American Motor Carriage Company

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American Motor Carriage Company
legal form Company
founding 1902
resolution 1904
Seat Cleveland , Ohio , USA
management George F. McKay
Branch Automobile manufacturer

The American Motor Carriage Company was an American automobile manufacturer in Cleveland ( Ohio ). The brand name was American , unofficially American Gas . Over 40 manufacturers have used the American name for motor vehicles.

description

The company emerged in August 1901 from an interior design store. President was George F. McKay , Vice President and Chief Executive Officer FD Dorman . JF Morris was the actuary and chief financial officer and George H. Wadsworth was the production manager.

The American Gas , as it was most commonly called, was a two-person runabout, or motorized buggy, weighing approximately 450 kg (1000 lb) with a gasoline engine . The design engineer was the company's chief engineer, George W. Dunham . The engine was a probably purchased single cylinder with water cooling and about 7 bhp (5.1 kW) power. As is customary with these buggies, it was stored lying down in a compartment under the bench. The power transmission took place via a planetary gear and a drive chain running along the center of the rear axle . The wheelbase was 1829 mm (72 inches). The most modern element was steering by means of a steering wheel, steering levers were common for such vehicles. Right- hand drive was common at the time . The gas tank held 7 gallons (about 26 liters), which was enough for about 250 km (150 miles).

The light body included a small storage space in the bow. The car was painted in French carmine , the chassis and wheels in Valentine red and the seat was upholstered in black leather. The biggest problem with the unspectacular vehicle, somewhat reminiscent of the Oldsmobile Curved Dash , was probably the price of US $ 1,000; the Oldsmobile had an output of 4.5 bhp (3.3 kW), weighed just under 300 kg and cost only US $ 650.–.

In September 1903, the company came under the administration of the Prudential Trust Company . Under the direction of the former chief engineer Dunham, as many cars were completed as there were components. These were sold until April 1904 at a reduced price of US $ 750. An American Automobile Company then moved into the premises without producing a single car.

The press noted that the American Motor Carriage Company was the first Cleveland automaker to file for bankruptcy. This is not entirely true, but before that, smaller companies were affected.

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (Editor), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI (1996), ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9 ISBN 0-87341-428-4
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 48. (English)
  • GN Georgano (Editor): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present ; Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition (hardcover) 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0
  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .

Web links

Commons : American Motor Carriage Company  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 48. (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d e Kimes / Cark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (1996), pp. 41-42