Pic-A-Day (67) Albert Mach Fine Art.
1904 Orient Buckboard
Waltham Mfg. Waltham, MA

From R&M Auctions:

4 bhp, 35.3 cu. in. air-cooled single-cylinder engine, two-speed planetary transmission, front and rear leaf-spring suspension, and cable-operated rear-wheel mechanical brakes. Wheelbase: 80 in.

• Offered from the collection of John Moir
• An enchanting American veteran automobile
• Largely original and well-preserved condition
• Eligible for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

“The cheapest automobile in the world. Everybody should have one.” So read the advertisements for the Orient Buckboard, which was manufactured by the Waltham Manufacturing Company, of Waltham, Massachusetts. The company had been originally organized to build bicycles by Charles Metz, who in 1899 arranged with De Dion-Bouton et Cie to sell their powered tricycles and quadricycles in the United States. He also built some of his own trikes and quads with Aster or de Dion engines.

By 1902, Waltham was building its own engines, and it soon came out with an eight-horsepower runabout that sold for $875. The Buckboard, taking the bicycle’s name of Orient and being developed under the leadership of Leonard Gaylor, featured a remarkably simple steel chassis with no meaningful suspension, a natural wood-finish body and fenders, and wire wheels, which were powered along the road by an air-cooled, single-cylinder engine. It was, indeed, one of the least expensive automobiles available anywhere, and it was the very embodiment of a horseless carriage.

John Moir’s Orient Buckboard was acquired for the collection in the United Kingdom, where it had reportedly participated in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. It has been officially dated as a 1904 by the Veteran Car Club, as noted by the plaque mounted on its floorboard, thus qualifying it for future runs. The wooden bodywork appears original, while the upholstery on the seat was replaced many years ago. The car would respond well to a thorough cleaning, and sorting it for continued road use, given the simplicity of its components, should be a simple effort. It is offered with a copy of an instruction book for the model, as well as an original sales brochure.

This is a charming example from an era in which American automakers were trying every new idea. It is simple, effective, and a lot of fun to own.

This auto sold for $30,250 at Hershey in 2014.

According to Wikipedia:
From 1903-1908, it was the largest selling car in the world and was exported to every continent.
This Waltham Manufacturing Company (WMC) was founded by Waltham businessmen around engineer Charles Herman Metz (1863-1937), who was the 1885 New York State champion on the high wheel bicycle. Metz encouraged two employees to build a steam car of their own in the WMC premises, which led to the Waltham Steam. Metz imported French Aster engines, and secured the US distributorship for De Dion-Bouton engines. Further, he imported this maker's tricycles and quadricycles. Using De Dion-Bouton patents, WMC started building their own Orient Autogo and Orient Autogo Quad in 1899 (see Orient tricycle).
An early investor in WMC, Charles A. Coffin (1844-1926), first president of General Electric, ordered an electric prototype in 1898, which went not in production. Metz' experimented with engines mounted on bicycles. The evolving Orient Aster was one of the very first, U.S. built motorcycles. He was assisted by famed French bicycle racer Albert Champion (1878—1927) who arrived in the U.S. around 1899, becoming one of the first professional motorbike racers. Metz is even claimed to have found the expression "motor cycle" for his new vehicle, first used in a 1899 ad. Further, engines of Metz' design were developed and produced.
WMC's first car was a motor buggy called the Orient Victoriette, followed by two runabouts in 1902 and 1903. About 400 of the earlier model were sold; the younger Orient Runabout No. 9 was not a success with about 50 examples built.
In 1902, Metz left the company, founding Metz Motorcycle Company and C.H. Metz Company in town soon after. Engineer Leonard B. Gaylor succeeded him at WMC. Still in 1902, Gaylor introduced a very light model with friction drive, sold as the Orient Buckboard. It seated 2 passengers and sold for just US$425, making it the lowest-priced automobile available. The vertically mounted air-cooled single-cylinder engine, situated at the rear of the car, produced 4 hp (3 kW). The car had tiller steering, weighed 500 lb (227 kg) and had a 100 mi (161 km) range, though minimal springing and the complete lack of any bodywork made it less than practical for a long journey. In the next years, it was offered in several models (including a diminutive delivery car), got an improved suspension, steering wheel, two chains instead of one belt to transmit the power to the rear wheels, and an optional 8 hp (6 kW) two cylinder engine. It remained in production until 1907.
Plant superintendent John Robbins left in 1904. He was replaced by Leo Melanowski who had apprenticed at Otto Gasmotoren Gesellschaft in Vienna, and then worked for Panhard & Levassor, Clément-Bayard, and Winton (co-working on their Bullett racecars). At WMC, he also had the position of a chief engineer.
More conventional cars came in 1905 with front-mounted, water cooled inline 4-cylinder engines of 16 or 20 hp (12 or 15 kW) and chain drive. They were made until 1908. These powerplants were of own design and consisted of four singles mounted on a common crank. Although of good quality, the cars were too expensive to become a success.
Meantime, Metz formed a joint-venture with the Marsh brothers from Brockton, Massachusetts, effective from 1905. He brought in his Metz Motorcycle Company, and the Marshes their Marsh Motorcycle Company. The new company was located in Brockton and organized as the American Motorcycle Company. Their products were sold as Marsh-Metz or just MM. The other Marsh venture, the less than successful Marsh Motor Carriage Company founded in 1899, was set up with the machines brought to Metz in Waltham, who might have sold them as Walthams. Not many were built, anyway.
Melanowski stayed for less than two years. He left in 1906, to help racecar driver Joe Tracy starting the Dragon Automobile Company in Detroit. After that failed in 1908, he worked for the Aerocar Company which very soon folded, too. His position at WMC took William H. Little, but also only for a short time. William C. Durant hired him as Buick's general manager, and then partnered with him in founding the Little Motor Car Company.
Little developed for WMC a nice small runabout with a 10 hp (8 kW) V-twin engine, and friction drive. Alas, shortly before production started in 1908, WMC got into financial troubles. To avoid bankruptcy, their credit bank negotiated with Charles Metz. In July 1908, the C.H. Metz Company bought WMC, making him the single person with the largest automobile manufacture in the U.S. Reorganisations followed in 1909 and 1910, when the C.H. Metz Co. and WMC together were reorganized as the Metz Company.[1]
The small car that Little left became the Metz Two, sold by a completely new marketing in 14 part deliveries that were put together by the customer himself, who thus got a car for a really unbeatable low price. It worked, and the company was not only out of debt in less than a year but also sold its huge stock of parts.

This was seen at the auction during the AACA 2014 Hershey Fall Meet.