1923 McFarlan Mannequin 154 stops by Jay Leno’s Storage

“Jay Leno’s Storage” has featured all kinds of vehicles, however this 1923 McFarlan Mannequin 154 Knickerbocker Cabriolet is actually one in all a form.

The automobile is a part of California’s Nethercutt Assortment, and Vice President Cameron Richards believes it is the one surviving instance.

Initially based mostly in Connersville, Indiana, McFarlan was a carriage builder that moved into automobile manufacturing, however it targeted extra on luxurious than quantity, constructing solely 600 vehicles per yr between 1910 and 1928.

McFarlan did not do issues in half measures. The Mannequin 154 weighs 5,200 kilos and, behind its Rolls-Royce-like grille, sits a 572-cubic-inch inline-6 with 18 spark plugs and 4 valves per cylinder. These valves are arrayed on both aspect of the combustion chambers in a T-head association, which was most well-liked on the time due to low high quality gasoline, Leno explains within the video. The T-head eased cooling, lessening the prospect of detonation.

All of these valves and spark plugs generated 120 hp, which is channeled to the rear wheels by means of a 3-speed guide transmission with a contemporary H-pattern shifter.

This automobile was owned by Roscoe Conkling “Fatty” Arbuckle, a well-known comic within the interval, and sports activities a fold-out cover and director’s chair so the star might loosen up throughout relaxation stops. The driving force was much less lucky. Arbuckle’s Mannequin 154 has a preferred physique fashion for the interval, with a lined rear compartment however an open cockpit.

Whereas forgotten immediately, the McFarlan was as soon as thought-about an American rival to Rolls-Royce, Richards notes. Leno agrees with that, evaluating the automobile from Indiana to a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Not like Rolls-Royce although, McFarlan did not survive. The agency went bankrupt and was ultimately purchased by Auburn, one other ill-fated Indiana automaker.