Adams-Farwell

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Adams-Farwell Gyro Motor Rotary, gyrocopter motor for a successful series of experiments, 1909

Adams-Farwell was an innovative American automobile brand from Dubuque , Iowa , which was manufactured locally by the Adams Company from 1905 to 1911 .

history

Adams Farwell Model No. 6 Convertible Brougham, 1905.

The company emerged from the Roberts & Langworthy Iron Works , located at 57 South Main Street in Dubuque , which manufactured grave crosses and park benches . After Roberts' withdrawal from the company in 1883, Eugene Adams acquired his stake and joined the company as secretary and managing director. In 1885 it was renamed Langworthy and Adams Iron Works . When Langworthy also retired in 1892, Eugene's brother Herbert Adams was able to buy his share. Now the company has been reorganized as The Adams Company, Foundry and Machine Shop . In the same year the plant was victim of a fire and the company moved to new premises on East 4th Street . Now cast-iron machine components and household appliances such as washing machines or a "floor heating fan" patented in 1897, which distributed warm air from the lower to the upper rooms, were also manufactured. In 1895 Fay Oliver Farwell (1859-1935) joined the company as managing director.

He soon began with internal combustion engines to experiment and constructed a lying been requested arrange 3- cylinder - rotary engine whose cylinder and crankcase is horizontal to a standing fixed crankshaft turned. Inlet and outlet valves were led directly into the cylinder heads. The power is transmitted by means of bevel gears and the air is cooled by the rotation of the cylinders. Farwell had the idea for their star-shaped arrangement after observing a steam wind ; He saw the main advantages in the fact that the engine needed neither a flywheel nor a cooling device. In 1898 he built this engine between the front wheels of an iron-tyred carriage . Already in the prototype Model No. 2 , however, he installed his engine in the rear . All further Adams-Farwell followed this concept . For this second vehicle he used bicycle wheels , for the third wooden spokes - artillery wheels . The probably similar Model No. 4 he sold to a citizen of Dubuque. Prototype No. 5 was in February 1905 at the Motor Show of Chicago demonstrated (Illinois), where orders were received for the first time. It went into production practically unchanged as the Model 6 20/25 hp . Advertisements were advertised with the slogan: It spins like a top .

Innovations

Adams-Farwell Series 6 40/45 hp with a five-cylinder rotary engine (8045 cc displacement), body by Connolly Carriage & Buggy Co. (1906); the only known Adams-Farwell still in existence. It can be steered from both the folding front and rear seats.

In addition to the engine, the Adams-Farwell had other idiosyncratic solutions to offer. The only body variant available , referred to as a Convertible Brougham , was actually a Town Brougham . Its "changeable", convertible part consisted of a bench in the bulkhead that could be opened if necessary. The steering lever - a steering wheel came later - and the controls attached to it, could be removed in a few simple steps and reattached in front of the rear bench seat. The practical benefit: in bad weather it was not necessary to drive from the unprotected front seat. The Adams Farwell had a list price of $ 2,500, making it a luxury model as it was understood at the time .

In 1906 the Model 6 became a Series 6 ; In addition to the well-known 20/25 hp three-cylinder, a new Series 6 40/45 hp with a five-cylinder engine based on the same design principle and around 8 liters of displacement was available. Both shared a slightly longer chassis compared to the previous year.

The Adams Company now supplied the 20/25 hp instead of the Brougham as a landaulet (probably a similar structure with a foldable rear roof section) and as a 5-seater touring which was occasionally called a convertible runabout . The 40/45 hp was also available as a Touring , a Landaulet (both 5-seater) and an Extension Brougham ; the latter had a wheelbase that was about 10 cm longer . A 7-seater Touring, known as the Model 7-A , with a conventional-looking front (without radiator) was significantly longer ; As with other vehicles of the era, the engine was still in its traditional position in the rear. The back seat was offset slightly forward in front of the rear axle. All other variants had the folding front seat. Also new was the Model 8-A Gentleman's Speed Roadster with the shortest chassis of the model year, the 40/45 hp engine and a frameless construction that can be considered the forerunner of the self-supporting body . This sports car was capable of around 120 km / h, which was a remarkable speed at the time.

This variety of models had completely disappeared in 1907; there was only the Model 7-A Touring , new with an even longer wheelbase and a higher price.

1908 was again a year of innovation. A four-speed gearbox was probably introduced with the new Model 9 50 hp (most cars then had three gears). There were also two clutches , one each for gears 2 and 4 and one for gears 1, 3 and reverse. A separate gear lever was provided for each clutch ; they were operated by means of a common lever on the steering column. In this way, two gears can be preselected at the same time, for example second and reverse. One of them was inserted by simply flipping the clutch lever. Instead of the manual steering lever, there was now an accelerator pedal and steering wheel. This eliminated the possibility of moving the steering to a different seat position. Instead, the steering column was guided in a rail in front of the front seats and could be moved in it; the car was left or right-hand drive, depending on the driver's wishes . This Model 9 was available as a roadster for three, as a touring for seven and as a coupé for three people. Unfortunately, the roadster was now also built conventionally.

