How is driving a Maxwell different than driving a modern day car?
You can’t imagine what a wonderful sight it was to see the 1908 Maxwell glistening in the sun outside the carriage barn in Bennington, Vermont when I (Sue) went for my first driving lesson. Alongside of it were the two mechanics, Jim and Justice, who restored it to running condition with proud smiles because it hadn’t run since 1947. Driving a car from that period of history is very different although many of the steps are the same as driving a car today. The first step was to make sure the Maxwell was in neutral, because you have to stand in front of the vehicle to crank start it. Jim remembers that some of his relatives who drove old cars were run over by the car because it was in gear. Here are the steps: Put it in neural. Retard the spark. Turn the ignition to on. Turn the crank (this is not easy and requires some arm strength, I learned!). When the car starts, pull the timing lever toward the rear. Hopping in, you then put in in gear. There are two forward gears-low and high-with
