Henry Leland: The genius of precision

He came into the automotive industry late in his lifetime, but in that short span of years founded two of America’s most storied automotive brands.

A 1922 Lincoln … the brand was renowned as a producer of well-crafted luxury product.

“THERE is a right way and a wrong way to do something. Hunt for the right way and then go ahead.”

That was a favourite saying of Henry Leland, a truly gifted machinist, a mechanical engineer with vision and an obsessive perfectionist. It was a winning combination during the dawning of the American auto industry.

Born in 1843, Leland earned engineering degrees from the Universities of Michigan and Vermont and studied precision machining in the Brown and Sharpe plant at Providence, Rhode Island and Colt, the firearm manufacturer.

During the American Civil War, he worked as a toolmaker in the United States Arsenal. His first forays as an inventor, first with electric barber clippers and then with a unique toy train, the Leland-Detroit Monorail proved financially lucrative.

In 1890 Leland moved to Detroit and established Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company to build marine and stationary engines. The company soon established a reputation for quality, innovation, and precision engineering, and by the turn of the century, was also making engines for automotive application. Counted among the company’s ardent supporters was Ransom E. Olds, who had hired the company to design an engine for the Olds in 1902.

By the dawning of the new century Leland found himself embarking on a new business endeavor as financiers and bankers retained his services to appraise the assets of moribund companies that manufactured automobiles and automotive components. In 1902, he was hired to appraise the assets of the Henry Ford Company and to create a plan for making the company viable. The company namesake, Henry Ford, was incensed and left the business taking several partners with him. Leland seized the opportunity.

A devastating fire at Olds Motor Works had led to termination of his arrangement with that company. It also left him with a single cylinder engine designed for automotive application.

After appraising the company’s assets, he suggested that the investors should reorganize, use the chassis designed by Henry Ford and the engine Leland had designed for Oldsmobile. Hoping to cut their losses, and perhaps even turn a profit, the investors agreed. The new company was named for Cadillac, the French explorer that had established Fort Detroit.

Leland established unprecedented manufacturing principles that soon became industry standards. He and Ransom Olds had used interchangeable components on several vehicles but on the 1907 models of Cadillac, Leland took the concept of uniform parts to an entirely new level. The idea had originated with firearms manufacturing. Eli Whitney had displayed the advantages of interchangeable musket parts at an exhibition before the president of the United States in 1801.

On Saturday, February 29, 1908, three Model Ks were randomly selected from the stock of the Anglo-American Motor-car Company, the British agent for Cadillac automobiles. The three cars were driven 25 miles to the Brooklands racetrack and then completed 10 laps of the track, approximately 30 miles. Under strict supervision the cars were locked away until Monday, March 2, 1908. Then before an audience of reporters, mechanics, engineers, automotive enthusiasts and automobile agents, the cars were displayed and fully disassembled. Each car was reduced to a pile of 721 component parts that were scrambled into one heap. Next Cadillac mechanic E. O. Young began reassembling the cars with the help of his assistant, M. M. Gardner. By Thursday morning, March 12, the third car was completed. The following day they were all driven 500 miles.

On completion of this test, one of the cars was locked away until the start of the 2000-miles reliability trials in June, 1908. That car finished in first place and was awarded the R.A.C. Trophy for its class. Cadillac was deemed the Standard of the World.

In 1910, Leland began working with Charles Kettering to develop an improved electrical system. Two years later Cadillac became the first company to offer an electric starter and lights as standard equipment. But the company had been acquired by William Durant in 1909, and folded into the General Motors combine, and that proved to be a turning point for Leland’s association with Cadillac.

Durant had an abrasive and overbearing personality that had become his trademark. In late 1916, after a heated discussion about Durant’s refusal to accept a government contract for the manufacture of aircraft engines, Leland left the company. In the years that followed, Charles Nash, Walter Chrysler and others would also leave General Motors after disagreements with Durant.

And so, Leland and his son Wilfred formed a company for the manufacture of Liberty Aircraft engines in 1917. It was named for the first president Leland had cast a vote for in 1864, Abraham Lincoln. As testimony to Leland’s reputation he received the government contract to produce 6000 engines without review. But before full production could commence, the Armistice was declared, and the contract voided. This left the Leland’s deeply in debt and with a huge factory as well as a workforce of nearly 6000 men.

And so, the decision was made to shift to automobile manufacturing. Again, Leland’s reputation proved to be a valuable commodity as the initial $6.5 million capital stock offering for Lincoln Motor Company sold in less than three hours. Without a single car being produced, trade journals and automotive journals praised the Lincoln based solely on Leland’s plans for the vehicle.

Leland’s obsession with detail and extensive testing resulted in a near continuous string of delays. As a result, the new Lincoln debuted in September 1920 amid a severe economic recession and nine months after the cars planned release. Mechanically it was a technological masterpiece, powered by a 60 degree V8 engine. Seventy mile per hour speeds were guaranteed. Innovations included circuit breaker electrical system, full pressure lubrication, thermostatically controlled radiator shutters, and a sealed cooling system with condenser tank.  Prices ranged from $4500 for the Town Car to $6000 for the roadster.

The cars mechanical prowess was proven almost immediately. In April 1921, a Lincoln was driven to a first-place finish in race from Los Angeles to Phoenix. The second-place finisher arrived almost an hour later. But technological advancement, performance, and ecstatic press was not enough to overcome the delayed debut and the resultant company debt, the economic recession, the high sales price and dated styling. A mere 674 cars were sold in 1920, and 2800 in 1921.

In November 1921, the company was forced into receivership. As a touch of dark irony, the company was acquired for $8 million dollars by Henry Ford. The Leland’s were retained as consultants, and Edsel Ford was installed as president. It proved to be a short association as the company’s founders left within four months and initiated litigation to force Ford to reimburse original creditors and stockholders.

Leland’s last act was pure class. In 1931, as the ongoing legal battle with Ford continued, he wrote letters to the former stockholders, parts suppliers, and investors, and personally apologized for the fact that Ford had not compensated them as promised. He died in March of 1932.

It was truly the end of an era. Leland’s career had spanned the period between the beginnings of the industrial age to the mass production of automobiles. He had made contributions to manufacturing, to the automobile industry, to barbershops, to children’s toys and to business management. He had launched an automotive empire that would come to symbolize prestige and luxury. Leland’s contributions transformed our world. 

  To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

 

Edel’s grand adventure was no smooth run

It was the ultimate roadie … at a time when there were not always roads.

The adventurers took a a variety of vehicles but, of course, for Edsel there could be but one choice: the Model T

EDSEL Ford’s odyssey in the summer of 1915 might seem as epic as the voyages of Captain James Cook.

What the son of the great Henry Ford and his college buddies H. V. Book, Thomas Whitehead, William Russel, J. H. Caulkins Jr. and Robert Gray Jr. embarked on was a great road trip, right across the heartland of America, from Michigan to California.

This was no easy drive. After all, the first transcontinental trip by automobile had occurred a mere 12 years prior. Many companies, including Studebaker, were still manufacturing horse-drawn vehicles. In Arizona, a state that was only three years old in 1915, stagecoaches were still in use in rural areas. It would be 1936 before there was a single highway that was paved across the entire United States.   

Technically it was a business trip. The Shell Oil Company of California was a partial sponsor and in exchange they were given a promotional boost, especially with limited publication of Souvenir Transcontinental Tour: Detroit to San Francisco June 17, 1915 to July 25, 1915 after the trip. For Ford Motor Company it was also a promotional opportunity. Additionally, Edsel was unofficially tasked with the chore of evaluating Ford agencies along the way.

Cross country trips by automobile were still somewhat of a novelty. Still, Edsel and his buddies were not alone on their trip to the Panama Pacific Exposition in California. Event organisers noted that in 1915 tens of thousands of people arrived from outside the state, some by train but many came by automobile. Even though the exposition was held in San Francisco, many travelers chose to follow a southern route along the National Old Trails Road. Then as now, and in the era of Route 66, this course was the portal to the very best of the great southwest, Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Oak Creek Canyon, Petrified Forest to name but a few attractions.

Edsel and Henry Ford with a V8 in 1934.

As the sons of very wealthy families Edsel Ford and his friends did not lack for funds as evidenced by their vehicles. Edsel had a new Ford outfitted with wire wheels instead of the standard wooden spoke wheels. Book and Gray started the trip in a new eight-cylinder Cadillac. Russel had a new Stutz. They had new camping gear, tools and even traveled with a portable phonograph.

The travel journal entry for Thursday, June 17, 1915, provides a glimpse of travel by automobile in 1915, and the troubles faced by Edsel and his friends. “Encountered some mud in vicinity of Saline. Ford had puncture and blow out on both rear wheels. Roads good but dusty.” The following days troubles included the Stutz running out of gas, and a couple of flat tires on the Ford. The latter led to Edsel’s purchase of hand tire pump, and a pocket lamp that ran off the magneto for night work.

On the 19th, the group managed to travel a mere 85 miles. The Stutz required roadside repair after dirt clogged the vacuum pump. The Ford became mired in the mud just 18 miles after departure, and when it would not budge with use of the block and tackle, a farmer with team was hired. Then the Ford skidded on wet pavement and broke spokes in a rear wheel.   

Even though the entries are concise, Edsel’s travel journal provides fascinating insight into the times; real world reports on the durability of certain automobile brands, on travel, on people adapting to changing times, and on a world in a rapid state of transition. “Wigwam Ranch, Colorado, Thursday July 1 – Took one hour to go four miles up long steep hill. Had to remove all superfluous weight from car such as cushions, tent, baggage, and tools. Had to carry items up by hand.”

“Williams, Arizona, Thursday July 15 – All got supplies at garage. Talked to Ford agent. Bought some gas and oranges at Seligman. Stutz broke another spring about 15 miles out and returned to Seligman. Very rough and dusty roads. Wired Los Angeles for axle parts. Day’s run 146 miles.”

“Needles, California, Saturday July 17 – Started west at 6:15 P.M. in procession of eight cars – a Jeffrey, two Fords, two Chalmers, two Stutz and a Cadillac. Thirty miles out Chalmers broke a spring. Roads in desert were fair. Stopped for midnight lunch. Played phonograph, fixed a tire. Stopped at Ludlow for gas.”

Judging by Edsel’s trip the Ford was far better suited for the grueling road conditions than the Stutz, but not as well as the Cadillac. The Stutz was plagued with a litany of problems large and small. There is no mention of issues with the Cadillac aside from tires. The Ford suffered a series of mechanical failures, not surprisingly. Some were serious but the ease of repair hints at the reasons for the popularity of the legendary Model T.   

“Dodge City, Kansas, Saturday June 26 – Had excellent lunch in Syracuse. Afterwards went to examine peculiar noise in transmission; found universal joint housing broken. Bought new one at Ford agent and installed it at the café.” “Camp near St. John, Arizona, Friday July 9 – Took car to garage in Holbrook. Had rods tightened and rear axle examined. Found chewed up ring gear and pinion. Back on the road by 1:00 P.M.” “Flagstaff, Arizona, Saturday July 10 – Found friends with Stutz at hotel. Had left them in Albuquerque as Stutz had to be shipped by rail.” 

Edsel and his friends had a grand adventure. I am confident that they talked of it often in the years that followed. Surely the trip also provided Edsel with valuable insight into the shortcomings of the Ford, and how it could be improved. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide him with the ability to buck his famous father, and so cars such as the six cylinder Ford designed by Edsel in the late teens was stillborn.

Automotive travel journals and guidebooks, as well as newspaper and magazine features written in the first decades of the 20th century are more than mere time capsules. They are fascinating windows into a world in a dramatic state of transition and a glimpse at how our now revered vintage cars were driven when still new. If you have interest in these wonderful stories, I have two great books to recommend.

The first is Motoring West: Automobile Pioneers 1900 – 1909. This book is a compilation of articles, travel journals and factory sponsored features that together present a multifaceted picture of automobile travel in the American west in an era when roads were little more than trails.

The second book was a best seller when first published in 1916. Now being reprinted, By Motor To The Golden Gate by Emily Post is an illustrated chronicle of the odyssey that she made by automobile from coast to coast.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

Going with … and against … the flow

Carl Breer and fellow Chrysler engineers initiated a series of wind tunnel tests, in cooperation with Orville Wright – yes, THE Orville Wright one - to study efficient shapes for automotive bodies.

TESLA’S Cybertruck is the latest manifestation of Elon Musk’s eccentric genius and  sense of vision.

There is, however, a question. Is a vehicle described by one leading magazine as looking as if were “dropped off by an alien race” a glimpse of the future or was it just a manifestation of eccentricity that with the passing of time will be relegated to historical curiosity?

In 1934, during the depths of the Great Depression, a vehicle that was just as futuristic made its debut and the reviews were even less favorable. And it was also a manifestation of the future as seen through the eyes of a visionary, Walter P. Chrysler.

Carl Breer, along with fellow Chrysler engineers Fred Zeder and Owen Skelton, initiated a series of wind tunnel tests, in cooperation with Orville Wright, to study efficient shapes for automotive bodies. Chrysler had built the wind tunnel at the Highland Park site, an industry first, and tested at least 50 scale models by April 1930. Engineers were not surprised to learn that the industry standard two-box design was aerodynamically inefficient. In fact, they learned that most automobiles were more efficient when turned around backwards.

The engineers also studied numerous models produced by other companies and learned that in most of these vehicles 65 percent of the weight was over the rear wheels. When loaded with passengers, the weight distribution tended to become further imbalanced, rising to 75 percent or more over the rear wheels, resulting in unsafe handling characteristics on slippery roads. 

To compensate and create a smoother ride, spring rates were higher in the rear. However, this had a mixed outcome; the weight distribution and seat position subjected rear passengers to a harsher ride on anything but glass smooth highways, a rarity at the time.

Innovative weight distribution on the new Chrysler Airflow provided the car with superior handling dynamics. The engine was moved forward over the front wheels, another innovation, and the rear passenger seating was moved so they were seated in front of instead of over the rear axle. As a result, the weight distribution had approximately 54 percent of the weight over the front wheels, which evened to near 50–50 with front and rear passengers. 

