7 Of The Oldest Cars And Motorcycles Ever Uncovered On American Pickers

The first episode of History Channel's "American Pickers" aired Jan. 18, 2010. In the show's twenty-six seasons, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz (along with stalwarts Danielle Colby and Robbie Wolfe) have galivanted around the country like a real-life Indiana Jones. During that time, they uncovered thousands of antiques and relics in old barns and warehouses, sometimes rusting away under trees or buried in the ground.

Some of their strangest finds include a Yoda prototype (the wizened Jedi Master from "The Empire Strikes Back") they bought for $6,200 and a pair of freaky Laurel & Hardy masks. They've stumbled across Aerosmith's first tour van and all manner of automobiles, motorcycles, bits, and baubles, some of which they failed to close a deal on, including a 1937 Cord 812 Convertible.

Wolfe, a bonafide Harley-Davidson fanatic, has gone so far as to purchase a mostly-in-pieces 1910 Royal Pioneer and another frame (only) for a 1920s-era Harley. And since most of the early auto and moto makers started off as bicycle makers, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the American Star high-wheeler bicycle and Overman Victor's "safety bike" from the 1880s they picked up in Wisconsin that set them back almost $4,000. So, given their penchant for old things, we give you seven of the oldest cars and motorcycles ever uncovered on "American Pickers."

[Featured image by GPS 56 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]

During season 11 (episode 10, "Enter the Negotiator"), Frank went with Dave Ohrt (because Wolfe was unavailable) down to Florida to take a look at what is basically a cross between a motorcycle and an automobile – a 1914 Merz Cycle Car. Since the cost of early automobiles was out of reach for most people at the time, a need arose for a more affordable mode of transportation.

Built by Charley Merz (a famous race car driver from Indiana), the Merz had a Spacke DeLuxe air-cooled 1157cc/9 HP V-Twin engine producing nine horsepower, typically found on a motorcycle. With an 84-inch (7 feet) wheelbase and a mere 40-inch (3.33 feet) track width, it only carried a driver and one passenger (or maybe a few small kids) in a seat situated behind the driver.

During the inspection, Dave noticed that while it was almost wholly original and complete, it had the wrong-sized tires, had been repainted, and the hood ornament was missing. Considering this Merz was one of only two known to exist, it wasn't a big deal, especially for a vehicle well over a century old.

They settled on a final price of $35,000, and owner Pat Regis said if the Pickers didn't like it, he'd give them their money back. He never reimbursed a dime. Dave commented during the episode that the Merz should be in a museum, and he was right — it now resides at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. This Merz cycle is so unique it made it onto our previous list of coolest vehicles ever uncovered on American Pickers.

In 2017 (season 17, episode 6, "Something Weird Here"), Wolfe and Fritz went to check on the 1919 Franklin Series 9 they had shipped down to their good friend Corky Coker for restoration. After Coker's mechanic (Keith) poured some "Corky Magic Juice" into the engine, it fired right up. Coker said he thought the engine had low mileage on it and was in excellent working condition.

As usual, the guys found the Franklin sitting in an old barn still as original as the day it drove off the lot, complete with original interior, paint, and "Franklin" branded spark plugs (which begs the question, how often should you change the spark plugs?). The Series 9 was a rear wheel drive vehicle with a 199 cubic-inch 3.3L straight six that produced 25 horsepower mated to a manual transmission. A total of 8,985 of the Series 9 were made for 1919.

The guys were already $7,000 into it and Coker explained he would likely need to go through the linkage and definitely rebuild the gas tank because that was shot. It also needed new tires (at about $1,500). Wolfe asked him what he thought the retail was, and Coker said $10,000 to $12,000, which was lower than Wolfe expected given its age, original state, and working condition.

When Coker said he knew someone willing to pay $8,500, the guys took a minute to discuss and ultimately took the deal with what they thought was an anonymous buyer. Coker then revealed he was the buyer, and Fritz said, "at least we know your check's good."

The first episode of season 17 ("The $90,000 Question") aired in April 2017. In it, Wolfe and Fritz went to Mount Hood, Oregon, to scour through a massive collection of rare, vintage cars and motorcycles. By the time they left, the guys had spent over $90,000, the most ever on one pick, because, as Wolfe explained, they never had the opportunity to buy so many things simultaneously. 

Included in their haul was a $20,000 1931 Indian 4 with a rebuilt engine (from two broken Indian engines) and was missing several key components (tanks, gauges, horn, toolbox). They dropped $4,750 for a single-cylinder 1932 Harley-Davidson, another $15,000 for a 1938 Indian 4-cylinder Mike referred to as a "Johnny Cash Special" because it had a mishmash of parts (tanks from a 1941 Indian, different top ends, a Harley-Davidson-branded seat and air cleaner). Also in the "pick" was a $5,000 engine for a 1947 Harley Knucklehead.

The true pièce de résistance was the impossibly rare 1922 ACE (one discontinued motorcycle we feel deserve a modern remake), considered the Duesenberg of 4-cylinders at the time. William Henderson founded the company in 1919 but died while riding one of his motorcycles in 1922. Two years later, the Indian Motorcycle Company bought them out, and ACE faded away shortly thereafter, making them very rare. This particular ACE was purchased in the early 1960s for $35 or $40 after it was found sitting under a porch in Portland, Oregon.

