Like today's cars, the 'Model F' had four wheels, and rubber tires - but that's where the resemblance ended. The wheels were wooden spokes with steel rims. The tires were grey -- the practice of adding carbon black to tire rubber to make them black was not yet common. And they were very tall and narrow -- 30 x 4 inches in size.

The car had no bumpers, but it did have a radiator and headlights. The lights were not electric, however; they were illuminated by acetylene gas, generated by the reaction of calcium carbide and water in a generator mounted on the left running board. Two cowl lamps and one tail-lamp were oil-fired, and all the lamps had to be lit by hand.

The lamp housings and gas generator, like the radiator housing and most other trim pieces on the vehicle were brass, not chrome-plated, giving rise to the characterization of that period of auto design as the 'brass era.'

As with current cars, the 'Model-F' was powered by a gasoline engine. But under the hood, rather than an engine, was a gas tank -- its brass cap protruding through the top of the hood. The engine, a 159 cu. in. (2.6 L), horizontally-opposed two-cylinder, rated at 22 hp, was mounted transversely beneath the front seat. Like many of today's engines, it employed an overhead-valve mechanism -- one of the first automobile engines to do so. Unlike today's engines, however, the valvetrain was exposed, as were most other mechanical components.

Moving components were not lubricated internally, but through external oil lines from a 'Hill Precision Oiler' mounted on top of the engine, or by hand as part of a daily maintenance schedule. Neither the engine nor transmission had oil sumps; once the oil served its lubricating purpose it served a secondary function of keeping the dust down on the roads!

More complex than some transmissions of its day, the 'Model F' provided two forward speeds and reverse from a planetary gearset similar to those used in modern automatic transmissions. Forward low and reverse were engaged by holding down foot pedals, and forward high was engaged by pulling a lever mounted on the right side of the body and releasing the foot pedal. There was no accelerator pedal. Instead, the throttle in the simple, single-venturi Schebler updraft carburetor was controlled by a lever on the steering wheel.

A second lever on the steering wheel controlled spark advance, which had to be retarded to start the engine. It was also connected to a cover over a hole on the side of the vehicle below the driver's seat. Electric starters were still four years away, so the car had to be hand-cranked to start, and that was where the crank was inserted. If the spark was not retarded, the cover remained closed, preventing the hand-crank from being inserted -- a novel means of ensuring correct procedure.

Without an electric starter or lighting, the electric system in the 'Model F' was limited solely to the ignition function. Redundant batteries under the seats -- one wet battery as used now, and six dry-cells, provided power. With no on-board generator, the wet battery had to be charged externally, so the dry-cells provided a backup for times when its charge was low. A 'Splitdorf' coil system, mounted in a handsome wooden box on the dashboard, generated the high voltage needed by the spark plugs.

The 'Model F's' chassis was more similar to current trucks than cars, with a separate frame to which the engine, running gear, and body were mounted. Unlike the massive C- or box-sections of modern frames, however, its frame rails were made of angle iron. Solid axles were used, both front and rear, with leaf -springs -- three-quarter elliptic in front, fully-elliptic at the rear. In concept, some of today's trucks are not all that different.

What is different is the drive-shaft connecting the transmission to the drive axles. The 'Model-F' doesn't have one. Instead, it drives the rear axles with a chain.

It didn't have hydraulic brakes either, nor any brakes on the front wheels -- just mechanical expanding-shoe drum brakes on the rear wheels, similar to the parking brake on current cars. The braking shoes were lined with 'camel's hair felt' that could, according to the sales brochure, 'be renewed at very slight expense when necessary.'

Perhaps the greatest difference from current vehicles was the 'Model F's' body. Not only did it not have roll-up windows, it didn't even have doors up front. Nor were a windshield or top standard equipment, although they could be purchased as options. The McLaughlin-Buick's top differed from that of U.S.-built Buicks by being fully lined -- a practice only recently returning to convertible design -- and its optional 'Ideal Glass Front,' with mahogany wood frame and fold-out upper half, was unique to McLaughlin.

Like the buggies from which they evolved, the automobile bodies of that era were made of wood. Although they were produced in volume, they were necessarily the work of craftsmen, and with their vast experience as carriage makers, that is where the McLaughlins excelled. An example of the craftsmanship common at the time can be seen in the hand pin-striping that adorns not only the body but the metal-formed fenders and even the springs.

The McLaughlin-Buick came in only one colour, but it wasn't black. It was a rich burgundy, called simply 'dark wine,' with black fenders and a bright red chassis, including the wheels. Its deeply-tufted leather upholstery matched the burgundy exterior, as did the top liner. On the outside, the top was black. Interior wood surfaces were highly polished, and the floors and running boards were covered with grey matting. Overall, it was anything but dull.

As the forebear of many great McLaughlin-Buick and General Motors vehicles to come, they combined the best of the carriage-builder's craft with the emerging technology of the automobile, at a price that was then quite moderate -- $1,400 without extras, $100 for a top, and $50 for a windshield.