Public Introduction, 1903

Holsman introduced his high wheel automobile to the public at the Chicago Automobile show in January 1903, A most complete and understandable descriptions of the Holsman was an article appearing in the MOTOR JOURNAL Saturday, January 24th 1903, an English publication, as follows:

“The novel motor-car illustrated herewith, (an illustration of the first Model 3 was shown), has lately been put on the market by the Holsman Automobile Company of Chicago. Power is supplied by a 5 b.h.p. double-opposed-cylinder engine. The cylinders are 3 3/16  in. in diameter by 4 in. in stroke; they are air-cooled by throttling the mixture and timing the spark. The transmission device consists of the ordinary vehicle brake beam or shaft suspended on hangers by roller bearings and revolved in a forward direction by a simple chain connection to the motor shaft. This shaft is provided with two deep-grooved pulleys at each end; the larger one is connected by a flexible rope or band with a corresponding pulley attached to the spokes of both rear wheels to turn them forward; the smaller pulley is adapted to engage with the type of the rear wheels by friction to give a reverse motion. The shaft is connected to a ratchet brake lever in easy reach of the driver, so that by seating the lever back the bands are tightened in revolving grooved pulleys and the vehicle starts forward by setting the lever forward the bands are loosened and the vehicle is disengaged. At the same time and by the same motion, the brake is set, when, by releasing a catch and setting the lever farther forward, the brake is released and the friction pulleys are at once applied to the wheels, causing them to revers. Thus, all movements of starting, stopping, and reversing are performed by means of a single backward and forward motion of a lever. The road wheels are 44 and 48 inches in diameter, shod with solid rubber tyres. It is claimed that the vehicle can attain speed of eighteen miles per hour.”