Today’s Fan Car Friday is brought to us by Nikolas and his 1923 Oldsmobile Phaeton. Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner.
Most of this vehicle is all original, but its unoriginal enough to be a low value car. Which is exactly what Nikolas wanted, something that was in disrepair enough that most would look past it but just good enough to be something worth saving. His intention was to have something that he could drive and not be afraid to leave in a parking lot, not something that was worth so much that it barely saw the light of day.
The engine is one of the few, major parts that have been replaced. After nearly 100 years, the old one was too tired to be worked on yet again. It was given a good sendoff and replaced with a Volvo 144 due to its similar weight. With a new engine also comes a 6 volt to 12 volt conversion of the vehicle to continue on the idea of something more reliable. Now equipped with a 4 cylinder engine and a 3 speed manual this can now go up to 50mph without any trouble. The owner decided to back off at that point and not further push his luck. Every piece of trim has received a triple plated rechroming, it has a new folding top and the interior was completely redone. All of the wood on this car was sent out to be restored by Richard Moore in North Carolina – The steering wheel, door caps and dash panel look more immaculate than they ever did 100 years ago.
Nikolas’ favorite thing about this car is how things that were annoying on his weekends are now things he looks forward to when driving the Oldsmobile, whether its getting groceries or grabbing a milkshake.
*Since first speaking with the owner, he has regretfully informed us that he has since sold this car for financial reasons. Nonetheless, he says the memories he has with the car will stay with him forever as he and the family can’t help but laugh and smile when they talk about their quirky small town adventures they have had in the car.