Electric car for sale – BRAND NEW – $2475 call Ralph

1909 BAKER EXTENSION ELECTRIC – NEW – IN STOCK.

Up to 200 miles on one charge. Perfectly quiet with six speeds forward and three speeds in reverse. fine broadcloth upholstery and silk whipcoard trimmings. An ideal in town or suburban vehicle, safest for a woman to drive. Comfort, style, convenience and dependability in both summer or winter., A tiller instead of a steering wheel. Armored wood frame. Patented ball joints. Spring suspension. 32 inch pneumatic tires. Weston Ammeter/Voltmeter.. Less maintenance than a team of horses. Every two weeks a skilled mechanic will call at your home or garage and examines your Baker in detail. Any work can be done in our modern service department. Every car comes complete with a battery charger for your garage. $2475.00

For a test drive call or visit the Ralph Temple Automobile Co. at, 1219 – 21 South Michigan Ave just south of 12^th St. (Roosevelt Road). in Chicago or call Calumet 3347 today!

the Ralph Temple Automobile Co was a pioneer of Chicago‘s “Motor Row” selling the Baker Electric, Oldsmobile, Jackson, Pan hard, De Dietrich, Darracq, De Dion, Premier, Reo and National cars; Just in 1911 alone Ralph sold 100 Bakers. He had a fully equipped machine shop and repair department as well as a complete line of parts carried in stock.

At its peak, The Baker Electric was only one of over 120 car brands and models sold and serviced on Chicago’s Motor Row, a historic district on the near South Side. The area thrived between 1905 and 1936 with fine buildings by a number of notable architects The area was designated as a Chicago Landmark on December 13, 2000. The buildings were well constructed of brick and terra cotta,. spacious with large show windows.

Some of the auto companies –Ford, Buick, Hudson, Cadillac, Locomobile, Marmon, and Premier are still visible today on the building’s facades. There was the Locomobile Company. the Maxwell Building, the seven-story Studebaker Company building, and dozens of others. In 1911 over 24,000 cars were sold on motor row. These districts developed in numerous US cities shortly after 1900 for the sale and repair of cars.

Other than the Baker Electric, there were many other electric cars for sale on Chicago’s motor row including the Babcock Electric, the Columbus Electric, the Detroit Electric, Rauch Lang Electric, the Waverley Electric, the Woods Electric and several more. No longer was it just called Gasoline Alley.

Forget Tesla, because in 1909 the Baker Extension automobile was an electric car way ahead of its time standing tall against electric cars of today. Jay Leno who has a beautifully restored 1909 Baker Extension jokingly calls it “a telephone booth on wheels” It actually stands tall at over 7 feet,

Meet Walter Charles Baker born June 27, 1868 to George W Baker and Jeanette Rowene Hall in Hinsdale New Hampshire. His father, an inventor, helped organize the White Sewing Machine Company as well as the Cleveland Machine Screw Company. He married Fannie Elizabeth White in 1891 and had two children Elizabeth and Robert

In 1895 Walter helped form the American Ball Bearing Company designing axles for horse-drawn vehicles and then in 1897 he built his first electrically powered automobile organizing the Baker motor vehicle company. in 1898 he advertised “ the most elegant automobile made for $850”. Thomas Edison’s first car was a Baker. In 1902 Walter Baker won every race in the electric car category at Grosse Pointe track in Detroit.

In 1904 he had two models but by 1906 he had built 800 Bakers in his Cleveland Ohio plant. By 1907 Walter had introduced 17 Baker models including the model R Runabout, the model V Victoria the Brougham, and others.

The smallest was the Stanhope and the largest was the Inside Drive Coupe. Most all of the Baker Electrics were black but Earle C Anthony manager of the Western motor car Company of Los Angeles California bought a specially built Baker for his bride in February 1909. Painted all white, it featured white broadcloth upholstery and mother-of-pearl fixtures. It was displayed at the New York Madison Square Garden auto show and was the center of attention. .

In June 1915 the Baker electric company merged with Rauch & Lange carriage company becoming the Baker, Rauch and Lange . So we think of today’s EV cars is being some new innovative solution to our gas guzzling automobiles, but electric cars were not only popular but well engineered as early as 1899. Today the Baker Electric’s have been sold at auction for anywhere from $95,000 to $250,000