As with the Edsel introduced in late 1957, Chrysler launched an extensive promotional and marketing campaign before the public was even given a glimpse of the Airflow. Since this was the first new model of a production car that was designed with engineering focused on aerodynamics, the company launched a publicity stunt in which they reversed the axles and steering gear of a conventional 1933 model.

This allowed the car to be driven “backwards” throughout Detroit. The stunt captured the public’s attention. Related advertising campaigns including print, automotive feature articles and even short films to be shown in theatres called attention to the fact that most cars were more streamlined in the rear than the front. Promotion also hinted that soon Chrysler would introduce the car of the future, a vehicle that would transform the driving experience.

Styling for the Chrysler and DeSoto Airflow was heavily influenced by the then popular streamlining and Art Deco movements that was influencing everything from hotel construction to home radio design, logos, and kitchen appliances.

Apart from costly custom models and special orders from companies such as Duesenberg, Hudson and Packard, and the Czechoslovakian Tatra, there wasn’t a car on the road that compared with the Airflow. 

It was sleek and low, the grille presented a smooth, rounded waterfall look, and headlights were built into the fenders rather than in the conventional design of pods on stanchions or on a bar that crossed in front of the radiator. In the rear, Airflow models encased the rear wheels using fender skirts adorned with sedate but noticeable chrome accents.

Instead of the industry standard of a flat panel of glass windshield, on the Airflow two sheets of glass were used in a deeply racked “vee.”  All windows used the recently introduced laminated multilayer safety glass. And as with the Cybertruck, in a vehicle debut a professional baseball player pitched a ball into a side glass with dramatic results. While most companies were still using a metal attached to wood framing construction method, the Airflow was built entirely of steel which provided superb structural integrity. Except for the Essex Terraplane, the Airflow also possessed a better power to weight ratio almost every car in production. 

Again, just as with the Edsel, the initial models introduced in January, 1934, were plagued with an array of problems, many were resultant of the rush to production and others came about because of the significant manufacturing challenges required to mass produce such a futuristic car. The first Airflows to leave the factory had major defects such as engines that broke loose from their mounts at 80 mph. These problems as well as the resultant bad press, and the unconventional styling kept customers away in droves. Only 6212 units had been produced by May of 1934.

Publicity stunts, including rolling a car off a high embankment and driving the car away when it hit bottom, and having Pawnee Bill shoot out a tire at high speed, expensive marketing campaigns, refinements, and positive reviews were of little avail. The Airflow sold poorly, and in 1937 the company discontinued the model. As an interesting historic footnote many attributes of the Airflow would be incorporated in other models and influence automotive design and engineering for decades to come.

Today the Airflow provides a glimpse of the future as seen from 1934. And for the savvy collector that wants a vintage car that can be driven as a modern car, the Airflow is the best of both worlds.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

Remembering the pioneers

Some found fame, many did not – but all left an imprint

THERE were motorised bicycles and vehicles with four, six and even eight wheels. They were powered by steam, gasoline, kerosene, electricity … even oversized clock springs and compressed air.

They began as a manifestation of eccentricity and scientific curiosity but soon morphed into side show curiosity and promotional gimmick.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the automobile was a multimillion-dollar industry.

Names became brands. Streetscapes were transformed with gas stations, garages, electric vehicle charging stations, billboards, and dealerships. Society was transformed. The world of transportation was transformed. Our lexicon was transformed with the addition of words like motel. Generational businesses were decimated. Time honored careers were transformed into historic footnotes.

In 1872 Studebaker based in South Bend, Indiana was billed as the largest manufacturer of wheeled vehicles in the world; wheelbarrows, freight wagons, prams, carriages, surreys, ambulances, buckboards. In 1897 the company built the first of several prototype horseless carriages, and in 1902 their first production models, an electric designed by Thomas Edison, rolled from the factory. The company continued producing horse drawn vehicles until 1920 albeit in ever smaller numbers as the company evolved into one of the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the United States.

In 1889, Elmer Apperson and his brother Edgar opened the Riverside Machine Works on Main Street in Kokomo, Indiana. As the brothers were talented machinists and blacksmiths, they prospered and development a reputation for quality workmanship. This was the reason that an eccentric Kokomo businessman named Elwood Haynes retained their services to install a Stintz marine gasoline engine in a carriage. That horseless carriage took to the street on the Fourth of July 1894. From these humble beginnings the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company was launched. Even though it is largely unknown today, the company continued producing automobiles until 1926, and pioneered an array of developments.

Clinton Woods lacked the business savvy needed to attract investors or successfully form a corporation. But he was a visionary obsessed with a simple idea; the horseless carriage was the future and the future of horseless carriages was electric vehicles. In 1899 financier Samuel Insull and several board members of Standard Oil purchased Woods designs and patents, and with an astounding $10 million in capital stock launched the Woods Motor Vehicle Company.

The company immediately began producing an electric Hansom Cab that sold well in New York and other cities. In 1900 they began producing a Victoria that was displayed at Chicago’s first auto show. It was here that the manager of the Honolulu Iron Works saw a Woods, placed an order, and imported the first automobile into Hawaii.  

The company enjoyed moderate success even though the electric vehicle was being quickly eclipsed by gasoline powered vehicles. But the companies crowning achievement was the Woods Dual Power introduced in the summer of 1916. The car used a Woods designed four-cylinder engine as an auxiliary to the electric motor. At speeds under 15 miles per hour, the gasoline engine idled and the car was driven by the electric motor. Faster speeds were obtained by using the gasoline engine with the electric motor as an auxiliary. The Woods Dual Power was a hybrid!  

Alexander Winton established the Winton Bicycle Company in 1891, and five years later took his first experimental horseless carriage for a spin. On March 1, 1897, he organized he Winton Motor Carriage Company, and to promote his new vehicle, proceeded to drive from Cleveland, Ohio to New York City. By 1899, with the production of 100 vehicles, he became the largest manufacturer of horseless carriages in America. That was also the year he turned away a young mechanic as he was turned off by his ego and launched a rivalry that would last for years. That mechanic was Henry Ford.

Winton played a pivotal role in the launching of one of America’s most famous automobile manufacturers. In 1898 car number twelve was sold to James Ward Packard who proved to be a very dissatisfied customer. During the drive from Cleveland to his home in Warren, Ohio, his new machine broke down numerous times and was eventually towed by a team of horses. Packard confronted Winton and made several suggestions for improvements. Winton was heard to say, “Mr. Packard, if you are so smart, why don’t you make a car yourself.” And so, Mr. Packard launched the Packard Automobile Company in 1899.

The establishment of automobile companies in the first years of the 20th century was a tsunami. But the market was very finite. This and a major economic recession in 1907 decimated the industry. An increased demand for vehicles, advancements in production and a growing middle class fueled another gold rush in the industry before WWII.

The post war recession and the growing dominance of major manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Hudson, Nash, Studebaker, and Packard forced many companies to close or merge. And then came the Great Depression, and the industry that was birthed with such promise for the independent thinker was forever transformed.

Before the launching of Tesla by Elon Musk, only one man was able to successfully launch an American automobile manufacturing company after 1925 – Walter Chrysler.

  To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

Essex – all about affordability

Originally for budget-minded buyers, designed to compete with Ford and Chevrolet, Essex found great success. This story continues from last week’s ‘Roscoe Jackson – consumed by ambition.’

THE introduction of Essex in 1919 as a separate company that was in essence a lower priced companion model to Hudson left American Motors sited.

Primarily, it was in excellent position to garner a larger share of the market as the economy recovered from the post war slump.

Though priced $US900 more than a Ford, the Essex sold briskly. Further fueling sales was the introduction of a closed sedan with a price of just $US1495. No other manufacturer was offering a closed car at this price.

Essex dealers were encouraged by Hudson to capitalize on the growing reputation for speed and endurance, the unique F head engine, and the familial association with Hudson.

Some ambitious dealers were so inspired by this message they staged speed and endurance tests in demonstrator models with customers on board!

For the abbreviated model year 21,879 cars were sold in 1919. With minor changes to styling, and slight improvements mechanically the Essex remained relatively unchanged until 1924 when the then legendary F-head four-cylinder engine was replaced with an all new L-head six-cylinder.

The Hudson built engine offered features unheard of in a mid-price automobile. Deeper oil trough to improve lubrication for the rear main bearing on steep grades. A fully balanced three bearing crankshaft. Aluminum pistons. Roller valve lifters. Automatic spark advance. A cast enbloc intake manifold. The styling was also all new.

It proved to be a winning combination as 74,523 vehicles were shipped to dealers in 1924. Meanwhile, the parent company, Hudson, was positioning itself for a mid-decade surge with all new models and the introduction of technologically advanced features.

In mid-June 1923, for the 1924 model year. Hudson a fully restyled car with an array of mechanical improvements from engine to suspension. More than 59,000 models sold. The stage was set for Hudson to become a dominant manufacturer.

For calendar year 1925, 269,474 Hudson and Essex automobiles rolled from the factory. This placed Hudson Motor Company in a solid third place position behind Chevrolet and Ford. But this was only the beginning.

With profits exceeding $14.5 million the company initiated aggressive expansion. An all new $3 million body plant was built. An additional $7 million was spent to modernize and expand production, improve the engine casting facility, and develop a training program for dealers and their mechanics. The line between Hudson and Essex was blurred in 1927, but the Essex continued to outsell its parent.

The year 1929 was pivotal for the company and for the world. The boom times of the 1920s were largely fueled by expansive corporate loans and the introduction of consumer financing programs such GMAC.

Still, in rural areas, the post war collapse in agricultural prices had devastated local economies and for most of the decade small town banks failures were a common event. The decline in agricultural prices also resulted in a marked decline in exports to countries such as Australia where wool prices had plummeted.

Through the closing years of the 1920s, Hudson continued to dominate motorsports. And this translated to sales. For 1929 the company set a new sales record with more than 300,00 Essex and Hudson units produced. This as also the year the company dropped the time honored Super Six and began promoting new models as the Greater Hudson.

Marketing touted 64 improvements as well as a long list of new standard options including electric gas and oil gauge, windshield wiper, electrolock anti-theft device.

Essex mirrored Hudson for 1929. Distributors were encouraged to stage well publicised demonstrations that highlighted braking and acceleration. With an improved engine, lower rear axle ratios and all new carburetion, the Essex was also promoted its fuel economy, 20.35 miles per US gallon. All of this marketing was enhanced with the setting of records and entry into racing as well as hill climbing events.

The stock market crash in October of 1929 heralded the dawn of a deteriorating economic climate. It would be two years before the full impact of the decline was made manifest.

In the meantime, Hudson introduced an all new line of vehicles for 1930 that had been on the drawing board since 1927, this included the stunning Model T and Model U powered by an all new in-line eight-cylinder engine. Even though Essex was not given such dramatic improvements, there were enough changes to the body as well as mechanics to warrant promotion of an all new model.

But the economic downturn, magnified by the growing environmental catastrophe that was a significant drought leading to the Dust Bowl and massive displacement of people in central farming states, was decimating sales throughout the industry.

For calendar year 1931, only 40,338 Essex automobiles rolled from the factory. Hudson fared even worse with only 17487 vehicles shipped to dealers.

But as bad it was for this company; Hudson was in a better position than many manufacturers. Studebaker, production, of all lines, was a mere 44,218 models. Ford, in 1929, produced 1,507,132 passenger cars. In 1931 production plummeted to 541,615 vehicles.

Unlike a number of manufacturers Hudson would survive the ravages of the Great Depression. They would continue to be an industry leader with innovation, and they would continue setting records for speed. They would even enjoy a short post WWII renaissance. But the company would never eclipse the sales successes of 1929.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

A hallmark for low price, good quality

The Hudson Motor Car Company was the brainchild of four talented young engineers.

THEY stopped making cars in 1957, yet the make remains a legend, with a significant enduring fanbase.

For decades, their cars set speed records, featured advanced engineering, and provided customers with stylish durable transportation.

The brand enjoyed an enviable brand loyalty that proved crucial for survival during the Great Depression.

And for a new generation, this marque has been forever linked to Route 66 as result of achieving a starring roll the animated Cars movies.

It is, of course, Hudson.

Fortuitously the company was named for the primary investor, Joseph L. Hudson, owner of the largest department store in Detroit.

The Hudson Motor Car Company was the brainchild of Roscoe Jackson, Roy Chapin, Howard Coffin and George Dunham, talented young engineers that had launched their automotive careers at Olds. Dunham and Coffin further perfected their skills at companies such as Thomas-Detroit and Chalmers Detroit. Their goal was an ambitious one, build a durable and stylish automobile that could be sold for under $US1000.

Launched in 1909 against an ever-rising tide of automobile manufacturers, including Ford Motor Company that had recently introduced the Model T, Hudson Motor Car Company stunned the industry with its immediate success.

The Model Twenty was an instant hit with the consumer. Available only as a roadster the 20-hp, four-cylinder cars were marketed with a 50mph guarantee and a $900 price tag. The price included headlamps, dual side lamps, generator, three speed transmission, tool set and horn. They were available in but one-color scheme, dark maroon with black striping, black fenders, and the interior was dark blue leather. The options list included Bosch magneto, windshield, rumble seat and twenty-five-gallon fuel tank.

In 1910 4508 vehicles were produced. This was a new first year record for an automobile manufacturer. Production in 1911 increased to 6486 vehicles, and Hudson found itself in an enviable position, they had outgrown their production facilities within two years.

A new facility was built on a 22-acre parcel at Jefferson Avenue and Conner Avenue in Detroit diagonally across from the Chalmers Automobile Company factory and sales continued to climb.

Management was not content to rest on its laurels and in 1911 the Howard Coffin designed Model 33 was introduced. Buda was replaced by Continental who manufactured the revolutionary engine with balanced crankshaft to Hudson specifications.

The signature clutch with cork face in an oil filled unit that would be a Hudson standard for decades was introduced in the Model 33. The following year the company continued offering this model with limited mechanical changes, but the big news was that it was now available in seven body styles including the Mile A Minute Roadster.

