1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe
(Model V, Serial #6141)
This car has a rich history dating back to its original owner, Mrs. Mave Olds. Mrs. Olds was born on August 22, 1863 and had been a resident of Tacoma, WA with her husband, Fredrick, since Sept 1888. Mr. Olds was one of the early founders of Tacoma and both husband and wife were active in civic and philanthropic activities over the years. In 1911, Mrs. Old purchased a new, 1911 distinctive, top-of-the-line Baker Electric, which the 1911 Baker Sales Brochure claimed had an "Extra Large Body" and was "The most luxurious and commodious car of its type". In her obituary in May 1936, it recalled "Mrs. Olds is remembered by many as she drove about town in the little electric car which has been in her own personal use for 25 years". After Mrs. Olds death, the Baker Electric was not idle for long as her daughter, Mave Olds, drove the car for at least the next 15 years. Mave was pictured with the car in a newspaper article on June 20, 1943 during WW II and both Mave and the car were mentioned again in a newspaper story on June 7, 1946.
The next documented owner, Ben Shandrow, owned the car from the early 1950's to the mid- 1960's. Ben and the car were front page news in the Tacoma News Tribune on Friday, August 28, 1953 as they prepared for the Washington Territory Centennial parade. On June 15, 1955, the Kitsap Sun reported that the State of Washington awarded the Baker Electric one of the state's first Horseless Carriage license plates. Another picture appeared in November 15, 1964 issue of the Tacoma News Tribune showing owner Ben Shandrow with his distinctive 1911 Baker Special Extension Coupe Electric. According to Horseless Carriage Club of America, a Mr. Wallrich of Tacoma was the next owner of the car for a short period of time around 1966.
Bob Sullivan of Olympia, WA owned the car for a few years in the late 1990's. Eric Edwards of Ontario, Canada, the next custodian of the car, took ownership in 2000 which continued until 2024. Eric's wife, Linda, was in love with the car and was the principal user most of those years. In 2018, Mr. Edwards and his son Chris, undertook a complete restoration of the car as a tribute to their wife and mother. Unfortunately, Linda passed in 2020 and did not live to see the completion of the restoration.
In March 2024, the car joined the Bill & Linda Lillie Collection of Gales Ferry, CT. In honor of its previous owner, Linda Edwards, and its current owner, Linda Lillie, the 1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe has been named "Linda".
A Story of Luck and Patience
How the History of the 1911 Baker Electric Came to Light
By Bill Lillie
As time marches on and our beloved cars (and we) get older, it gets
more and more difficult to learn about a car's history without incredible
luck and patience. This is one of those stories. Thanks to modern on-line
newspaper search tools, 100-year-old newspaper stories, an owner saving a
relic that was on the car in 1941, a thorough newspaper obituary writer
in 1936, the uniqueness of vintage electric cars and some published
newspaper photos over the years, this 1911 Baker Electric Special Extension
Coupe's rich history has come to light.
My wife, Linda, and I are avid car collectors, especially early electrics.
They fascinate me. In early 2024, we had the opportunity to acquire a rare
1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe from Eric and Chris Edwards of
Ontario, Canada. I enjoy researching the history of each of my cars and
documenting it on my website:
BillsVintageCars.com for future reference. The Edwards' had some
ownership information going back to the late 20th century and knew the car
had come from the US Pacific Northwest, but there was a 90-year gap going
back to 1911 that beckoned to be filled.
I am a big fan of on-line newspaper search tools. Many search filters are
available as well as an extremely large collection of newspapers. I began
this search looking for "1911 Baker Electric" in the Washington, Oregon
area over a wide date range in the 20th Century.
The first big "hit" I got was from Sunday, June 20, 1943, when the Tacoma
(WA) Sunday Ledger News, ran a picture of a 1911 Baker Electric, owned by
Miss Mave Olds of 55 Broadway (Tacoma). The article poked good-natured fun
at gasoline war rationing because "Gas or no gas (the electric car will
run)...when your A Coupons are gone" ("A" Coupons rationed gasoline to 4
gallons per week during World War II).
Astonishingly, just below Miss Olds face on the lower left windshield, there was a decal, a huge clue about the car's identity. (When Eric Edwards began a restoration of the car in 2018, he removed and saved a 1941 Washington State Inspection decal – just like the one that appeared in the 1943 photograph.)
The history search was now getting exciting. The car in the 1943 was
identical to the car I purchased in 2024 and there was an artifact that
connected the two. The next question was where had the car been from
when it was new in 1911 until 1943?
My next search of the "Olds" family name revealed the Obituary of Miss
Mave Olds' mother, Mrs. Fredrick A. Olds, who was born August 22, 1863
and died May 25, 1936 at age of 73. Her Obituary describes how "Mrs. Olds
is remembered by many as she drove around town in the little electric
car which has been in her own personal use for 25 years" (since 1911)!
The obituary also mentions that she is survived by two daughters, one
of whom was Miss Mave Olds (who was pictured in the 1943 newspaper
photograph)! Mrs. Fredrick A. Olds lived at 55 Broadway, the same
address where Miss Mave Olds was living in 1943. Bingo! The dots connect!
Researching further, I discovered that Mrs. Fredrick A. Olds was born on August 22, 1863 and had been a resident of Tacoma, WA with her husband, Fredrick, since September 1888. Mr. Olds was one of the early founders of Tacoma and both husband and wife were active in civic and philanthropic activities over the years.
After Mrs. Olds death in 1936, the Baker Electric was not idle for long as her daughter, Miss Mave Olds, drove the car for at least the next 15 years. Another reference to Miss Mave Olds was in the June 7, 1946 issue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
The next documented owner, Ben Shandrow, had the car from the early 1950's to the mid-1960's. Ben and the car were front page news in the Tacoma News Tribune on Friday, August 28, 1953 as they prepared for the Washington Territory Centennial parade.
The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Friday, August 28, 1953
Another picture appeared in the November 15, 1964 issue of the Tacoma News Tribune showing owner Ben Shandrow with his distinctive 1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe.
The restoration has since been completed and in March 2024, the car joined the Bill & Linda Lillie Collection of Gales Ferry, CT.
In honor of its previous owner, Linda Edwards, and its current owner, Linda Lillie, this 1911 Baker Electric Special Extension Coupe has been named "Linda".
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