Worth Dog Cart

Worth is believed to have produced only fifteen cars, and this is one of the two that are known to still exist.

It is estimated that only fifteen cars of the Worth brand were ever built, and this is one of the two that, as far as is known, still exist. Technically, the car can be called advanced for its time. It is equipped with a patented steel chassis, cardan drive and a spring to absorb shocks in the steering wheel – an early steering damper. Unique is that the valves are operated by the piston via an eccentric shaft. The distinction between chassis and bodywork is clearly visible. At that time, cars were usually delivered as a chassis with engine, after which a coachbuilder (in French, carrossier) would fit a body on it. Judging by the dates of the patents, this Worth probably dates from 1899. The car is in original condition; it had been stored in a barn in Arkansas since the late 1940s and was purchased in 1981 by a car museum in York, Australia. Since 2009, the Worth has been owned by the Louwman Museum. This Worth, built in Chicago, is a forerunner of the highwheelers, cars with high wheels that could traverse the prairie landscape in the western United States. The factory, the Chicago Motor Vehicle Company, was founded by a trio led by William Worth, who gave his name to the car in order to achieve a certain immortality.