The company had moved far beyond its original plan of offering cars for a $1000 price. For 1912 the most reasonable model was the three door Torpedo with a list price of $1600.

Then, in 1913, with introduction of the four-cylinder Model 37 and six-cylinder Model 54, the company was able to expand the list of available body types and offer a vehicle in the mid-price range or the luxury market. The base Model 37 coupe had a factory list price of $1400. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Model 54 seven passenger limousine priced at $3750.

For 1914 the company began promoting themselves as the largest manufacturer of six-cylinder automobiles in the world, and discontinued production of four-cylinder models.

But the big news came in 1916 with the introduction of the astounding Series H Super Six with the first Hudson built engine, a car that would transform the company and the automobile industry. Even though it continued to be refined and improved, the Super Six would remain the company’s foundation into the early 1950s.

After a series of impressive wins on various tracks, the eagerly anticipated car drew immediate attention for its styling as well as mechanical prowess when it was officially introduced in January 1916 at the New York Auto Show. For the remainder of the year the company fueled media attention with an array a record setting races, and endurance runs.

One of the most astounding was a transcontinental drive from New York to San Francisco in five days, three hours and 31 minutes. Then (after an eight-hour break) the team returned to New York in just over six days. Incredibly, aside from issues with tires, both trips were completed without mechanical failure.

Before the end of the year drivers behind the wheel of a Hudson Super Six had shattered numerous records including the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the stock chassis 24-hour record with an average speed of 74.9mph. This record stood until 1931 when it was eclipsed by a V16 powered Marmon.

Record setting wins translated into sales and fierce brand loyalty. Sales remained steady through the WWI years, and only dipped slightly during the post war recession. Exemplifying the durability and racing prowess of the Hudson was the 1919 Indianapolis 500. Ira Vail rolled across the line in eighth place with an average speed of 94.1mph. Denny Hickey finished with an average speed of 80.22mph. Ora Haibe started in 26th place and finished in 14th but the most astounding fact was that each of these contenders was driving a used Hudson. The newest one was a 1917 model.

As the price for a Hudson had continued to climb the company introduced the Essex as a lower priced companion car in 1919. The Essex had a sales price $700 less than the base model Hudson. Even though it was a bare bones vehicle that lacked some of the amenities Hudson owners had come to expect the car was a proven performer.

Under strict AAA supervision a stock 55-horsepower, four-cylinder Essex was tested at the Cincinnati Speedway in December 1919. In 50 hours, the car was driven 3037.4 miles for an average speed of 60.75mph.

In 1920 a brilliant promotional initiative was launched. The drivers and relief drivers of four Essex cars were sworn in as US post Office letter carriers. Then a bag of mail was loaded in each car, two on the west coast and two on the east coast. The average time for completion of the coast to coast run was an astonishing four days, twenty-one hours, and thirty-two minutes. Not surprising is the fact that by the beginning of 1921 the Essex was outselling its parent.  

But this was just the beginning.

Part two next week.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

From horses to horsepower

After the horse fell out of vogue, carriage-makers had to adapt – and fast. Some did well.

 THE dawning of the automotive age was the death knell for countless carriage building companies. And yet the infancy of the American auto industry was also an era of unbridled opportunity for the owners of carriage manufacturing concerns - if they had vision.

Counted among the companies that successfully made the transition from horse drawn to horsepower was an outfit based in South Bend, Indiana: Studebaker. The company’s origins were as a simple blacksmith shop. Then came the manufacture of wheelbarrows in the California gold fields. By the mid-1880s this was one of the largest producers of wheeled vehicles in the world, prams, freight wagons, surreys, coaches, gun carriages, and ambulances. At the dawning of the 20th century the company took a tentative step toward automobile manufacturing with the production of electric car designed by Thomas Edison. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jacob J. Deal established a blacksmith and wagon repair shop in Jonesville, Michigan in 1858. In 1865, with a workforce of twelve men, he initiated the manufacture of wagons, buggies, and sleighs. By 1890, as one of the largest manufacturers in the upper Midwest, the company was turning out hundreds of carts, freight wagons, surreys, carriages and sleighs each year. For the company’s owners the automobile the automobile represented new opportunity and by the early 1900s Deal was a major supplier of commercial van bodies for fledgling automobile manufacturers in nearby Jackson and Hillsdale.

By 1908 even a company as successful as Deal could no longer ignore the increasing dominance of the automobile. And so, the company was reorganized and diversified to include automobile manufacturing. By all accounts, the automobile was as quality a product as the carriages and wagons that rolled from the factory. Still, it proved to be a short-lived endeavor and the company abandoned automobile production, returned to the manufacture of wagons, and then quietly closed its doors in 1915.

The McFarlan Wagon Manufacturing Company of Connersville, Indiana was established in 1856. As with Deal, the company prospered, expanded, and by the late 19th century was a leading manufacturing of horse drawn transportation. But unlike Deal, McFarlan successfully made the transition from wagon manufacturer to the manufacturer of luxurious automobiles that became an industry standard.

A key to the company’s transition was the vision displayed by the owners in 1886 when they established a modern industrial park. The McFarlan park provided immediate access to the railroad and cheap energy as McFarlan also owned a natural gas company. By leasing property to manufacturers and suppliers of carriage and buggy equipment, and furniture companies, McFarlan was able to lower their production costs. In the early 20th century the park would be dominated by the manufacturers of automotive components, and this too would work in McFarlan’s favor.

In June 1909, there was a simple, short announcement in a trade journal, “The McFarlan Carriage Company of Connersville, Indiana has announced that they will soon begin manufacturing a motor buggy.” The company was embracing the future but with the crippling mindset of the 19th century. Just as Henry Ford was on the cusp on launching mass production to lower the cost of each vehicle, the McFarlan business model centered on manufacturing two hundred vehicles per year for the “discriminating buyer.” As a result, the company began pricing themselves out of the market almost from the beginning. The first models had a factory list price of $US2000 (a Ford was $850) but by 1918 prices were surpassing $5000.

The first McFarlan’s rolled from the factory in late 1909 and were immediately track tested at the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the first race, they claimed third and fifth place, and in the second race, fourth and fifth. Surprisingly, even though the car continued to earn recognition through racing, the decision was made to focus exclusively on the production of luxury cars, and in 1913 wagon manufacturing was abandoned.    

During the teens the three “P” s – Packard, Pierce Arrow and Peerless – dominated the luxury car market, but McFarlan was in a league all its own. Before the company closed its doors in 1928, the company had established a reputation for the limited production of huge luxury cars with ostentatious body work that appealed to movie star, gangsters, and oil men. The list of owners included boxer Jack Dempsey and Virginia governor E. Lee Trinkle. Al Capone bought a McFarlan for his wife, Mae, in 1924 and bought a second one in 1926 for his use.

As an example of the companies over the top luxury appointments, in 1922 a special model was built for display at the Chicago Automobile Show. Standard models made extensive use of nickel plating. On the display car this was replaced with 24 carat gold! It was purchased by a wealthy Oklahoma oil tycoon as a gift for his wife for the princely sum of $25,000. 

Initially the company used engines produced by a variety of companies including Buda, Continental, and Brownell. For the line of commercial cars developed in 1920, the company would continue its association with Continental but in the cars built for the discriminating buyer the engines were produced by McFarlan. This included the monstrous 573-c.i.d Twin Valve Six with triple ignition and three sparkplugs per cylinder that was rated at 120-horsepower. Quirky options, often trouble prone, were also a part of the cars appeal. These included vacuum assist starting, heated steering wheel, and front and rear heating, and self-lubricating chassis.

By 1922, the company’s best year with production of 235 vehicles, the proverbial handwriting was on the wall. The company was in dire financial condition. The post war recession had crippled a number of auto manufacturers and a company such as McFarlan was in no position to compete. They were still using the antiquated T head engine, and their prices now ranged from $6,300 to $9,000.

With no money for restyling the company soldiered own in a valiant attempt to remain solvent. By contracting with Lycoming, the cars were updated mechanically but the styling was increasingly dated and ever more luxurious interiors, and gadgets, were not enough to maintain even mediocre sales. Then in 1924, Harry McFarlan fell ill and turned over management of the company to Burton Barrows. The final blows came in 1928. Both McFarlan and Barrows died within weeks of each other. And this was shortly after the company was forced into receivership.

The final chapter in the McFarlan story was written by E.L. Cord, the swashbuckling entrepreneur behind the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg empire. In 1926 Cord began building his automotive empire by trading Auburn stock for a controlling interest in Duesenberg. The following year he gained control of the Lycoming Engine Company of Pennsylvania and bought major auto plants in the McFarlan industrial park, the Lexington Automobile Company and the Ansted Engine Works. Then in 1928 he acquired the Central Manufacturing Company followed a few months later by the acquisition of McFarland. He then consolidated the factories and transformed 82 acres of the park into a manufacturing complex for Auburn.

By 1930 McFarlan was on the fast track to becoming an historic footnote. With no resale value as a used car, McFarlan’s were relegated to the back of car lots, to salvage yards and were converted to trucks. Survivors were consumed by the scrap drives during WWII. Today only nineteen cars are known to exist, and they seldom change hands. Each is a tangible link to a bygone era, a time when an automobile company could cater almost exclusively to the rich and famous and turn a profit.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

Big dreams, crashing realities

The car he designed at age 17 was a flop “that never did run.” C W Kelsey soon found the fast last for another talent – in advertising and marketing.

 “Whether you need to break up a lawn or prepare a garden patch for sowing, Husqvarna has a tiller for you.”

The advertisement went on to say: “Our range comprises two different models - rear-tine and front-tine. The rear-tine models are designed for use on densely packed earth and lawns. The front-tine tillers are suitable for smaller landscaping work, such as preparing flowerbeds and garden patches.”

Throughout the world, for those with home gardens, the power garden tiller has become a tool as important as a shovel, rake, or hoe.

Few people, however, know that the man credited for transforming the powered tiller from cumbersome, heavy workhorse to home gardening mainstay has also been credited with the initial success of Maxwell, development of the filmed automobile commercial and the pioneering of corporate financing programme such as GMAC (General Motors Acceptance Corporation).    

His name was not easily forgotten but for obvious reasons Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey used C.W. and preferred that he be called Carl. In an interview given in 1920, he reflected on the first automobile that he had built in 1897 at age 17.

“It was a 100 percent flop that never did run.” Completed the following year with assistance from a classmate at Haverford College, his Autotri, a three wheeled vehicle powered by a one-cylinder engine provided transportation for the duo until it was sold a few months after they put it on the street. The third endeavor had four wheels and two cylinders, was also a success, and was sold before it was completed.

After graduation he put aside tinkering and focused on making a living. But automobiles were in his blood and so he acquired a garage in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, his hometown, and began selling vehicles manufactured by Autocar. This endeavour enabled Kelsey to develop his greatest gift – sales and marketing. Within a year he was a leading automobile dealer in the area, had relocated to nearby Germantown and established a larger facility, and acquired the Locomobile franchise to accompany Autocar. Then he discovered Maxwell.

After purchasing a Maxwell and giving it a thorough real-world test, he sent a letter to the Maxwell-Briscoe headquarters in Tarrytown, New York and boldly requested exclusive rights to selling the company’s cars in Philadelphia. After a brief investigation, Benjamin Briscoe himself responded and offered the agency for $US5000. Kelsey paid the sum in cash, acquired a larger facility on Broad Street and built a stylish dealership with gas station.  

He quickly honed a natural skill of stunting for sales and harnessed new technologies for promotion. After contracting Lubin Film Studios, a pioneer cinematography company that specialized in producing films for nickelodeon’s, he hired drivers to pilot Maxwell’s up the steepest stairs at the poshest locations in the city as cameras rolled. The he launched a 1,000 mile, nonstop, drive up and down Broad Street in a car adorned with signage promoting his dealership. The films, the headlines, the stunts and even the occasional arrest of his drivers fueled sales at an exponential rate.

It would have been impossible for Benjamin Briscoe and Jonathan Maxwell to overlook Kelsey’s success. After all, his Philadelphia agency was selling more Maxwell’s than all the dealers in the United States combined! At age 25 in 1905, Kelsey was made sales manager for the Maxwell-Briscoe company, and given free reign with development of marketing. The Maxwell was a well-built automobile, and sales growth had been steady but now they soared. Soon cars were selling as fast as the company could produce them, and then, even with construction of a new factory that allowed for expanded production, the orders were pouring into the company faster than they could be produced.      

As Kelsey worked to coordinate the expansion of the dealer network, develop nationwide advertising and marketing campaigns, and establish the industry’s first nationally trained sales force, sales doubled in each successive year. And he also continued developing new stunts for sales techniques; 10,000 miles driven in 30 days on the streets of Boston, cars entered in the prestigious Glidden and Deming Tours, and a Mount Washington Hill Climb. And then in 1909, he launched his most ambitious stunt to date and the result was international headlines, a cross country trip made by Alice Huyler Ramsey. She was given a new car for her efforts, and the one that carried her across the country was sent on a nationwide tour to be displayed at dealerships.  

One can only speculate on the success of Maxwell if the company had stayed the course. But Benjamin Briscoe was dreaming big. His first attempt at creating a massive conglomerate of companies was still born but the concept had been brought to fruition by William Durant under the General Motors banner. Briscoe’s second attempt would be as a GM competitor and Maxwell-Briscoe would be the foundation. Kelsey openly voiced strong opposition to the creation of United States Motor Company, resigned form his position, and set out to develop a car of his own design.

Shortly before departing Maxwell, Kelsey had presented plans for an all new vehicle, but they were soundly rejected. This would survive as the foundation for what he envisioned as an all new automobile manufacturing company. He built a prototype and displayed it under the Spartan name as he solicited investors. As it turned out this would be the only car produced. The project had been made relevant by Henry Ford that was expanding production and cutting the sales price for his Model T.

In a daring display of bravado, Kelsey decided that the key to success was to build a vehicle that could be sold for a lower price than the Model T. He was going to take on Ford in a head to head battle with a revolutionary vehicle of his design named the Motorette that had a sales price of just $385, almost half the price of a Model T. 