There was one last change in 1909. The Coupé was dropped without replacement, the Roadster got an additional seat and the Touring an even longer chassis. The Adams-Farwell was built in this form until 1912. After that, the Adams Company gave up car manufacturing. Between 1905 and 1911, between 52 and 200 Adams-Farwell were made .

Model overview

The small company brought out a very impressive number of models and variants, as the overview shows:

Construction year model cylinder power Wheelbase mm / in Construction construction List price
1898 Model No. 1 3 circulation Front engine ; Rear wheel drive Express carriage -
1899 (approx.) Model No. 2 3 circulation Rear engine ; Rear wheel drive -
1901 Model No. 3 3 circulation Rear engine ; Rear wheel drive -
1902 (approx.) Model No. 4th 3 circulation Rear engine ; Rear wheel drive
1904-1905 Model No. 5 3, circulation 25 hp Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Convertible Brougham -
1905 Model No. 6 20/25 hp 3 circulation 25 hp 2134/84 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Convertible Brougham $ 2500
1906 Series 6 20/25 hp Model A 3 circulation 25 hp 2286/90 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 5 seats $ 2000
1906 Series 6 20/25 hp Model B 3 circulation 25 hp 2286/90 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Landaulet 7 seats $ 2500
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 2286/90 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 5 seats $ 2500
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 2286/90 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Landaulet 7 seats $ 3000
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 2388/94 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Extension Brougham $ 4000
1906 Model 7-A 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 2743/108 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 7 seats $ 3000
1906 Model 8-A 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 2184/86 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Gentleman's Speed Roadster $ 4000
1907 Model 7-A 40/45 hp 5 circulation 45 hp 3048/120 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 7 seats $ 3250
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 circulation 50 hp 3048/120 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Roadster 3 seats $ 3000
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 circulation 50 hp 3048/120 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 7 seats $ 3500
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 circulation 50 hp 3048/120 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Coupe 3 seats $ 4000
1909-1912 Model 9 50 hp 5 circulation 50 hp 3048/120 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Roadster 4 seats $ 3000
1909-1912 Model 9 50 hp 5 circulation 50 hp 3251/128 Rear engine; Rear wheel drive Touring 7 seats $ 3500

In displaying a 1906 Touring with "false" bonnet and the designation Model L displayed. This is probably the Model 7-A 40/45 hp ; further information could not be found.

Performance data

Performance data from this time are unclear; at that time there was no uniform standard for calculation. As a rule, the first value relates to the taxable horsepower and the second to the power ( HP ). In the USA, the formulas of the NACC (“North American Chamber of Commerce”) or the ALAM (“Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers”) were used. The output of the Adam-Farwell Model 6 20/25 should have been between 15 and 20 kW and the Model 9 50 hp around 35 kW.

The only Adams Farwell still in existence

The National Automobile Museum in Reno ( Nevada ) - formerly Harrah Collection  - has the last remaining brand vehicle, a Series 6 40/45 hp Touring , spanned by the Connolly Carriage & Buggy Company ; with a five-cylinder engine and the folding bench in the front. It competed in the 2011 Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach and won the Charles A. Chayne Trophy for the most advanced technique of its time.

Further development without building a car

The Adams Company also developed lightweight gyrocopter motors that successfully powered test models by Emile Berliner in 1909/10 and J. Newton Williams in 1909. After the abandonment of automobile construction (it is not clear how long engines were made), the company switched to iron foundry and the production of gears . Fay Farwell left the Adams Company beginning in 1920 and then tried a patent for driving fun fair - carousels evaluate.

literature

  • Kimes, Beverly Rae (editors) and Clark Jr., Henry Austin: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 2nd Edition, Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, USA (1985), ISBN 0-87341-111-0
  • Kimes, Beverly Rae: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America , SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Permissions, Warrendale PA (2005), ISBN 0-7680-1431-X ; P. 368

Web links

Commons : Adams-Farwell  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: encyclopediadubuque.com ): Roberts & Langworthy Iron Works@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.encyclopediadubuque.com
  2. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: encyclopediadubuque.com ): The Adams Company@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.encyclopediadubuque.com
  3. ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: encyclopediadubuque.com ): Rotary Engine@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.encyclopediadubuque.com
  4. ↑ Transl.: "It turns like a top."
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h Kimes: Standard Catalog (1985); Adams-Farwell
  6. ↑ a b c ( page no longer available , search in web archives: encyclopediadubuque.com ): Adams-Farwell Automobiles@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.encyclopediadubuque.com
  7. ↑ a b c conceptcarz.com : Adams-Farwell 7-A (1906)
  8. ↑ All data: Kimes
  9. ↑ Detailed view of the engine at conceptcarz.com
  10. ↑ trombinoscar.com has photos of the car with the seat open
  11. ^ Pebble Beach Concours