W. Irving Twombly was an airplane and automobile enthusiast who was attracted to the cyclecar fad of the day. Twombly hoped to sell his vehicle as a multi-purpose automobile that could be used for recreation and business. It was meant as one vehicle to solve many different types of needs and problems. He established the Twombly Car Corporation in New York City and was soon cranking out these cute little inline 2 cylinder 7 hp cars hoping to start a real trend in cyclecar technology.
Alas, it was not to be. He was soon bereft of solvent backers and by 1915 his company went bankrupt. The car pictured is one of only two Twombly cyclecars left, with the other one in the Smithsonian museum. One can't help but wonder, however, if we today shouldn't be looking closer at this technology as a way to cut down on traffic and parking congestion and fuel usage savings.