There was nothing like the Motorette on the road. It had three wheels, two in the front and one in the rear. To keep the rear wheel at right angles to the road surface, he designed the first anti-sway bar. The diminutive car had a 74-inch wheelbase, a 56 ¾ inch front tread and weighed a mere 900 pounds. The engine that propelled power to the rear wheel via chain drive was a two-cylinder, ten horsepower wonder designed by Kelsey. A forged I-beam drop axle at the front and pressed steel frame ensured rugged durability. The two-speed transmission mimicked that used in Buick. The car used thermosyphon cooling and a tubular radiator mounted behind the body.    

Kelsey created a stylish display for the cars debut at the Grand Central Palace’s 1910 New Year’s Eve party in Manhattan. Surprisingly, the car attracted the attention of the wealthy as well as the working man. More importantly it attracted newspaper men. With receipt of fifty orders, with cash deposits, Kelsey considered the cars introduction a success.   

He had organized the C.W. Kelsey Manufacturing Company in New York, and established production facilities in Hartford, Connecticut. Production commenced immediately to fill orders, and simultaneously, a marketing campaign was launched with signature Kelsey touch. The focal point of his wild stunts was to assure the public that the revolutionary three-point suspension system assured a smooth ride, that the vehicle was stable, and that it was durable. To accomplish all of this in one masterful stroke, Kelsey orchestrated the sale of 75 units to the United States government for rural mail delivery.

In a publicity stunt with full media coverage, Kelsey had a Motorette tow a 5,700-pound Alco truck through the streets of Philadelphia. He pressed cars into service during a blizzard to deliver local newspapers. In another highly publicized stunt, he sent two drivers on a coast to coast run with only one incident, three days in the jail at Ludlow, California for driving on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad bed across the Mojave Desert.

Aside from durability, promotional materials focused heavily on the low sales price and the cost of operation as well as maintenance. “The Motorette sports two heavy duty motorcycle tires in front, and an automobile tire for the drive wheel. A whole set can be purchased for $47.50 American gold.” “The elimination of a four-gear transmission, a rear axle housing with five bearings, a drive shaft and u-joints reduces maintenance and repair costs.” “The two-cylinder, two-stroke, water cooled engine has but five moving parts. There are no valves to grind, no springs to get out of order, no push rods, no cams, no cam shaft, and no cam shaft gearing.” “The most primitive automobile skills are required to operate it and a healthy girl of ten can crank it.”

Kelsey transformed letters from satisfied customers into marketing. The Hillers Poultry Plant claimed that, “…in two months of service over the roughest rural byways, transporting 100 pounds of eggs on each trip, we had no breakage.” A buyer in New York noted he regularly drove his Motorette at 25-miles per hour and had yet to experience mechanical issues. Another owner claimed that his Motorette, a Stanley and a Napier were the only cars to crest Mount Washington in a hill climbing event.  

The demise of Kelsey’s Motorette came swiftly in December 1911. With business picking up steam, Kelsey turned his full attention to development, experimentation, and promotion. And he contracted with Lycoming for engine production just days before the company was struck by labor organizers. Completed cars minus engines piled up at the factory as dealers and buyers clamored for cars. Settlement of the strike did not end the labor problems.

With the shipment of engines Kelsey instituted a three-shift work schedule to fill orders. Then complaints began pouring into the factory, and soon the complaints became lawsuits. Engines were freezing up or exploding due to bearing failure. Kelsey ordered dealers to evaluate damaged engines as well as unsold cars. He also initiated inspection of all engines in stock. As Kelsey later noted, “In every blessed one of them about a half cup of fine sand was removed.” The engines had been sabotaged at Lycoming and the Motorette was finished.

Kelsey would later make one more attempt to manufacture a vehicle but only one prototype friction drive Kelsey was completed. Then he pioneered automobile financing programs, and in 1930 became the distributor for the imported Siemens tillers and established The Rototiller Company in New York City. In 1932 the Swiss Simar tiller was added to the Rototiller line of equipment. Though they were quality machines, they proved unsuitable for rocky American soils. So, Kelsey designed and patented a tine shock absorber to install on the imported tillers.

 By 1932, Kelsy registered the trademark Rototiller and began manufacturing the All-American Rototiller, a smaller, inexpensive, and easy to operate tiller, two years later. After WWII rotary tillers became a hot commodity with commercial growers and five American companies were established to build the large tillers. What was missing was a small tiller for the home garden. In 1946 Kelsey’s company converted manufacturing to exclusively produce a small home gardener model.  

Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey, a dreamer, a visionary, another forgotten automotive pioneer.

 To read more by Jim Hinckley go to jimhinckleysamerica.com

Continental - an early industry powerhouse

The 1923 Auburn Beauty Six was one of many products powered by proprietary engines from Continental.

These pioneers reached for the sky.

IF YOU were asked to compose a list of the 10 men most responsible for the development of the American automobile industry, who would you include?

Henry Ford and David Buick? Perhaps Walter Chrysler, Ransom Olds, John Dodge, Benjamin Briscoe, Louis Chevrolet, and Charles Nash? Would that list include A.W. Tobin and Ross Judson?

In the 21st century Tobin and Judson may be less than an obscure footnote to automotive history but the business they created was the cornerstone for an astounding number of famous and forgotten automobile manufacturers. Their business also featured prominently in the development of the fledgling American aeronautical industry and during WWII played an important role in America’s defense industry.

The establishment of the Tobin and Judson automotive empire can be traced to 1901 when Ross Judson, a gifted mechanical engineering student, examined a Mercedes L-head four-cylinder engine and noticed a number of inherent flaws. Following on the heels of this discovery was the conviction that he could resolve these issues and vastly improve that engine.

In 1902, after his graduation from the Armour Institute of Technology, Judson drafted a sales pitch and daring business plan that he presented to his brother in law, A.W. Tobin. Against the backdrop of a rapidly developing automobile industry his enthusiasm and their meeting ended with Tobin as an enthusiastic partner, a $2,000 investment of capital, and an agreement to lease a hayloft in Chicago and convert it into a machine shop. Their newly minted company was named Autocar. 

As per the business plan, Judson developed an engine that was tested extensively for durability. He then launched promotion with an eye-catching display at the1903 Chicago Automobile Show. Judson and Tobin were confident that the engine would sell but the resultant inundation of orders overwhelmed their small company. In an incredible display of brash bravado, the partners obtained loans, hired additional workers, added a second shift at the factory, and launched an expansion of production facilities. 

By 1904, the exponential increase in orders forced Judson and Tobin to find a location suitable for dramatic expansion. Eager to capitalize on the rapidly expanding automobile industry numerous communities and municipalities were offering prospective automotive manufactures a wide array of incentives. After evaluating several communities, a series of meetings to discuss incentives, and looking at prospective sites the partners decided to relocate all Autocar operations to Muskegon, Michigan. With completion of a state of the art 16,000 square foot factory in late 1905, the company launched an aggressive campaign to solicit business from automobile manufacturers throughout the Midwest.  

The following year was a tumultuous one for the company. A company in Ardmore, Pennsylvania that had used the Autocar name since 1899 sued for infringement. As a result, Tobin and Judson reorganized their company under the Continental name. Studebaker increased its order from 100 engines to 1,000. A line of stationary engines was developed and marketed which led to the establishment of a new division of the company and the hiring of 600 additional employees.

As an example of their visionary leadership, in 1910 a division was established for the development and production of aircraft engines. This division, as with the rest of the company, would evolve with the rapidly changing technological innovations of the era and in 1929 it would become a subsidiary, Continental Aircraft Engine with the A-70, a 170 horsepower radial engine, as the foundation.

In 1910, Continental received its largest order to date; 10,000 engines for a new automotive manufacturing concern, Hudson. This served as the catalyst for an ambitious expansion program that included additions to the Muskegon facility, construction of a factory in Detroit, and the outfitting of both factories with state-of-the-art equipment. Two years later Walter Frederick, a former engineer for the truck manufacturing concern Autocar in Pennsylvania, assumed Judson’s position as chief engineer. Harnessing his extensive experience and knowledge, the company expanded the engineering department and launched the development of an innovative programme that included catalogue sales of standardized engines to automobile manufacturers, companies in need of stationary industrial engines, aircraft firms, and tractor manufacturers. Additionally, the company offered various options for these engines. As a result, if a client requested engine specifications not listed in the catalog, staff engineers modified existing models accordingly.

The next two decades were a golden era for Continental. Automobiles manufactured by Apperson and Case, Crawford and Jordan, Ace and Vellie, Erskine, and dozens of other companies utilized engines by Continental. Numerous companies that manufactured trucks exclusively including Corbitt, Federal, Schacht, Selden, Sterling, and Reo (derived from the initials of the founder, Ransom E. Olds) used Continental engines as well.

It was also another pivotal period of transition for the company. Ross Judson retired, and W.R. Angell was appointed president of the company. One of Angell’s first projects was to finalize an agreement with William Durant, the founder of General Motors who was building a similar company, to supply engines for his new line of automobiles – Durant, Star, and Flint. He also initiated tentative merger negotiations between Continental and three manufacturers that utilized that company’s products: Peerless, Moon, and Jordan. This had the potential for making a tremendous impact on the American automobile industry, but negotiations collapsed in the initial stage of development largely resultant of the collapse of Jordan, and the financial insolvency of Moon.

The year 1930 was the dawn of a new decade at Continental. First the company expanded the diesel truck, aircraft, and agricultural engine divisions, a fortuitous move as it kept Continental afloat during the opening days of the Great Depression. The company was poised for growth when in 1932 the decision was made to initiate the launch of a Continental manufactured automobile, and to purchase the Divco truck manufacturing enterprise.

Together the short-lived Continental Beacon, Flyer, and Ace, and the acquisition of Divco resulted in the company’s first financial crisis. But the company proved resilient and the diverse legacy of Continental did not end with the Great Depression or the post war era of unprecedented optimism. Continental engines powered the grandfather of the Jeep, the Bantam Reconnaissance and Command Car prototype, and the iconic Checker taxi through early 1964. During WWII, under contract to Willys, the company produced engines for the Jeep. Even when the company was reorganized and engine production was discontinued, the contributions continued as innovation flowed from Ryan Aeronautical, and Teledyne Continental Motors, a fitting legacy of two forgotten pioneers, Tobin and Judson.

Find more from Jim Hinckley at jimhinckleysamerica.com

Race track to battlefield

The story of an American engineer and inventor best known for developing a suspension system used in World War II-era tank designs. 

MANY automotive pioneers were innovators. Some were absolute geniuses. They were all visionaries; some were just a bit more eccentric than others.

Few, however, were businessmen. As a result, many made money for investors or company owners but died destitute. For a rare few fortune proved elusive yet they transformed dreams into reality and enjoyed a modicum of financial success. J. Walter Christie was on of the latter.

Christie was born in New Milford, New Jersey on May 6, 1865 and at an early age astounded his teachers with his quick mind as well as an ability to grasp complicated mathematics. At the age of 16 he began an apprenticeship with the Delamater Iron Works while taking classes at the Cooper Union in New York City. Before turning 25, he was employed as a consulting engineer for a steamship line and began preliminary work on submarine designs.  

Shortly after the Spanish American War he launched a consulting and engineering company under the Christie Iron Works name and designed an improved turret track for naval artillery pieces for which he acquired a patent.

His next endeavour was revolutionary, the design and development of a front-wheel-drive automobile. The first incarnation was powered by a four-cylinder, transverse mounted engine with the crankshaft supplanting the front axle. The front wheels were driven directly by flywheels coupled to leather faced clutches and telescoping universal joints. In January of 1904 he tested the unusual behemoth at Ormond Beach (Daytona Beach) in Florida.

That year and 1905 were consumed with development, racing, and manufacturing. He successfully competed at the Readville Race Track and in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup race, events that ensured international press coverage.

Of the six racers Christie built in 1904, one featured a 60-horsepower engine. But his most astounding creation was a car with two engines; a 60-horsepower engine coupled to his front wheel drive mechanism, and a second engine at the rear that utilized a transaxle. The following year he reorganised the company as the Christie Direct Action Motor Car Company and set his sights on competing in the Grand Prix.

Christie became an international celebrity. He was the first American to drive in the Grand Prix, and his front wheel drive racer was the first American vehicle to compete. And the 19,881-cc V4 was the largest engine ever used in the race. Tragically that race consumed Christie’s attentions and finances, and as a result there was no opportunity to develop or market the front-wheel drive touring car he had planned as the foundation for his automobile manufacturing company. And so, in 1907, the company went into receivership.

Christie easily found new investors as his innovative front wheel drive components were patented in the United States, Australia, Russia, and most European countries, and launched the Walter Christie Automobile Company in 1908. He also continued to race despite injuries sustained in a 1907 crash, and to offer his services as a consultant. One of his new company’s first clients was Vincenzo Lancia, an internationally claimed racer who was about to build a car of his own, the Lancia Lambda.

On September 9 of 1907, Christie was racing at Brunots Island Race Track near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Haynes driven by Rex Reinertson lost its right front wheel and flipped crushing the driver. Christie struck the debris, was thrown from the car, was knocked unconscious by the impact and also sustained a broken left wrist, a cut on his right eye from the broken glass of his goggles, and a significant spinal injury.

Doctors expressed concern that he would likely be crippled resultant of his injuries and lose the sight in his damaged eye. Though the doctor’s concerns proved unwarranted, Christie did suffer from his injuries for the remainder of his life.

Christie’s next major accomplishment came in 1909 when he designed and manufactured the front wheel drive Christie Racer that was driven to a first-place finish by Barney Oldfield in several races. Once again, his company suffered from Christie’s inability to focus on development of a vehicle that could be sold to the public.

To placate investors, he dedicated resources to the manufacture of a revolutionary front wheel drive taxicab. As an interesting historic footnote, this taxi with transversely mounted engine/transmission assembly that could be detached and replaced in less than one hour would inspire future automobile engineers. Fifty years later Alec Issigonis who played a key role in the development of the BMC Mini, studied Christie’s taxi extensively and incorporated several ideas in that milestone vehicle.

