The 1916 Owen Magnetic M-25 Chassis was crafted by the R.M. Owen & Company of New York. These unique vehicles were manufactured from 1915 to 1922. Originally produced in New York City in 1915, the manufacturing hub shifted to Cleveland, Ohio, from 1916 to 1919 before finding its final home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where production continued until 1922.
Notable for their groundbreaking use of an electromagnetic transmission, Owen Magnetic automobiles were early adopters of an electric hybrid drivetrain. The vehicles stood out with a generator powered by a six-cylinder engine, utilizing an electromagnetic principle similar to that which propelled the Battleship U.S.S. New Mexico. Distinctively, there is no direct mechanical connection between the gas motor and the drive shaft, setting the Owen Magnetic apart as a technological marvel of its time.
This M-25 chassis, once housed in the Tupelo Automobile Museum, was in need of a complete restoration and is now in running condition.
