, so, in order to reduce that debt, Metz introduced a pay as you go program as an alternative to fully assembled cars. That program allowed owners to buy and assemble vehicle kits for $27/kit; fourteen kits would make a complete car.
The Metz shown here is a 1914 Model 22. It features a 4-cylinder engine that can generate 22 ½ horsepower. Sales literature from 1914 promised “28-32 miles on one gallon of gasoline, 100 miles on a pint of lubricating oil and 10,000 to 12,000 miles on a single set of tires.” The car’s windshield, top and side curtains are removable, allowing passengers to set up the vehicle based on weather conditions.
AACA is very grateful for the donation of this car and two others to benefit our club. 2014 AACA National President Micky Bohne and her husband Don have been two of our club’s strongest supporters in more ways than we ever can count. We are immensely honored and appreciative for these generous gifts.