Christie’s taxi was innovative but it required a major investment for development as well as manufacture and as a result, the sale price was $US2600. That astronomical price resulted in sales that were less than anemic. In fact, only three were sold and once again Christie faced bankruptcy.  

Christie was obsessed with racing, but money proved elusive, so he was forced into creating a saleable product. As he once quipped to a friend, “It’s no shame to be poor but it’s damn inconvenient.” In 1912, he struck gold with his next creation, a line of front wheel drive fire engine tractors that enabled fire departments to modernize horse drawn equipment without the major investment of buying a fire truck. Orders flooded the factory.

Flush with cash Christie again turned to consultation, experimentation, and development. In 1916, he developed a prototype four-wheeled front wheel drive gun carriage and submitted it for testing to the United States Army Ordnance Board. Christie's Achilles heel, stubbornness, and inflexibility, that had plagued him since youth reared its head and he refused to revise his designs to suit their requirements.

Still, Christie was able to attract the attention of United States Marine Corps Major General Eli K. Cole with his design for an amphibious light tank. He also garnered the attention of the British army who tentatively used the "Beetle Boat" during the Gallipoli landings in 1915.  An improved version was tested during the Marine Corps Winter Maneuvers of 1924 at Culebra, Puerto Rico. It performed as promised but it was determined that the vehicles were to slow, to cumbersome, and as a result, were impractical for use in combat due to limited suspension capabilities that restricted cross-country performance.

Christie invested five years and more than $US380,000 to perfect the tank. The result was the revolutionary M1928 prototype tank chassis. He referred to it as the "Model 1940" as he considered it to be 12 years ahead of its time, and it was. What made this prototype revolutionary was its "helicoil" suspension system with each wheel having its own spring-loaded assembly. This reduced allowed for unprecedented high-speed cross-country mobility. Christie’s tank also featured sloped armor to allow for thinner plating and thus a lighter weight.

The Army purchased several prototypes for testing purposes. In October 1928, the M1928 was demonstrated at Fort Myer, Virginia, where the vehicle impressed Army's Chief of Staff, General Charles P. Summerall and other high-ranking officers.

The Infantry Tank Board agreed to further testing but expressed concern about the lightweight armour. Christie stubbornly defended his vehicle claiming that in future wars lightweight tanks with long range and high speed that were designed to penetrate enemy lines and attack their infrastructure and logistics capabilities would have the advantage.

The Army, however, were locked in a WWI view and saw the tank as an infantry support vehicle. One member of the Cavalry Evaluation Board who appreciated Christie's design and shared his vision was Lt. Colonel George S. Patton.

With rejection of his design by the army, Christie displayed very poor judgment and began looking to foreign governments including Britain, Poland and the Soviet Union even though the Soviet Union had no diplomatic relations with the US at the time, and was barred from obtaining military equipment or weapons. The problems multiplied. Christie reneged on a deal to sell units to Poland. The government intervened in a sale to the Soviet Union but through a complicated subterfuge two Christie tanks that were obtained and falsely documented as agricultural farm tractors were shipped. These would become the basis for famous Soviet T-34 tank of WWII.

The British War Office also arranged for purchase of a Christie prototype tank chassis and licensing of the design through the Morris Motors Group. Again, the United States government intervened and required that the vehicle be dismantled sufficiently to meet specification as an "agricultural tractor." Following the United States entry into WWII in 1941, Christie again submitted improved tank designs to the army. Again, his efforts ended in frustration and rejection. It was to be his last project as on January 11, 1944 Christie died in Falls Church, Virginia.

Christie’s many contributions transformed transportation from front wheel drive to tracked vehicles. He was deemed the father of the modern tank, and inspired generations of automotive engineers, and yet today J. Walter Christie remains one of hundreds of forgotten automotive pioneers.

Read more from Jim Hinckley at jimhinckleysamerica.com

Deusenberg days

“It’s a doozy.” A simple phrase. A superlative. And testimonial to the genius of two brothers.

FREDERICK and August Duesenberg arrived in the United States from Germany in 1885.

They were ambitious, talented and visionaries. As did many automotive pioneers, they capitalised on the bicycle craze that swept the country in the 1890s by building bicycles and promoting them through racing. By 1900, the brothers began modifying gasoline engines, installing them in their bicycles and launching a line of motorcycles.

In 1901, Fred Duesenberg opened a garage and repair facility for automobiles in Des Moines, Iowa, and then acquired a used Marion car. Through experimentation they redesigned the air-cooled engine making an array of improvements that enhanced performance. Then Fred entered the car in a race at the annual County Fair in Mason City, Iowa, and claimed first place. This was only the opening act. The brothers Duesenberg were about to change the world.

In 1906, Edward R. Mason, a Des Moines attorney, launched the Mason Motor Company with Frederick Duesenberg as the developmental engineer. The engine designed by Duesenberg was an overhead valve twin-cylinder engine with both the bore and stroke being equal at 5 inches that produced 24 horsepower from its 196 cubic inches. It enabled the Mason to quickly earn a reputation as a rugged and powerful automobile as well as a superb hill climbing competitor. As Alanson Brush had done to demonstrate the prowess of the introductory model of the Cadillac, Fred drove the vehicle up the steps leading to the Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines. And then, at the top of the steps, he turned the vehicle around, descended the steps, and repeated the display in reverse.  

In 1910 the Mason Motor Company was sold to Fred L. Maytag, but the Duesenberg brothers chose to continue work on the development of high-performance cars for use on the race circuit with financial backing from Edward Mason. In June 1913, Fred and Augie struck out on their own and established the Duesenberg Motor Company in Minnesota for the manufacture of engines for aircraft, automobile, and marine applications.

Undercapitalized, the company struggled until 1916 when a United States government contract was received for the manufacture of marine and aircraft engines. This allowed for relocation of manufacturing to a large, modern facility in New Jersey. The brother’s reputation for the engineering of high-performance engines was growing and shortly afterwards Ettore Bugatti contracted the Duesenberg Motor Company to build a 500 bhp V-16 engine.

In 1919, the brothers sold their interests in the New Jersey manufacturing facility and relocated to Indianapolis to develop a performance luxury car that used the recently developed prototype single overhead cam Duesenberg Eight engine. In early spring 1920 production commenced at the new factory established for the manufacture of racing vehicles and components under the Duesenberg Brothers name, and passenger cars under the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors name.

The first Duesenberg passenger car rolled from the factory near the Indianapolis Speedway in 1921. It featured the brother’s revolutionary straight eight engines as well as four-wheel hydraulic actuated brakes and carried a hefty sales price - $6500 to $8800. Reputation and advanced engineering were not enough to carry the company, and in a relatively short time bankruptcy was looming. 

Errett Lobban Cord was still in his teens when he began buying used Fords, converting them with speedster bodies, and reselling them for a tidy profit. The trucking company he launched to provide services to remote western mining companies did not fare as well. But he rebounded quickly, relocated to Chicago, began selling Moon automobiles and in a few short months had risen to regional sales manager. Then through contacts in the banking industry and deft maneuverings, he gained control of the nearly moribund Auburn Automobile Company. In 1926 he purchased Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors, and within five years would acquire Stinson Aircraft, Lycoming Engines, gain controlling interest in Checker Cab Manufacturing Company and launch the revolutionary front-wheel drive Cord as part of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg enterprise.

 The Model X harnessed the power of the 100-horsepower, 322 cubic-inch displacement single overhead cam inline eight-cylinder engine that had been used in the Model A, but with modifications that included the generator and water pump being relocated to the rear, and manifolds moved to the right side. The Model X was the last model built by Duesenberg before its acquisition by Cord. The car continued in limited production, but E.L. Cord had shifted focus and resources toward development of the Model J.

The new company was renamed Duesenberg, Inc. and Fred was appointed vice president of engineering and experimental work. August was tasked with producing Duesenberg racing cars. Resultant of his work a number of engineering achievements, including centrifugal superchargers, would find their way on to production models of the Auburn and Cord.  

In 1928 at the New York City Auto Show, Cord introduced the Model J. It was the most powerful and most technologically advanced production car in America. It was also stylish with luxurious interior appointments. The twin overhead cam developed a reported 265-horsepower. The base sales price of a chassis without coachwork was an astounding $8500. In comparison a top of the line Ford sold new for just $585!  

As Cord’s goal was to create the world’s most luxurious and most powerful automobile to compete with the likes of Rolls Royce or Hispano-Suiza, the Model J underwent a near continuous series of improvements. The 265-horsepower, 420 c.i.d. inline eight-cylinder engine produced 80-horsepower more than the competing Cadillac powered by a 452-c.i.d. V16. The launch of the companion SJ model was a game changer. Outfitted with a supercharger the SJ was rated at an astounding 320-horsepower.

Even thought the production models averaged 5,000 pounds in weight, their performance was extraordinary. An SJ convertible coup was tested at the Indianapolis Speedway and reached a sustained speed of 129-miles per hour, a new record for an American production automobile. In 1935, Ab Jenkins broke this record by reaching 152.1 miles per hour. A streamlined car dubbed the Mormon Meteor was then driven for twenty-four hours at Bonneville with an average speed of 135.5 miles per hour.

By October 1929, the company had manufactured two hundred cars, and only an additional one hundred by the end of 1930. Fittingly the limited production Duesenberg was marketed with bold slogans. “The only car that could pass a Duesenberg is another Duesenberg - and that was with the first owner’s consent”. The Model J and SJ quickly became the ultimate status symbol for the rich and famous throughout the world who commissioned custom bodies from companies such as Derham, Judkins, Murphy and LeBaron in the United States, and in Europe by Saoutchik and Gurney Nutting. Counted among the proud owners were Harpo Marx, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Howard Hughes, Mae West, Greta Garbo, William Randolph Hearst and members of European royalty; the Duke of Windsor, Prince Nicholas of Romania, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and King Alfonso XIII of Spain.

Even in the best of times, a company that manufactured limited production cars that sold for astronomical prices would be challenged to survive. Even bolstered by Auburn sales, the bread and butter of the company, and Cord, the company struggled during the depths of the Great Depression. Compounding the company’s woes, Fred Duesenberg died on July 26, 1932 of pneumonia that resulted from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Pennsylvania while behind the wheel of a Murphy-bodied SJ convertible on his way from New York City to Auburn, Indiana.

In 1937 Cord’s intertwined financial empire collapsed. The final chapter for the once mighty Duesenberg was rather anticlimactic. Parts on hand were gathered and two more cars were assembled, one for German artist Rudolf Bauer in April 1940. Used Duesenberg’s appeared on car lots and even with prices equal to that of an old Ford, remained unsold. A few savvy buyers acquired the once prestigious automobiles and taking advantage of the powerful drive trains and heavy frames, converted them into trucks.

The Duesenberg name is enshrined as the car to which all others are compared, the doozy. Today the survivors are highly prized among collectors. When they change hands, the price is often in the millions of dollars, and the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum housed in the former factory and headquarters is a revered shine for automobile enthusiasts from throughout the world.

Read more from Jim Hinckley at jimhinckleysamerica.com

Charles Nash: Farm boy who became a titan

His innovative, hands on management style and conservative fiscal policies proved to be a winning combination

The 1930 Nash Eight still used cable-operated brakes at a time many others had gone to hydraulics.

CHARLES Nash had a philosophy that was at the heart of all that he did: "There is only one sure recipe for success in any field of endeavour: Determination, close application to details, plus hard work and then more hard work.”

It was a philosophy that had been developed in the formative years of a life that was literally a rag to riches story. It was the philosophy that enabled Nash to transform Buick and General Motors, and that enabled him to launch an automobile company that became an industry leader.    

Nash was born to an impoverished farming family in Cortland, Illinois, on January 28, 1864.  He was abandoned at age six by his parents when they separated. As a ward of the court he was “bound out.” In essence this was an agreement that made him an indentured servant until age 21 to a farmer in Michigan who was required to provide at least three months of formal education per year. Nash ran away and became a farmhand, at age 12, first in Grand Blanc, Michigan for $US8 per month, then for Alexander McFarland in Mount Morris, Michigan for $US12 per month.

Newly married, Nash moved to Flint, Michigan in 1890 where he found employment at the Flint Road Cart Company owned by Josiah Dallas Dort. In the fall of 1895, Dort reorganised the company as Durant-Dort Carriage Company with William C. Durant, owner of Coldwater Road-Cart Company as a partner.

Nash was initially employed as a cushion stuffer but his work ethic, attention to detail and ambition caught the attention of Durant, the man who would launch General Motors and within six months Nash was promoted to the position of superintendent at the factory. Free to innovate Nash transformed the company with the introduction of the straight-line belt conveyor belt that cut cost, increased productivity, and boosted profits. And then, shortly after the turn of the century Nash further expanded the company’s profits by adding the manufacture of automobile bodies. A primary customer was Buick which had been acquired by Durant in 1904.

In September 1908, General Motors was capitalised by William C. Durant as a holding company. The next day he purchased Buick Motor Company, and over the course of the next few weeks acquired more than 20 companies including Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland. By 1910 the rapidly growing conglomerate had left Durant increasingly short of capital as well as skilled management.

For bankers and the board of directors, increasingly worried about their investment Durant’s attempt to purchase Ford for $US8,000,000 proved to be the final straw. A banker’s trust acquired GM and forced Durant from the company.

 It was this crisis that served as Nash’s entry to the American auto industry as the board at GM unanimously accepted the proposal that he be given the position of general manager of the Buick division. In less than a year he had resolved the stagnation that had resulted in a glut of inventory, initiated an industry leading program of quality control that curtailed customer complaints, and had given development of a six-cylinder engine priority status. His efforts were rewarded by elevation to the presidency of General Motors in 1912, the year that Walter Chrysler assumed the presidency of Buick.

After leaving GM, Durant established Chevrolet, and through a complicated process of exercising stock options, stock swaps, and other manipulations regained control of GM. The new policies and plans he instituted resulted in a mass exodus of management from the company. Counted among those that walked from GM were Walter Chrysler and Charles Nash.  

