Four electric-powered antique automobiles grace the parking area in front of the historic Lebold Mansion in Abilene. It was one of a series of stops on the second Kansas Antique Electric Vehicle Tour with daily drives to points of interest in and around Abilene.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The group spent three days touring the Abilene area. Cars photographed at the Lebold Mansion are a 1918 Detroit Electric owned by Bob and Feryl Giesen of Wichita; a 1929 Detroit Electric owned by David LeFeber of Hartford, Wis.; a 1921 Detroit Electric owned by David and Leone Junck of Ogden, Iowa; and a 1916 Rauch & Lang owned by Richard and Carol Gray of Tontitown, Ark.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The spire of the Lebold Mansion towers over a trio of Detroit Electric cars in Abilene at one of the stops on a three-day tour of antique electric-powered automobiles.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Bob Giesen's 1918 Detroit Electric looks right at home on the circular drive in front of the Castle in Riverside, also known as the Historic Campbell Castle at 1155 N. River Blvd.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
In full sunlight, the rich maroon of the Detroit Electric contrasts sharply with its black fenders and hood.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another elegant feature of the interior is the cut-glass bud vase attached to the passenger-side inner door pillar. The Detroit Electric was often promoted as a "lady's car" because its power plant did not need to be hand-cranked like the gasoline engines of the day.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
How is this for elegance? The dome light shines through this beautiful cut-glass lens.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The front "fuel tank" of the car contains seven 6-volt, 145 amp/hr Trojan deep cycle batteries. A similar rack of batteries is stowed in the trunk area, allowing the driver to switch to as much as 84 volts of power.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Perhaps the most unusual feature of this unusual automobile is the steering tiller and speed controller mounted on the left inside door pillar. They fold up and out of the way for easy entry. The plush diamond-tufted upholstery is the work of Tom Richardson.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The front seat passenger is treated to a swiveling seat that can be rotated to allow the rider to visit face-to-face with the driver, seated on the bench seat to the rear of the spacious cab.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A small storage area at the left front of the cab is also upholstered as a jump seat.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A "Y"-shaped ammeter mounted below the jump seat allows the driver to keep track of power consumption. The pedals are part of the braking system.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Simple, but elegant burgundy material covers the inner door panels, which are accented by nickel-plated hardware.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A "Bermuda bell" is activated by the silver plunger in the floor -- sometimes surprising spectators who haven't heard the virtually silent Detroit Electric roll up behind them.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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