In this engaging presentation, Evan will give an overview of the birth of mechanized power for transportation from steam to the practical development of electric and gasoline motors and engines in boats and cars. He will also discuss why the three were equally popular early on, and what led to the eventual dominance of the internal combustion engine, with a particular focus on the technical developments of power systems and the technologies that dominated the era.

Evan has arranged for the presentation and display of a number of rare artifacts in the Hall of Boats relating to his lecture: examples of motors and engines from the period, as well as a 1911 Rauch & Lang electric car which originally belonged to Briggs Cunningham and is now in the collection of the Audrain Auto Museum, and a privately owned 1901 Panhard Levassor with a Daimler Phoenix engine. Both cars have been exquisitely maintained and are fully operational. These items will be on display for the evening of the lecture only! Lecture attendees will be invited to view the items in the Hall of Boats during a reception with Evan following the talk.

Evan Ide is an automotive historian, author and restorer specializing in automobiles built prior to WWII. He is a Vice President, Senior Specialist with Bonhams Cars auction house and is the founder and principal of Historic Vehicle Services restoration shop. For nearly 20 years Evan has been intimately involved with early automobiles and brings an unusual perspective of being both a historian and a professional restorer. In the early 2000s Evan served as Curator of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum. During this time he published two books and continues to have a strong involvement with Museums internationally. Evan was selected to author a section of “The Stewardship of Historically Significant Automobiles” the first book ever published on the subject of preservation. Evan is a member of the selection committee for the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance.

Evan’s restoration/conservation work primarily focuses on pre WWI and WW2 vehicles. Historic automobiles he has restored and prepared have received ten awards at the Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance including multiple best in Class prizes. The restorations undertaken by HVS are heavily reliant on in-depth research and are typically unique or ultra rare automobiles. 50% of HVS work is preformed on vehicles belonging to museum collections. Evan has been an international adviser to the Louwman Museum in The Hague, NL for more than a decade.

As a historian Evan has lectured frequently including three different presentations at the Royal Automobile Club London, lectures at the Blackhawk Museum, CA, Simeone Foundation PA, University of New Hampshire, Heritage Museum and Gardens, MA, and the Audrain Automobile Museum, RI. Additionally Evan is a frequent contributor to a variety of media including a recurring role on televisions Chasing Classic Cars.

Evan is an avid collector himself with a largely pre-war collection.