So I have in my collection of antiques (someone recently said I collect crap, fuck that guy) an owner's manual for National Motor's Highway Sixes and Highway Twelves. First of all, if you haven't heard of National Motor Vehicle Company that's okay, I didn't even know they existed until I got my hands on this booklet. According to Wikipedia, they were one of the many small car companies from the early 1900s that seem to have come and gone. It's a bit of a shame because apparently they were quite successful in motorsports which, if you ask me, shows they had some talented engineers working for them. It's enough to make me wonder what the company would have become if it had just a little more luck on its side. But I digress. Let me show you this book.
See? There it is. For being around 100 years old it's actually in great shape, especially for a soft cover manual. The paper has held up very well, with pretty much zero yellowing, fading, or creasing. The only real glaring flaws are the mouse chewed pages on the top right and some stains on the last few pages in the back. But as soon as I open this book, the damage is totally forgettable.
Let me tell you, I love everything about this manual. It's one of those items that makes antiques feel so special, that let's you know you're holding a piece of the past and helps you feel connected to it. For instance, if you open up, right on the inside of the front cover is a postcard for you to fill out so you can register your car with National Motors. Even back then companies were asking for owners to register their products, and just like today, many owners didn't feel bothered to do so. I guess some things never change.
The inside first page is also a bit interesting as well. Take a look at the contact information for the company at the bottom of the page. There's no building number for the address and of course no ZIP Code, since the system wasn't invented until the 1960s. What's really cool though, is that the very last line on the bottom of the page lists the cable code to reach the company by wire through Western Union. Small details like that always make antiques just that much more fascinating.
Check out the table of contents to see what's all inside of this thing. The book itself covers almost everything about this car from operating it to repairing it to ordering any replacement parts you might need straight from the manufacturer. It covers almost everything you can think of too, from engine timing and ignition sequence to the wiring for the starter and headlights. If car manufacturers still made their manuals like this today, Haynes would be out of business. Just check out some of these pages . . .
The text itself is just as detailed and helpful. For example, on the “Troubles and Their Remedies” section, they cover issues such as water in the gas tank:
“In cold weather it will freeze in the carburetor, preventing operation of the same. The most annoying symptom of this trouble, and which can be caused by an almost imperceptible amount of water, is popping in the carburetor and the cutting down of power of the engine very perceptibly, and acts in every way as if the needle valve of the carburetor were set for too little gasoline. When there is considerable water in the gasoline it will stop the engine entirely. This can be remedied at the moment by opening the cock bottom of the carburetor, and as the water is heavier it will drain out first. The plug (570C or D) directly under [the] gasoline tank should also be opened for a few seconds. This plug should be removed at least once every 30 days and the strainer taken out and cleaned. The only complete remedy, however, is a new supply of gasoline, which should be poured through a chamois skin.”
Granted, cars back then were much simpler than cars today, but they were still something new and completely foreign for a lot of people. With a manual as well written as this, almost any owner would feel more than confident to work on their own cars. This is definitely one of the cooler antiques that I own and while it's the most recent addition to my collection, I don't think my excitement for it will wear off any time soon.