1901 Milwaukee Steam Car - 7 HP Steam Racer

To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The London Auction event, 31 October 2026.

Recognised as the one-off steam racer built for Dr J G Lovell in 1901

Conceived to achieve “a speed of a mile a minute” with numerous mechanical modifications

Restored to its original configuration and appearance

Veteran Car Club-dated in 2011; a past London to Brighton participant

The Milwaukee Automobile Company was of numerous firms organised in the Midwestern United States, that cradle of early automaking, during the early 1900s. It came and went virtually in the same breath—established in 1900, it was bankrupt by 1902. Nonetheless, in its brief life, it built some fascinating steam-powered motorcars, none more interesting than this 1901 model.

Reportedly designed by Chicago agent Frank P Illsley for local resident Dr J G Lovell, it was featured at that year’s Chicago Auto Show, and described in the period press as having been built to achieve “a speed of a mile a minute…It is expected to be the fastest automobile in America, and of its kind, the fastest in the world.” Numerous distinctive features described in the period press on the Racer, including chassis and running gear modifications with additional front-end bracing and a yolk brace between rear axle and engine, remain on the motorcar. One wonders if Dr Lovell actually intended to race, or just wanted what amounted to a Veteran supercar; it may have participated in one event in Joliet, Illinois in October 1901, but appears to have not otherwise competed in anger.

Subsequently, the Milwaukee was modified to be of more modern design, with a later body and the boiler relocated under a more traditional front end. In this form, the car reappeared in 1954 in the care of early enthusiast Ray Salentine of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who undertook its original restoration. The car later moved to an owner in Beloit, Illinois, then disappeared, eventually reappearing in a museum in Ladenburg, Germany in the early 21st Century.

In 2005 the steamer was acquired by a new owner, who undertook considerable research to restore the car back to its 1901 design. The Milwaukee was dated by the Veteran Car Club in 2011 and is accompanied by its detailed report and certificate, while the Steam Racer has been a multiple entrant to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in 2010, 2011, and 2024. In 2019, a new boiler was manufactured and fitted by the noted specialist J R Goold Steam Ltd. Importantly, in 2025 it underwent a successful boiler examination and pressure test, which remains valid through to December of this year.

This is a most fascinating Veteran steamer, with great heritage and power in equal amounts.

To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/lf26/.