Miss Lillian Russell in her Pathfinder

In 1916, the Indianapolis Pathfinder Company ran a 12-cylinder car in top gear for 4889 miles across the USA via the Lincoln Highway and concluded with a mile in 59.2 seconds around the Sheepshead Bay Speedway. Having Lillian Russell, celebrated but retired comedy actress, opera singer and multiple-divorcee, in their car was more publicity but they still went bust in 1917.

After their earlier 4-cylinder model had been subject to extended reliability tests across America during 1911-12 by a Mr. and Mrs. Westgard, it was on sale in the UK in 1912 where it completed a top gear circuit of the country under the auspices of the R.A.C., being only the second car to do so after a Napier Six. It was also tested with the Stewart-Morris paraffin carburettor replacing its normal Schebler.

Lillian Russell (b. Helen Louise Leonard), first on stage in 1877, died in New York in 1922 aged 60 after a ship-board fall returning from Europe in her capacity as a Special Commissioner for the US Immigration Department. In July 1919, when in Atlantic City, one of her admirers, undertaker Mr. Schuyler of Philadelphia, had offered her a gold-trimmed coffin worth $2400 as a birthday present, which it was said she declined...

She once said: “Irritability in a woman often can be cured by feeding her with cream. Another scheme is to give whey to her”. Perhaps what she expected of other drivers and pedestrians after 1913 when her car reportedly ran down a bootblack in New York.

This is a 1916 or 1917 Pathfinder Twelve 4-passenger Cloverleaf Roadster (also called Touring Roadster). With a 130"wheelbase and a 60hp Weidely V-12 engine, it sold new for $2900 and was a nice piece of kit. Wartime materials shortages strangled production: Pathfinder folded in 1917.

There was an identical car or maybe this very one locally here in California being restored about 40 years ago. V-12 engine and disappearing top! Quite an impressive car.