The 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe: Celebrating 100 Years
Lyric Lott, Assistant Curator
The Rickenbacker Motor Company
The story of this classic car begins with its equally-iconic namesake, Edward “Eddie” Rickenbacker. Born in 1890 in Columbus, Ohio, Rickenbacker gained fame as one of the first professional racecar drivers in the 1910s, winning titles in California, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and New York.
Despite this success, his racing career was cut short by America’s entry into World War I in 1917. Rickenbacker enlisted in the United States infantry and later trained as a fighter pilot in northern France, flying Nieuport 28s and Spad XIIIs. Rickenbacker experienced major success in combat – by the end of World War I, he had shot down 26 enemy aircraft, returning home as the American “Ace of Aces.”
Upon his return to civilian life, Rickenbacker leveraged his fame as a racer and fighter pilot to develop the Rickenbacker Motor Company (RMC). The RMC was the first manufacturer to produce automobiles with four-wheel brakes, a feature they advertised as “indispensable for safe driving.”
But rival car companies like Studebaker quickly latched onto this new feature, developing a smear campaign that argued that four-wheel brakes were dangerous for everyday driving, even claiming that the brake power would throw passengers through the front windshield! Though four-wheel brakes soon became commonplace, the damage had already been done. In 1927, the RMC went bankrupt after only four years in business.
The Rickenbacker 8 Coupe at Heritage
The 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe has been a highlight of the Heritage automobile collection since the museum opened in 1969. Our Rickenbacker still sports the features that set it apart from other early automobiles, including its four-wheel brakes, a fully oil-immersed camshaft, and flywheels at each end of its crankshaft to eliminate vibration, a feature borrowed from the contemporary racecars Rickenbacker drove.
However, it is only recently that visitors have been able to witness these mechanics in action. On February 5th, 2025, Heritage’s dedicated team of auto volunteers succeeded in restarting and driving the Rickenbacker for the first time in 56 years. Now, the Rickenbacker is regularly exercised to keep its engine running smoothly, providing visitors with a chance to see this historic vehicle in motion.
Becoming a “Full Classic:” The Classic Car Club of America
This restarting wasn’t the only birthday gift for the 1925 Rickenbacker! Earlier this year, Heritage’s Auto Collection Manager, Jon Elmendorf, approached the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA), an organization dedicated to the restoration and preservation of distinctive motor cars produced from 1915 to 1948. He petitioned for the 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe to gain the designation of a “Full Classic,” a prestigious honor for historic vehicles. This petition process was long and complex, requiring extensive research by Jon and Heritage’s auto volunteers. In June of this year, the CCCA unanimously granted “Full Classic” status to all 1925-1927 Rickenbacker 8 cylinder models.
The 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe is currently in our visible storage in the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery. Come wish it a happy birthday before we close for the season on October 19th!