Nash was undaunted and saw the departure from GM as an opportunity. He had been entertaining ideas of launching his own manufacturing company for quite some time. After evaluating several companies, he set his sights on acquiring the Thomas B. Jeffrey Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin, manufacturer of the popular Rambler, the Jeffrey and the Jeffrey Quad 4, a line of heavy duty 4x4 trucks.

By the late 19th century Thomas B. Jeffrey’s Rambler company was the second largest manufacturer of bicycles in the United States. Jeffrey was also a partner in the G & J Tire Company, forerunner of United States Rubber. His son, Charles, had initiated experimentation with automobiles in 1897 and in 1900 displayed a vehicle at the auto show in New York City and in Chicago. Reviews of the Rambler and receipt of orders resulted in Jeffrey selling the bicycle manufacturing company, purchasing a factory in Kenosha and initiating production.

This company would earn a reputation for innovation, such as introduction of the steering wheel, and durability. By 1910 the company had become a leading manufacturer of vehicles, and the factory was recognized as one of the largest and most modern in the country.

Tragedy struck the company in April 1910 when Thomas B. Jeffrey died suddenly of a massive heart attack. In 1915 tragedy struck the company again. Charles Jeffrey was in England negotiating sales of Jeffrey trucks and cars throughout the British Empire and had booked his return trip on the Lusitania. He survived the torpedoing of the ship but was devastated by the incident and began withdrawing from the business. This led to his sale of the company to Charles Nash in July of 1916.

Nash quickly reorganized his acquisition as the Nash Motor Company. His innovative, hands on management style and conservative fiscal policies proved to be a winning combination. In 1918, 10,000 cars rolled from the Kenosha factory. With establishment of a strong dealer network, sales the following year climbed to 27,000 automobiles and 12,000 trucks. During World War I, Nash negotiated a contract to supply the U.S. Army with 4x4 trucks. This coupled with prewar sales to the British Empire made the Nash Motor Company the largest manufacturer of trucks in the United States.

Nash was unique among auto manufacturers in that rather than incurring debt he preferred paying cash for expansions. This was such an unusual practice that it was made the focus of an article in a financial journal. “Nash is a man who, in the short space of nine years, has built up a business on which there is not a dollar of bonded indebtedness, whose stocks have a market value approximating $137,000,000, whose profits have exceeded $56,000,000, and whose bank balance tops $30,000,000. Surely he must be regarded as a very practical authority on what makes for success.”

It was from this position of financial strength that Nash began acquiring other Wisconsin automobile manufacturers, including the Mitchell Motors Company of Racine in 1923 and LaFayette Motors of Milwaukee in 1924, modernizing their production, and then introduced them as companion lines to Nash.

From its inception Nash realized that his company would never be able to compete head to head with GM, Ford, or Chrysler. So, he focused on producing a car that could be sold in the mid-price range yet provide the customer with well-engineered, durable vehicles and foster development of fierce brand loyalty. There were brief forays into the production of less expensive models such as the Ajax, and during the opening years of the Great Depression, the introduction of a luxury car line under the Ambassador name.

Stylish and powerful with highly advanced components such as dual point ignition, the Ambassador received the ultimate compliment when it was deemed the "Kenosha Duesenberg" in a review published in 1932.

Attesting to Nash’s success, a 1929 evaluation of the American industry noted that even though there were several dozen automobile manufacturers in the United States, GM, Ford, and Chrysler controlled 75 percent of the market. Nash was in fourth place.

The year 1932 proved to be pivotal in the history of the company. Charles Nash resigned as president but retained his position as board chairman, and appointed George W. Mason as executive vice president. A limited partnership was entered into with Kelvinator, a leading manufacturer of refrigerators and in 1937 a merger was initiated with the new company named Nash-Kelvinator. Nash relinquished all control of the company in 1937 and died in 1948 in Beverly Hills, California.

His namesake company would live on for almost another decade before being folded into a new conglomerate, American Motors. The cars, however, were but a small part of Charles Nash’s legacy even though they are revered by passionate collectors today. His rags to riches story is still inspiring entrepreneurs, and his revolutionary management style is used as a template by an array of progressive companies.

Read more from Jim Hinckley at jimhinckleysamerica.com

Chevrolet: The French revolution

The brand is world-renowned: What of the men behind the badge?

A QUICK way to get a reaction from fans of American automobiles is to make mention Stateside of the fact that Chevrolet is an ‘import’.

Once you have their attention you can clarify and explain that you were talking about the man, not the car.

Louis Chevrolet, above, was born the son of a maker of watches and clocks in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland on Christmas day 1878. He had six siblings including two brothers, Arthur and Gaston, who would follow Louis into auto racing.

From an early age Louis displayed a unique talent for developing mechanical solutions for problems. As an example, in his early teens while working for a wine merchant he designed and produced a wine-barrel pump that streamlined the process.

In the early 1890s as bicycle mania swept the world, he launched a bicycle repair and manufacturing business under the Frontenac name, and established a local reputation for his racing prowess. The bicycle business proved to be a short lived and costly venture. The name would resurface for another Chevrolet venture years later. And the penchant for losing money on business endeavors would dog Louis Chevrolet for the rest of his life.

During the last years of the 19th century he began learning the basics of the internal combustion engine as an apprentice in the workshops of French automakers Darracq and Mors. In 1900, Chevrolet accepted a position as a mechanic and chauffer in Montreal for a Swiss associate that owned an engineering company with offices in Canada and the United States. The following year he transferred to the company’s New York City office but within a few months was working for the Brooklyn branch of the French car manufacturer de Dion-Bouton. Then came the big break in early 1905, employment with Fiat and his first opportunity to drive in an automobile race, something that he excelled at.

On May 20, 1905, Louis drove a 90hp Fiat at the Hippodrome in Morris Park, N.Y. taking first prize. Before the year was out, he had bested the now legendary driver Barney Oldfield three times. In 1906, Chevrolet moved to Philadelphia to work with J. Walter Christie, a pioneer in the development of front wheel drive cars who had accepted a contract to build a race car for Autocar.

The racing successes and mechanical skills of the Chevrolet brothers caught the eye of William Crapo Durant who was looking to promote Buick through motor sports. This was the beginning of a tumultuous business relationship, and the first step toward the establishment of an American icon.

Arthur was hired as Durant’s personal chauffer, while Gaston and Louis became the face of the Buick racing team. After Durant’s launch of General Motors in 1908, Chevrolet continued to head the company’s race team, but he also established a machine shop on Grand River Boulevard in Detroit where he designed and built an overhead valve six-cylinder engine. This was but another manifestation of Louis Chevrolet’s increasing desire to launch a company for the manufacturing of high-performance cars.

William Durant was a swashbuckling and reckless entrepreneur. His unbridled expansion that included the acquisition of companies and aggressive initiatives to compete with Benjamin Briscoe and Jonathan Maxwell’s United States Motor Company soon put General Motors in a precarious financial position. To protect their investment, and under pressure from stockholders the corporation’s board of directors removed Durant from the company in 1911.

Durant was not intimidated by failure or loss, he had a reputation for making money that made it easy to attract investors and he had an ace up his sleeve, Louis Chevrolet. Chevrolet was a personality, a man with name recognition and a man eager to launch an auto company.

On November 3, 1911, Durant and Louis Chevrolet co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company with investors William Little, manufacturer of the Little automobile, Durant’s son in law, Dr. Edwin R. Campbell, and Samuel McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Car Company of Canada Ltd.

As Louis Chevrolet worked out the bugs on prototype models completed earlier in the year, Durant was building a company. Meanwhile Arthur and Gaston continued racing and building high performance cars. Arthur drove in the inaugural 1911 Indianapolis 500, but mechanical problems forced him out of the race, and he failed to finish.

The 1916 Indianapolis 500 was a repeat performance as mechanical issues prevented him from completing the race. Gaston competed in numerous races and in 1920 won the Indianapolis 500 driving a Monroe designed by his brothers. The following year he was killed in a racing accident.

While not as active as his brothers, Louis continued racing. In 1914 behind the wheel of a Chevrolet he competed in the last of the grueling Desert Classic races along the National Old Trails Road from Los Angeles to Ash Fork, Arizona, and then south to Phoenix. When an accident resulted in the mixing of gasoline and water occurred in Seligman, Arizona, Chevrolet was forced to quit. Louis also drove in the Indianapolis 500 four times, with a best finish of 7th place in 1919.

Resultant of serious disagreements over direction of the company, and Durant’s reckless financial practices Louis Chevrolet sold his stock in the namesake company in 1914. This and the loss of use of the Chevrolet name as Durant held the rights, was the first in a serious of calamitous decisions made by Louis Chevrolet.

In 1915, Louis Chevrolet and his brothers established a company for the manufacture of aircraft engines. Bankruptcy marked the end of the company before the end of the year. In 1916 with financial investment from Albert Champion they founded the Frontenac Motor Corporation to make racing parts for the Ford Model T. Even though the company enjoyed moderate success profit proved elusive.

 During the same period Louis Chevrolet also partnered with Howard E. Blood of Allegan, Michigan, to create the Cornelian racing car. Louis drove one of these cars to a 20th place finish in the 1915 Indianapolis 500. Also, in 1916, American Motors Corporation was formed in Newark, New Jersey, with Louis Chevrolet as vice president and chief engineer. By 1918 the company was producing cars in a plant at Plainfield, New Jersey but the post war recession crippled the endeavour.

In a hope of staving off complete collapse, there was a merger with the Bessemer Motor Truck Company of Pennsylvania and reorganization as Bessemer-American Motors Corporation in 1923. This merely exacerbated the financial woes and in 1924 there was another merger with the Winther and Northway companies and reorganization as Amalgamated Motors. By 1926, the entire operation collapsed.

The onset of the Great Depression marked the end of the brother’s corporate ventures, and age had brought their racing careers to a close. Financially devasted Louis returned to Detroit to work in General Motors Chevrolet division in a mechanical engineering capacity. A dramatic decline in his health, including atherosclerosis which led to a leg amputation in the late 1930s forced him to resign. On June 6, 1941 he died of massive coronary in Detroit. He was buried in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. His brother Arthur died by suicide five years later. Their deaths were the end of an era.

Fare from Michigan’s ‘other’ Detroit

The Jackson, the Jaxon and the Orlo – heard of ‘em? From 1903 to 1923, the Michigan city of Jackson was home to an enterprising car maker.

A 1903 Jaxon … from the Jackson motor company, which started with this model but delivered many more until its eventual demise in 1923.

PERHAPS only a few eccentrics, trivia buffs and passionate collectors of brass era cars remember the Jackson.

That would be a pity. For more than two decades the Jackson Automobile Company produced a durable, reliable automobile that inspired international brand loyalty and pioneered development of four-wheel drive trucks. And it all began with the bicycle.

In 1890 there were less than 25 bicycle manufacturers in the United States. Five years later that number had soared to more than 300 and countless businessmen rushed to profit on the tsunami of bicycle mania that was sweeping the country.

One of these men was Byron C. Carter of Jackson, Michigan, the owner of a successful printing and rubber stamp manufacturing business. And so, in 1894, he partnered with his father, Squire Carter, and established a store for the sale and repair of bicycles. A few years later the company added manufacturing when Frederick P. Hinckley, a Jackson resident, developed and patented the “coaster brake for bicycles.”

Bicycles may have been the focal point of personal transportation evolution during these years but lurking in the shadows was a contender, the horseless carriage. Byron Carter began his automotive experimentation in 1897 and produced his first vehicle in 1899. This initial prototype utilised a gasoline engine, but Carter was of the opinion that steam was a more practical option.

In 1901 he introduced the Carter Stanhope, a steamer, and in limited partnership with the Michigan Automobile Company in Grand Rapids initiated production. It was to be a short-lived venture as the Michigan Automobile Company in 1902 transitioned to the production of automobiles with gasoline engines. 

This left Carter in an interesting position as he had just perfected and invented a three-cylinder steam engine. And so, in the summer of 1902 he returned to Jackson and initiated a meeting with George Mathews, owner of the Fuller Buggy Company and director of the Jackson City Bank, and Charles Lewis, president of Lewis Spring and Axle and director at Union Bank of Jackson. We can only speculate about the conversation at this meeting, but we do know that it resulted in the incorporation of the Jackson Automobile Company to produce steam-powered cars under the Jaxon name in 1903 as well as gasoline engine models, the Jackson, and a companion line, the Orlo.   

The Jaxon was sold in two models both of which used Byron Carter’s three cylinder, six-horsepower engine and featured a folding front seat that was "placed so low as to avoid interfering with the view of the driver.".

The steamer was an anemic seller compared to the gasoline powered models and so the Jaxon was dropped after just mere months of production. This led to the first fracture between Carter, Lewis and Mathews. The second issue, Carter’s insistence on the development of a friction drive model, was insurmountable and he left the company in the spring of 1905 and then formed the Motorcar Company featuring a friction drive car sold under the Cartercar name.

Without the innovative vision of Carter, the Jackson Automobile Company became a manufacturer of conventional vehicles. But the Jackson soon developed a reputation for rugged dependability, and a fierce brand loyalty among owners. The company’s slogan, “No Hill Too Steep, No Sand Too Deep” was earned through participation in endurance runs and events such as the Glidden Tours, and within a few years was even exporting vehicles.

The 1903 models were available in one and two-cylinder configurations and were given impressive names. King of Belgium Touring Car. Side Entrance Tonneau. Surrey. Runabout. The price range was equally broad, from $US650 for the two passenger Model A with single cylinder engine up to $US1250 for the King of Belgium model. 

Sales growth remained steady and was not diminished by the economic panic of 1907.  In 1908, to accommodate plans for increased production, the company was relocated to the former factory of National Wheel Company, a manufacturer of wagons, carts, surreys, sleighs, and buggies. This complex remains a rare and often overlooked site from the first decades of the American auto industry with the former offices and headquarters for the company, dominated by a distinctive tower, now housing the Commercial Exchange Building. Dating to 1895 the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

To remain competitive the company began offering four-cylinder models in late 1905. Oddly enough the company continued offering the two-cylinder model until 1911 even though it sold poorly. In 1913, in limited partnership with Northway, the all new Sultanic line with six-cylinder engines were introduced. This was also the year that the company introduced the Duck with back seat driving, another companion model, that was a replacement for the Fuller. The big news for 1916 was a new series, the model 348 and model 68 with Ferro built V8 engines.

