“Fatty’s” custom 1914 Renault type EF

 

 

Photo by the author

 

Comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was one of the biggest stars in the Hollywood during the silent movie era until his disastrous fall from grace in 1921.  Acting as both the director and acting star, “Fatty’s” slapstick comedic short films were hugely successful and he earned over a million dollars a year.  Arbuckle lived a lavish lifestyle which included his ownership of several custom cars including this 1914 Renault, a 1919 Pierce Arrow model 66 and later a 1923 McFarlan originally ordered by fellow actor Wallace Reid.

 

Photo by the author

 

The most striking styling detail of the Renault EF on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum is the characteristic sleek sloping nose. The nose slopes dramatically because the car's radiator is positioned behind the 158 cubic inch four-cylinder side-valve engine.

“Fatty” wanted a sportier look than the right-hand drive four-seater torpedo body. To build his vision, Arbuckle went to the firm run by Los Angeles coachbuilder Jacob W Earl Earl Automotive Works located at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Los Angles Street in Los Angeles. 

 

 

photograph of a Renault EF four seater

torpedo courtesy of Bohams

  

Jacob's son Harley J. Earl later become renowned as the head of design at General Motors. Harley graduated from Hollywood High School in 1911 and enrolled in 1912 at the University of Southern California then  transferred to Stanford University in 1914. Harley at 6 feet 6 inches tall, was active in sports and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity  and finally graduated from Stanford University in 1918. Harley joined his father’s firm as a designer to support himself and his bride.    

According to a 1956 New York Times article, while his father on vacation young Harley took over and his first sale was to “Fatty” Arbuckle –  for the work on this car. Upon his return the elder Earl reportedly was furious when he learned about what his son had been doing, but the profit from the build changed his mind.  Soon after the Renault with the sloping windscreen was completed, it appeared in the 1920 short silent picture The Garage with Arbuckle and Joseph “Buster” Keaton.

The Earl Body Works became a division of the Don Lee empire and later built customs for movie stars and industry executives including the cowboy actor Tom Mix and built Arbuckle a second custom, his Pierce Arrow finished in a vivid purple color which was the car ‘Fatty” drove on his fateful trip to San Francisco for Labor Day weekend 1921.  Following the scandalous death of Virginia Rappe, Arbuckle was arrested and arraigned on the charge of manslaughter on September 17, 1921.

 

After a third trial, he was exonerated, but Arbuckle was financially ruined and due to his inability to find work in Hollywood, Arbuckle lost all the trappings of his success, including the Renault, the Pierce-Arrow and the McFarlan.

The custom Renault is in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, with the Earl custom bodied Pierce-Arrow displayed several years ago at the Petersen while the magnificent McFarlan is part of the permanent Nethercutt collection in Sylmar California.