Oldsmobile Curved Dash Model R
A tiller, a single cylinder and a chain helped turn one of America’s earliest cars into a repeatable factory product.
Detroit Historical Museum July 2018 21 (1901 Olds Curved Dash) · Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
What did this one sell for?
Make a guess, then reveal one identity-matched completed auction result. It is a comparison point, not a price promise.
Reveal the auction result
Based on a completed sale at RM Sotheby's, an estimated value for this vehicle is $40,700.
Why this sale: Exact first-year 1901 U.S. Oldsmobile Model R Curved Dash runabout, VMCC-dated as 1901. Model specification is the rear-mounted 95 cu. in. single-cylinder engine with two-speed planetary transmission and tiller steering. Two-family ownership and extraordinary preservation: original bodywork, paint, upholstery and rubber floor mat survived with considerable patina. Wire wheels and tyres were replacements. RM could not find an identification number during cataloguing; the 1901 date rested on VMCC inspection plaque 1729.
Final result including the applicable 10% RM Auctions North America buyer's premium; reported hammer was $37,000. Taxes, registration, transport, and recommissioning are excluded. One auction result is a reference, not an appraisal; condition, history, options, location and market timing can change value. Accepted as an exact year, model and body match. Preservation and raffle-winner provenance are unusual, while the absent visible ID and replacement wheels are material caveats.
More than a set of wheels.
Oldsmobile’s Curved Dash Model R reached production in 1901 after a factory fire forced Ransom E. Olds to concentrate on one small runabout. Its curved front looked familiar to people used to horse-drawn carriages, but standardized parts and organized production made it an important step toward cars built in quantity. This page stays with the 1901 Model R rather than later Curved Dash revisions.
Look a little closer.
The curved panel at the very front is a dash—originally a shield against mud and stones thrown by horses’ hooves.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A car designed to be repeated
The Curved Dash used standardized, interchangeable parts and organized production when most automobiles were still built in very small numbers. By 1904 Oldsmobile was making about 5,000 a year.
Source: The Henry Ford · Curved Dash Oldsmobile ↗Controls from another age
A hand tiller steers the car, a chain drives the rear axle and a single cylinder supplies only a few horsepower. Those differences make the Model R a useful guide to how quickly car controls evolved.
Source: Sioux City Public Museum · 1901 Curved Dash ↗Where these facts come from
- The Henry Ford · Curved Dash Oldsmobile
- Sioux City Public Museum · 1901 Curved Dash
- Curved Dash Oldsmobile Club · Model R1
- Motogallery · Model R technical guide
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.