 The Jackson Automobile Company, like dozens of other automobile manufacturers during this period, should have survived. The company had cash reserves and was professionally managed. The vehicles were competitively priced and had a favorable reputation. Even though it was never able to challenge the industry giants like General Motors, Ford, Maxwell, Studebaker, or Hudson, sales were consistently strong. And the company had proven itself adept at adapting to changing markets.

As an example, during WWI when nationwide automobile sales slumped the company curtailed auto production, transitioned into the manufacturing of military equipment, and even launched a line of trucks, including a 4x4. When the post war recession decimated the auto industry, the company shifted exclusively to the manufacture of heavy-duty trucks. This would prove to be a fatal mistake.

When the company resumed automobile production in 1920, their marketing edge had evaporated, and truck manufacturing was an extremely limited market. Within twelve months the company was on the brink if bankruptcy. To stave off complete collapse, Jackson chose merger in a valiant attempt to remain solvent. In 1923 the Jackson Automobile Company merged with National of Indianapolis and Dixie Flyer of Louisville, Kentucky to form Associated Motor Industries.

For 1924 the Jackson was marketed as the National 4-H, and the Dixie Flyer as the National 6-51. That was it. With little fanfare or notice Jackson, National and Dixie Flyer, and Associated Motor Industries closed their doors in 1925. It was the end of an era in more ways than one as a dozen automobile manufacturers closed their doors or merged that year.  

Surprisingly, Jackson automobiles are a relatively common brass era car. This is not to say that they are plentiful. After all, annual production never exceeded 10,000 cars per year. 

Some models, however, are extremely rare. The Ye Old Carriage Shop museum in Spring Arbor, Michigan, has in its collection the only existent Jaxon and housed at the fire engine restoration shops owned by Ken Soderbeck in Grass Lake, Michigan, is the only known Jackson 4x4 truck.

Did any come to New Zealand? Feedback appreciated.

The Stanleys: In the age of steam, they were on the boil

Little complexity, a technology anyone of the age understood … when it came to teapots with wheels, twin brothers stood tall.

this 1910 Model 10 was one of America’s first sports cars, known as Gentleman’s Speedy Roadsters

THE Stanley brothers, Francis Edgar (1849-1918), F.E. to his friends, and his twin brother Freelan Oscar (aka F.O), who lived until 1940, will forever be associated with steam-powered automobiles.

However, as with many automotive pioneers these were men of diverse talents and interests that made tremendous contributions to an array of industries.

The brothers were born June 1, 1849. From an early age they displayed a talent for music, for playing practical jokes that centered on their identical appearance, for business and for mechanical aptitude.

In 1859 with support from their father they started a small business refining and selling maple sugar. The brothers had also developed a local reputation for their ability to play the violin and with tutelage from their grandfather, Liberty, began making these instruments. Freelan had completed three violins by the age of 16. This was the birth of a lifelong hobby.

At the age of 20 the brothers began attending Western State Normal School with a goal of becoming teachers. Then for a brief time, they parted ways.

Freelan Oscar continued on course and became an educator, and then launched a small business to manufacture the Stanley Practical Drawing Set as a sideline. Francis Edgar chased his dream of becoming a portrait artist, and in 1874 moved to Lewiston, Maine where he opened a photography studio. Two years later he perfected the photographic atomizer, a forerunner of the modern air brush, which he patented in 1876.

Then in 1882 the brothers began experimenting with various photograph development processes and established the Stanley Dry Plate Company in Boston. As an interesting historic footnote, the brothers would sell their company and patents to a gentleman named George Eastman. He would use these as the foundation for a multifaceted photography company named Kodak.

In the late 1890s, the experimentations of men like Ransom E. Olds, and the demonstration of a steam powered carriage in nearby Watertown, Massachusetts captured the attention of Francis Edgar.

Soon he and his brother were deeply engaged in experimentation of their own, first with an electric horseless carriage and then with an internal combustion version.

By 1896 they had decided that steam was the better option because “it is reliable and easily understood.” Using components from Francis’s wagon and bicycle parts from Sterling Elliott's bicycle factory they completed their first vehicle the following year.

After extensive testing and refinement, the Stanley Brothers took the vehicle to the 1898 Boston Auto Show. The resultant orders for three vehicles served as incentive for the brothers to launch a new enterprise, the Stanley Steam Company.

Later that autumn they entered a race at Boston’s Charles Park, and with speeds nearing 45 kilometres per hour bested a De Dion tricycle and a Whitney, another steamer. Then they entered the hill climbing competition and their steamer was the only one to reach the summit. It was a day well spent as the publicity from the event garnered 200 orders for the fledgling company. 

The success of the company was noted by wealthy publisher John Brisben Walker who was eager to enter the automobile manufacturing business. In 1899 he offered to purchase the Stanley’s company and assume all outstanding debts.

Reluctant to sell, the brothers countered with an offer they deemed ridiculously excessive - $250,000. Much to their surprise Walker accepted the counteroffer.

However, Walker and his partner, Amzi Barber, began a feud almost immediately and soon divided the company to create two new manufacturers, Mobile and Locomobile.

 This was not the end of the Stanley brothers’ automotive endeavors. It was merely the first chapter. With the sale of the company the brothers now had capital for experimentation and development, and in 1901, they launched a new company – Stanley Motor Carriage Company.

Production commenced that year from their Newton, Massachusetts factory even though advancements with internal combustion engines was already encroaching on the steam car market. This did not deter the Stanley brothers.

They steadfastly adhered to perfecting their steam powered vehicles even though sales were constrained. And they continued garnering headlines. In 1906 at Ormond Beach in Florida, now Daytona Beach, Fred Marriott, the company’s repair department manager piloted the streamlined Stanley Woggle Bug racer to a new land speed record –  205.3kmh (127.6mph) for the standing mile. The following year, with an improved model, Marriott crashed at around 240kmh (150mph).

 The company continued promoting its cars through racing and performance events but chose to limit traditional marketing. As a result, sales remained anaemic with only 5200 cars manufactured by 1911. The death knell came in 1912 when Cadillac introduced an electric starter as standard equipment. Surprisingly, unlike many of its competitors, Stanley soldiered on to 1929.

Modernisation and changes came slowly for the company. In 1913 electric lights became an option. The commercial line of vehicles, busses, and trucks was discontinued in 1916. Reluctantly in 1917 the brothers agreed to initiate a modest advertising campaign. The following year Francis Edgar was killed in an automobile accident, and by 1923 the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Freelan divested himself of the company by selling it to the Steam Vehicle Corporation of America. Even though the new owners attempted to modernise the Stanley with addition of items such as hydraulic brakes, the age of steam had passed.

With a liquidation sale in 1929, the Stanley steamer story came to an end. Even though dozens of companies had manufactured steam powered automobiles during the infancy of the automobile, the Stanley is the one that became synonymous with vehicles that had once been derisively referred to as teapots with wheels.

STeam has lost its puff when this 1920 Model 735 came out. Fewer than 1000 were sold in its first year.

Benjamin Briscoe - part three

The amazing story of United Motors - and how a grand dream came apart.

the only surviving argo

BENJAMIN Briscoe had correctly assessed the state of the America auto industry in late 1907 when he formulated a plan to dominate the market through the merger of major manufacturers and the creation of a new corporation.

And the creation of the United States Motor Company with Maxwell-Briscoe as the cornerstone was an insightful move. Likewise, with William Durant and the creation of General Motors with Buick as the cornerstone. However, the ensuing battle between the conglomerates to acquire companies that manufactured automobiles and ancillary components was ill conceived.

  United States Motor Company was organised in December 1909 as a consortium of numerous independent automotive manufacturing companies.  Initially this consisted of Alden-Sampson Manufacturing Company, Brush Runabout Company, Columbia Motor Car Company, Dayton Motor Car Company, and the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company. The first year’s success was encouraging with the production of 15,000 Maxwells, 10,000 Brush Runabouts, and a combined production of 10,000 Stoddard-Dayton, Columbia, and Alden Sampson Trucks.

In late 1910, Briscoe diversified the company through creation of United Motors International, Ltd. to handle international sales of the vehicles manufactured under the United States Motor Company umbrella. The initial sales focus was on the British commonwealth. To entice investors a company prospectus in 1911 noted that United States Motor Company had eighteen manufacturing facilities with a combined floorspace of 49 acres, had 14,000 employees and was projecting production of 52,000 vehicles for 1912. A claim was also made that sales were up fifty-seven percent from the previous year.

and here it is … a Briscoe

The reality was not as rosy. The company was deeply in debt and seriously overextended.  As a result, in 1912, the company went into receivership and the banks appointed Walter Flanders as manager for the receivers committee to oversee reorganization. In 1913 the company was reborn as Maxwell Motor Company and operations were centralized at Highland Park, Michigan. As per the terms of the reorganization, all association with Benjamin Briscoe was severed.   

Durant’s vision and management style were different from Briscoe’s, but the result was the same. In its first two years, Durant used General Motors to knit together thirty companies including Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Oakland, and numerous parts manufacturers. But, overextended and deeply in debt, in 1911 the board of directors forced Durant to quit the company.

The loss of the United States Motor Company marked Briscoe’s first defeat. It would not be his last. Within twelve months of his departure he had established Briscoe Freres with a manufacturing plant for production of the Ajax cyclecar in Billancourt, France to design and manufacture an automobile “built by American methods.” The company enjoyed moderate success put production ceased when the factory was converted to the manufacturing of artillery shells during WWI. By this time, however, Briscoe had limited his association with the company, returned to the United States and launched other enterprises.

The first endeavour was the Argo car, an American version of the Ajax manufactured in Jackson, Michigan. However, by the time he was ready to initiate serious production the cyclecar craze had evaporated. So, he established the Briscoe Motor Corporation, with a factory in Jackson, Michigan.

In October of 1915, just a year after the launching of the company, with the help of Tom Storey a director of the Brockville Atlas Automobile Company in Ontario, Canada, Briscoe launched a major expansion of Briscoe Motor Corporation to form the Canadian Briscoe Motor Company. This would prove to be a short-lived endeavor that hindered development of the stateside Briscoe automobile.

The 1915 Briscoe was promoted as “The First French Car at an American Price.” Except for a single headlamp faired into the radiator shell there was little in appearance to differentiate the Briscoe from dozens of other vehicles produced at the time. It was powered by a 33-horsepower four-cylinder engine and the Cloverleaf roadster model featured compressed, laminated papier-mache body panels over wood framing. The first-generation Briscoe sold for a relatively modest $750 but this did not include optional top or windshield or starter.

Rather than invest in innovative development Briscoe relied on catchy gimmicks and marketing. As an example, for 1916 he offered two engine options, a slightly improved four-cylinder engine or a Ferro manufactured V8. Brochures and advertisement noted, “Buy the Four. Use it a month. If then you decide you want the V8, simply pay the difference and a small charge for installation work. Later that year the V8 engine was dropped and, in its place, a four cylinder, 24-horsepower, air-cooled engine was offered as an option.

Sales were relatively anemic with only 8,100 vehicles built in 1916, the company’s best year, but Briscoe was a man with ideas. After WWI he returned to France and attempted to find investors for a company that would offer any community an opportunity to become a center of automobile manufacturing through the purchase of easy to assemble plans, Briscoe engines and Bellanger chassis. The idea was stillborn.

The final gasp for the Briscoe Motor Corporation came in 1920. Working with his chief engineer Jules Haltenberger, Briscoe devised a radical plan for simplifying the manufacturing process and thus reducing the cost. These plans included a reversable propeller shaft, a single design for all spring shackles, one size bolts to be used in all suspension components, identical clutch, and brake pedal castings, and one drill/bolt size for the chassis. Production was simplified but at the cost of durability.

In mid-1921, Briscoe sold the entire enterprise to Clarence A. Earl, a Jackson industrialist. Earl continued building cars with parts on hand through the end of 1922 and sold them under the Earl name.

This would be the end of Benjamin Briscoe’s automotive endeavors. However, it was not the end of his ambitions or dreams. Before his death he would  launch a Canadian company that refined crude oil with a process that he had invented, and fund gold mines in Colorado before retiring to an estate in Florida where he experimented with development of hybrid fruit trees.

Even though not all his endeavors were successful, Benjamin Briscoe was truly an automotive pioneer. In light of the fact that he can be credited with playing a pivotal role in the launch of Buick and General Motors, and Chrysler as that company was built on the foundation of Maxwell-Briscoe, his obscurity today is rather surprising.     

Benjamin Briscoe – the story continues

Part two of the intriguing story of the forgotten ‘father’ of the American automobile industry.

FOR astute businessmen like Benjamin Briscoe the fledgling automobile industry represented unprecedented opportunity in the opening years of the 20th century.

Briscoe’s automotive ventures started with the manufacture of components for Ransom E. Olds, a project that led to a fortuitous meeting with Jonathan Maxwell, a talented mechanical engineer. This endeavor ignited a desire to own an automobile manufacturing company.

In the meantime, David Buick again turned to Briscoe as he had exhausted the funds derived from the sale of his plumbing supply company. Briscoe agreed to lend an additional $1500 provided the company would be reorganized with debts secured by the issuance of stock, backed by David Buick’s intellectual property. As per the agreement, if Briscoe were not paid back in 12 months, or bought out, he would become the sole owner of the Buick Motor Company.

Concerned about his investment Briscoe asked Jonathan Maxell to evaluate Buick’s innovative “valve-in-head” stationary engine that was being modified for automotive use. That engine would eventually become the cornerstone of the company’s success, but after Maxwell’s evaluation Briscoe decided to divest himself of association with Buick. As it was a sellers’ market for automotive companies Briscoe quickly negotiated the sale of his interest in the Buick Motor Company to the owners of Flint Wagon Works. One of those men was William Durant. 