While mostly complete, there were literally no internals to the 4-cylinder engine — no connecting rods, gears, flywheel, or pistons — so it needed to be rebuilt entirely. Still, the guys bought it for $45,000. In December 2018, Mike posted on Facebook that the bike was up and running.

In season 20 (episode 10, "The Mysterious Madame X"), Wolfe took mechanic Mike Mefford to Michigan looking for the Cadillac prototype known as Madame X. This particular vehicle was one of two made by the legendary GM designer Harley Earl, who is also credited with creating the first "concept" car in 1938 with the Buick Y-Job (one of the coolest concept cars of all time).

While the Cadillac Limousine was near completion, Earl saw the play "Madame X" starring Hollywood film starlet Pauline Frederick. They had dinner after the show and Earl decided to call the Caddy "Madame X" in honor of the character Frederick portrayed, which was never used publicly. 

Both prototypes were initially powered by a V8, but in 1930, the engine in the second Madame X was replaced with a V16 for the Chicago Auto Show, making the first even rarer. After inspecting the chassis number they confirmed this was indeed the very first Madame X. It was in immaculate condition, complete with original paint, interior, dash, and all its other unique details.

The owners were hesitant to part with it, so they all continued looking at the many pristine Packard's in the collection. Eventually, they circled back to the Caddy, but couldn't bridge the gap between the $100,000 the owners wanted and the $70,000 Mike was willing to spend, and he left agonized over not closing the deal. A few miles down the road, Wolfe had a change of heart and offered $90,000, which the owners accepted.

So what happened to the Madame X? It's currently on display at Legends Motorcycle Museum in Springfield, Utah, for all to enjoy.

Again during season 17 (episode three, "My Sweet Ford"), the guys travel to a former body shop in central Washington that's chock-full of vintage cars, motorcycles, and a plethora of parts. It's truly amazing how many places around the country are packed floor to ceiling with relics from the past still waiting to be found.

While walking the grounds, the owner shows them a 1933 Ford 5-window Coupe wedged between two other vehicles. What's more, it had been sitting around so long that a big tree had sprouted up around it. Needless to say, the elements had taken a serious toll on the Ford, which was basically nothing more than a rusted bare bones rolling chassis. There were no fenders or hood, and only the engine block remained. Plus, virtually nothing was left of the interior.

Wolfe said the '33 was typically more challenging to find (than a '32 or '34), calling it the "older, sexier sister" with a more aerodynamic and streamlined look. It also had curved side cowl engine louvers and a sweeping grille, which the owner did have elsewhere on site, along with a complete dashboard.

Despite all that, Wolfe said it was in great shape considering where it had sat for so long and was still head over heels enough with the rusting relic that he paid $14,000. The vehicle's comical extraction was captured during the episode, requiring a tow truck and lots of finagling with crowbars, careful not to further damage the Ford's body.

During season 12 (episode 9, "Auburned Out"), Wolfe and Fritz visited a couple (Jan and Sandy) in South Dakota who had accumulated four or five buildings worth of tonnage over the years. While picking through their collection, they found a 1935 convertible Phaeton 653 – with the original non-functioning engine — Sandy claimed had been sitting for 24 years. It was purchased by Jan's uncle in West Virginia and had been in the family ever since.

Errett Lobban Cord bought the struggling Auburn Automobile Company in 1923 and the Duesenberg Company in 1926. Soon thereafter, he became known for making some of the most stylish, sophisticated, and luxurious vehicles on the road. The Auburn Automobile Company made its last vehicle in August of 1937.

Wolfe was enamored despite the 93,000 miles on the odometer and a brush paint job, which he was hoping could be easily returned to the original color. He sent photos of the car to Doug Pray, head of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company (ACD Co.) in Broken Arrow, OK. He called back and said the 653 6-cylinder was far less desirable because collectors wanted the supercharged 8-cylinders. 

Pray put the high-end retail value of Jan's Auburn at around $30,000, while a fully restored model could be easily had for $40,000 to $45,000, substantially less than the $80,000 Jan initially wanted. After some serious convincing by Sandy (Wolfe and Fritz had little to do with changing Jan's mind), they settled on $26,050. Ultimately, Pray wasn't far off as the partially restored and running Phaeton sold at an RM Sotheby's auction in October 2021 for $35,200.

Last but not least, we have to throw in one pickup truck. Season 17 (episode 4, "Hello Jell-O") was a busy one for the American Pickers, so while Wolfe and Fritz were in Louisiana, Danielle Colby and Robbie Wolfe went to Vermont to check out over two dozen cars owned by Gary, who wasn't sure what he was willing to part with yet from his dad's collection.

While walking through the massive barn, Wolfe saw a well-preserved 1939 Ford half-ton pickup that Gary said came from Kansas. It had the original engine (221. ci V8 producing 85 hp), paint, and pristine barrel grille, but it hadn't been started in 15 years. Pure vintage trucks from '38 and '39 are more challenging to find because they were only made for two years, and collectors have already restored many of them.

Robbie offered $4,000, and Gary countered with $6,000. After Gary revealed he didn't have the title for the truck, they ultimately settled on $5,500.

Also in Gary's collection were several much older cars, including a 1907 Orient Buckboard steered with a tiller (not a steering wheel). Robbie offered $10,000, but Gary flatly refused because it was the earliest car in his collection. He also had a 1914 Canadian Model T with right-hand drive, a 1915 first-year Dodge, a 1925 Pierce Arrow, and a 1931 Willys Roadster, none of which Gary was ready to part with, but all of which would have made it onto this list.