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Up for sale is an exceptionally rare, museum-grade piece of early American automotive history. This original period photograph captures Calvin Johnson (the private chauffeur to the prominent Asbury family of Los Angeles) proudly seated at the wheel of a 1908 Rainier Model D Touring Car.Automotive historians will recognize this exact vehicle as a true legend of early West Coast car culture.
After the high-horsepower Rainier suffered a cracked axle casing and was sidelined by its original owners, the Asburys gifted the vehicle to their loyal chauffeur. Johnson personally revived the machine by retrofitting its rear axle with a unit from a Pierce-Arrow. He famously drove this exact modified Rainier from Glendale to San Bernardino to attend the historic second-ever meeting of the Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) at Doc Shafer\'s ranch.
Because this vehicle is widely documented as the only surviving 1908 Rainier Model D in existence today (having recently sold at Bonhams sales to a prominent private collection in the United Kingdom), this photograph represents an irreplaceable piece of its baseline provenance and origin story.
Whether you are a collector of rare pre-WWI transportation photography, an early California history buff, or a Brass Era enthusiast looking for ultimate display provenance, this is an incredibly scarce artifact that rarely surfaces on the open market.
There may only be one of these vehicles that still exists in a private collection.
Creasing to the left side of the photo. Please view the photo for condition