By the summer of 1903 Briscoe had fully committed to development of Maxwell’s automotive project. In the closing months of the year Maxwell-Briscoe Company was organised with a major investment from financier J. P. Morgan. The company was launched in Tarrytown, New York after the lease for the moribund Mobile Steamer factory was successfully negotiated.

By 1904 the company was prepared to begin the manufacture and marketing of Maxwell’s car that featured a two-cylinder water cooled engine mounted in front under a hood, a honeycomb radiator, a two-speed planetary gear set, shaft drive and right hand steering. At $750 for the two-passenger “tourabout” the car was well received.

Ten cars were produced and sold in 1904. The following year 825 cars rolled from the factory. With the introduction of a four-cylinder model in 1906, as well as a Dr. Maxwell runabout designed to meet the grueling needs of country doctors and a five-passenger touring car, sales soared. In 1907 nearly 4000 cars were manufactured, and soon production was nearing 10,000 cars annually.

As Briscoe focused on expansion that included establishment of additional manufacturing facilities in Indiana and Rhode Island, and the creation of a dealer network as well an export department, Maxwell concentrated on development. A weak link in the company’s development and growth was marketing. That problem was resolved in a rather spectacular way when Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey joined the company.

Kelsey was an ambitious and talented young man. At age 17 in 1897, he built a car. It never ran but it reflected his interests and skills. His second endeavor built the following year was driven to classes at Harvard. The third endeavor was more conventional in that it had four wheels rather than three. In 1902, with money provided by his father, he established an Autocar dealership and garage. Within six months he had also secured rights for the sale of Locomobile. Then in 1906 he wrote a letter to Maxwell-Briscoe requesting approval as the Maxwell dealer in Philadelphia.

The franchise was negotiated directly with Briscoe and after paying the $5000 fee, Kelsey established a showroom and garage on Broad Street. Then he began marketing. He contracted with Lubin Film Studios to film stunts such as driving up the courthouse steps. These were shown in area Nickelodeon’s and the filmed auto commercial was born.

His stunts, and the occasional arrest of drivers, made headlines that Kelsey deftly transformed into sales. Briscoe and Maxwell soon took notice as Kelsey was selling more cars in Philadelphia that all the dealers in the United States combined. And so, they hired him as the Maxwell-Briscoe company sales manager, and by 1909 Maxwell was the third largest automobile manufacturer in the country.

Briscoe dreamed big. To counter dilution of the market that resulted from hundreds of manufacturers selling automobiles he initiated meetings to create a combine that could provide a vehicle for every market and every budget. In early 1908, Briscoe headed a conference at which he presented a detailed plan for the merger of Maxwell-Briscoe, Buick, Reo and Ford, the four largest US automakers, under the International Motor Car Company name. The ambitious project was stillborn when Henry Ford and Ransom E. Olds withdrew.

William Durant, however, recognized the merits of the proposal and with Buick as the cornerstone established a new corporation, General Motors. The company was incorporated on September 16, 1908. Within two weeks of the founding he had issued $12 million in stock and purchased Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland.

Undaunted Briscoe used Maxwell-Briscoe as the hinge pin for a new corporation, United States Motor Company. Immediately after incorporation he purchased Columbia, Alden-Sampson, the Dayton Motor Car Company, the Gray Motor Company, and Brush Runabout, which was owned in part by Frank Briscoe. The bidding war between Briscoe and Durant for the purchase of manufacturers and ancillary companies that produced auto parts would prove to be calamitous for both companies.

To be continued …

The forgotten father of the US car business

If one person can be said to have started the domestic American automobile industry, a strong case could be made for Benjamin Briscoe.

ON June 28, 1945, the Detroit Free Press, New York Times and other leading newspapers throughout the world noted the death of Benjamin Briscoe.

“BENJAMIN BRISCOE, President of First Maxwell Company, Financier That Launched David Buick’s Automotive Endeavours and Founder of United States Motor Company Dies.” 

So, who was Benjamin Briscoe, “the founder of the domestic American automobile industry” and the man behind numerous pioneering automobile manufacturers? 

Briscoe was born in 1867 to a family of successful entrepreneurs and inventors. His grandfather was a railroad mechanic that was attributed with numerous innovations, and his father was the founder of Michigan Nut and Bolt, a company that produced an array of products using machines of his design.

At age 18, Benjamin Briscoe using his own money established Benjamin Briscoe & Company that used metal stamping to manufacture buckets, barrels, a variety of cans and even bathtubs. And that led to an association with David Dunbar Buick that would later prove pivotal to the development of a pioneering automotive endeavor.

Buick was an innovative manufacturer of plumbing fixtures with more than a dozen patents to his credit, but profit remained elusive until Briscoe began supplying a wide array of related stamped metal supplies on credit. And then Buick perfected and patented a successful process for affixing porcelain to metal, expanded his endeavors, and began manufacturing toilets, sinks, bathtubs and related goods. Success was imminent.

Shortly after entering into the arrangement with Buick, Briscoe sold his business for a tidy profit and established the Detroit Galvanizing and Sheet Metal Works, and using a machine of his invention, began manufacturing corrugated pipe as well as sheet metal components for stoves, ranges and furnaces.

In 1900, Briscoe’s brother Frank joined the company that was then reorganized as the Briscoe Manufacturing Company, and the product line was expanded to include cast iron radiators and copper units used to facilitate the cooling of industrial engines. It was the later which led to a project for Ransom E. Olds.

First, however, Briscoe had to overcome a major hurdle. The Detroit bank used by Briscoe had failed which in turn left Briscoe’s company facing bankruptcy. Undaunted by this potential disaster Briscoe brazenly, without introduction or endorsement, traveled to New York City, and talked his way into a meeting with financiers at J.P. Morgan and Company that included J.P. Morgan himself. Briscoe returned to Detroit with a commitment of a $100,000 investment in his company.

The arrangement with Olds was rooted in disaster. R.E. Olds chief engineer Jonathan Maxwell had perfected an improved cooling system for the Oldsmobile. However, a devastating factory fire in 1901 had decimated the company forcing Olds to seek an outside supplier for a radiator and so he approached Briscoe to negotiate the purchase of 4,500 radiators. Briscoe quickly closed the deal but, in the process, had negotiated for the manufacture of gas tanks as well.

In 1899, David Buick answered the Siren’s call that was the infant auto industry, sold the plumbing supply company and turned his attentions to the development of a valve in head engine, the first step in what he envisioned would become an automobile manufacturing company.

By late 1902, Buick had exhausted his funds and yet his prototype being built in partnership with Walter Marr was not ready for display. As a result, there was little hope of attracting investors. Fortuitously Buick turned to Briscoe who agreed to forgive an outstanding loan, to pay off Buick’s other outstanding debts, and to provide the funds needed to finish the prototype. As per their agreement, Briscoe would become the owner of the completed vehicle, but Buick would use it to solicit for investors to initiate manufacturing.

Briscoe would eventually loan Buick an additional $1500.  To protect his investment this arrangement included the stipulation that if the loan were not repaid within twelve months, Briscoe would become the sole owner of Buick Motor Company.

As Buick focused on development of the fledgling automobile company, Briscoe met with Jonathan Maxwell, the former Olds engineer that was now planning to launch a company of his own, and asked that he evaluate Buick’s project. Sensing an opportunity Maxwell noted the various flaws in the Buick design and presented Briscoe with a business plan for the establishment of a company to manufacture Maxwell’s automobile.

This partnership would lead to the building of two automotive empires, one of which would become the foundation for Chrysler. It would also lead to the establishment of two companies that forever transformed the international auto industry, the founding of an automobile company with a quirky claim to fame, and Briscoe’s diversification into an array of endeavors that would underpin many aspects of the infant auto industry.

Eccentric visionary bucked every trend

Today the remarkable tale of Julian Brown, a well-heeled dreamer who delivered something different to motoring: A radial-engined car.

The infancy of the auto industry was an era of swashbuckling entrepreneurs, dreamers and swindlers. It was a period of unprecedented societal evolution and technological advancement. And it was an almost magical opportunity for eccentrics and visionaries to craft their vision of transportations future.

Alexander T. Brown made a fortune as an inventor, an industrialist and as an investor in a diverse array of automotive endeavours including Brown-Lipe Gear Company and H.H. Franklin, a leading manufacturer of air-cooled automobiles. His son Julian benefitted greatly from his father’s wealth and enjoyed the best automobiles available. And, in spite of time invested in development of a reputation for being a leading New York playboy, he also obtained a first-class education with a focus on mechanical engineering.

In 1911, with backing from his father and his father’s friends as investors he launched the Julian Motor Company. There are scant details about the six-cylinder engine that he developed for use in trucks, automobiles and boats but it was billed as the most expensive engine in America. Needless to say, this was not a suitable basis for the launching of a successful marketing campaign and within one year the company had closed its doors.

In 1918, Julian launched a new endeavour, a company organised to manufacture “an exciting and revolutionary automobile.” It was truly a manifestation of his eccentricity. First, there was the engine, a “Twin Three” that he had designed. This V6 was set in a specially designed chassis that allowed for a 21-inch ground clearance, not overly practical in an era of deeply rutted roads. Incredibly the entire car weighed a mere 300-pounds (136 kilograms). 

The Julian Motor Car Company had been organised with the goal being manufacture of the radical vehicle. However, the project never progressed beyond construction of one prototype and this company also closed within one year. This did not deter Julian Brown. He had money and he was a dreamer, an eccentric visionary.

In 1925 he unveiled another vehicle and launched the Julian Brown Development Company. This car was unlike anything else on the road and the June 4, 1925 issue of The Automobile / Automotive Industries devoted several pages to the vehicle.

After extensive study of radial aeronautical engines, and the Adams-Farwell automobile that had been produced with a radial engine around 1905, he developed an engine of his own design.

“The engine is a six-cylinder fixed radial air-cooled type mounted at the rear of the chassis; it drives through a combination sliding pinion and planetary type of transmission giving four forward and two reverse speeds.

“Each of the rear axle shafts is connected through a universal joint to one of the side gears of the differential. The wheel bearings are mounted on tubes which terminate in a ball joint over the universal joint, which is fastened to the housing of the powerplant and differential.” Another unusual feature was four-wheel brakes that could be adjusted with thumb screws on the brake pedal.

Styling was somewhat antiquated. Fleetwood developed the custom body designed by Brown using aluminum panels over wood framing. The interior also was a reflection of his eccentricity. The drivers’ seat was centered in front and immediately behind was a bench for two passengers. Additionally, there were two folding seats on the sides behind the driver.

This venture proved to be far more successful than previous endeavors in that six vehicles were hand-built and sold before the company declared bankruptcy. As with previous enterprises the last of Julian Brown’s attempt to build an automobile ended with extensive, costly and lengthy lawsuits.

To learn more about Julian Brown take a listen to the exclusive MotoringNZ podcast from Jim Hinckley’s America (jimhinckleysamerica.com).  

Pomeroy – treading lightly in the 1920s

Aluminium has become a common material in modern cars. But who was first to put this lightweight material on the road? The answer might surprise.

Exactly why the Aluminum Company of America decided to diversify and initiate plans for the development of an automobile is a mystery.

The timing is equally curious as in late 1919 the world was gripped by an intense post war economic recession. Another fascinating aspect of the project is the fact that the company retained the services of Laurence H. Pomeroy to oversee development.

Born in London, England, Pomeroy had apprenticed as an engineer with the North London Railway Company. In 1905 he accepted a position with Vauxhall Ironworks Company and in late 1907 was tasked with a project to redesign one of the company’s engines to allow for Vauxhall to compete in the 1908 RAC 2000-mile trial run.

The cars modified by Pomeroy won several classes and as a result he was promoted to the post of Works Manager. In 1910 he modified a 20hp Vauxhall that reached speeds of 100 miles per hour at Brooklands.

This was also the year that he designed a car to participate in the German Prince Henry Tours that were held from 1905 to 1911. This would become the basis for the now legendary Vauxhall “Prince Henry” models manufactured by Vauxhall from 1911 to 1914.

These limited production models were internationally acclaimed for speed as well as durability. In 1914, H. Massac Buist, a leading automotive journalist noted that, "Of the three Vauxhalls which ran in the Prince Henry Tour, two got full marks for reliability, and all did about 65 miles an hour in the speed trial, which was really quite good for that engine with a four-seated body and a full complement of passengers.

“So many people desired cars of this special type that in 1911 it was made a regular product of the Vauxhall works, and, during the last year or so a new style has sprung up. In this the engine dimensions are 95 by 140 mm., the old bore-stroke ratio having penalised the car under many hill-climbing formulae. All such formulae which do not involve the cubic capacity of the engine are by common acceptance considered advantageous to engines with small bore and long stroke. The chassis follows the lines of the original Prince Henry but has rather a longer wheelbase."

Pomeroy was also an early proponent for the use of aluminum in automobiles. However, in this he was not alone. Numerous automobile manufacturing companies, most notably Franklin of Syracuse, New York, were pioneering the use of the lightweight metal to enhance the performance of their durable air-cooled vehicles. Still, the car envisioned by the Aluminum Company of America, was to be a true industry leader.

The Pomeroy, as the car was named, was to utilize aluminum in eighty-five percent of its construction including body panels, crankcase, transmission case and dashboard.

Purportedly several hundred thousand dollars was spent on the top-secret project before six cars were completed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1921. The four-cylinder cars were vigorously tested before their introduction to the public the following year.

Then arrangement was made with the luxury automobile manufacturer Pierce-Arrow to develop an extended wheelbase, 133-inches versus 126-inches, model powered by a 75-horsepower, aluminum six-cylinder engine. It was a logical partnership as Pierce-Arrow was another early proponent of aluminum having made extensive use of the metal in the 1916 Model 66.

A few Pomeroy’s were completed and tested before the entire project was unceremoniously dropped. Today the Pomeroy automobile is largely a forgotten chapter in the history of the American auto industry. It is also but one of many interesting chapters in the history