How much would the last of something be worth? In a world that is dominated by scarcity, real or imagined, what is the value of ‘the only one known to exist’? This Harley Davidson Forecar is the only one, and it’s for sale.
The Forecar was introduced in 1913 in response to a perceived need for delivery vehicles in the US. Roads were not so good, and trucks of the time were really not up to the task. It was produced for only three years and replaced by the ‘truck’ line of Sidecars at HD. Indian had a go at the genre with their Traffic Car and HD finally settled on the Servi-Car that would be in service from 1932 until 1975.
The Forecar was essentially a model 9 Harley Davidson with a heavy angle iron frame and two steering wheels set up like a car. 332 were made in the three year production run.
The 1913 Harley Davidson Forecar was powered by a 61 CID air cooled four stroke F-Head V-Twin motor that made 8 HP. Chain driven, this unit had the two speed transmission. Rear brake only and no suspension probably made for an interesting ride.
This particular 1913 Harley Davidson Forecar (VIN #5954E )is the only known example known. It is completely restored and documented. The bike is in Ojai, California and is currently listed with a Buy It Now price of $350,000
Editor’s Note: This 3 wheeler is adorably named Walter, and a documentary was made about it called The Missing Link. I haven’t been able to find the original documentary, but here’s a small bit of it if you want to see Walter in motion. Sadly, you can’t hear any audio of the bike itself:
Sources:
Harley-Davidson Timeline
National MC Museum
Cycle World