STE. GENEVIEVE – The Sainte Genevieve Museum Learning Center has added another historic antique to its list of “must-see” items. It’s a 1910 Pullman Model O Speedster and you can find it at its temporary home, Barley Automotive in Ste. Genevieve.
From left: Robert Roth, SGMLC Board Member; Scott Barley, owner Barley Automotive; Vern Bauman, SGMLC Board Member; Pat Meyer, Fabick Corporation representative; and Robert Wolk, president of SGMLC.
“The John Fabick Tractor Company has generously loaned us the use of this car as a fundraiser to help us meet our obligations and plan for future expansion that would create a home for this exceptional, vintage automobile,” said Robert Wolk, SGMLC president. “It’s a perfect museum piece and what better way to represent the museum than to give the public the opportunity to view this, and hopefully support our museum at the same time. There’s currently no room at the museum for this fantastic car, but with the public’s support, we hope to add an addition to house it and other large antiques.”
Pat Meyer, a Fabick Company representative, described the connection between this Pullman car and Fabick Tractor.
“Before founding John Fabick Tractor company (now Fabick Cat) in 1917, John Fabick Sr. owned and operated Tower Grove Livery in St. Louis,” explained Meyer. “That business grew from livery wagons, horses and mules to the Ideal Motor Sales, which set up shop at 1312 S. Grand Avenue. Initially offering Meteor cars, John Fabick Sr. expanded into more prestigious makes such as the Pullman. Within a few years, Ideal Motor Sales added Cletrac Tractors to the offering, which would spur John Fabick Sr.’s transition from automobile sales to construction equipment. The Cletrac became Caterpillar in 1925. We felt that it would be much more appropriate for this Pullman car to be put in a museum setting.”
This beautiful Brass-Era sports car features a 255 cubic-inch, 40 horsepower inline-four and lightweight “Speedster” bodywork for exciting performance. Between 1905 and 1917, the Pullman built by the York Automobile Company of Pennsylvania was regarded as one of America’s finest automobiles. While not related to the famous Pullman railcar, the name was chosen for its widely-held association with quality and luxury. Of the approximately 20 Pullman cars left worldwide, this is the only Model O known to exist, and it is an essential part of Fabick Cat’s 100-plus history.
It’s awesome,” said Scott Barley, owner of Barley Automotive. “We’re honored to be able to do this for this museum. It’s a perfect place for people to come and see this. It’s a neat addition.”
The museum took the arrival of the1910 Pullman Car to roll out its Jurassic Club museum membership. This membership level is $30 per month and includes a number of benefits like unlimited museum visits, Learning Center Store discounts, free admission to all speaker presentations, museum newsletter, and special events for Jurassic Club members.
One of yesteryear’s automotive glories, the 1910 Pullman Speedster, can be seen at Barley Automotive in Ste. Genevieve, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information, call the Sainte Genevieve Museum Learning Center at 573-883-DINO.