Auto Vehicle Company

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Auto Vehicle Company
legal form Company
founding 1902
resolution 1909
Seat Los Angeles , California , USA
management William H. Burnham
Branch Motor vehicles

Auto Vehicle Company was the most popular California automobile manufacturer before 1918.

Company history

Ralph B. Hain and Carroll S. Hartman founded the company in May 1902 in Los Angeles . Waldemar Hansen was recruited as a designer. In 1902 the production of automobiles began . There were both passenger cars and commercial vehicles . The brand name was Tourist . Hain left the company in late 1902 and Hartman shortly thereafter. William H. Burnham became the new president. Watt Moreland, designer of the Magnolia , was employed from 1903 and moved to the Durocar Manufacturing Company in 1906 . That year, Volney S. Beardsley, former maker of the Darling , was sales manager.

In November 1909 problems became known. The reason was a shortage of materials, because the company had no contract with George Baldwin Selden , the owner of the Selden patent . In the same month everything was sold to the California Automobile Company . This company manufactured Tourist vehicles until 1910 . A total of 2,692 cars of this brand were built.

vehicles

In 1902 there was only the 7 HP . It had a single cylinder engine designed by Hain. In the prototype it made 6 hp and in the series models 7 hp. It was mounted under the seat and drove the rear axle via a chain. The vehicle was similar to the Ford and Cadillac models at the time , but still had an outdated steering lever instead of a steering wheel . The chassis had a wheelbase of 183 cm . One source mentions touring cars with two and four seats, while another names a two-seater with a removable tonneau for two additional passengers.

The 8 HP followed in 1903 . It had a two-cylinder engine with 8 hp. The wheelbase and superstructures remained unchanged.

In 1904 it became the 12 HP . The two-cylinder engine now developed 12 hp. A water cooler on the front of the vehicle simulated a front engine . However, the engine was still mounted under the seat.

1905 there was the Model K . The two-cylinder engine was now specified with 20 hp. The wheelbase was 229 cm. The open touring car offered space for five people.

In 1906 the wheelbase of the Model K was shortened by 2 inches to 224 cm. The Model M completed the range. It had a four-cylinder engine with 35 hp, a wheelbase of 254 cm and was also bodied as a five-seat touring car.

There were three models to choose from between 1907 and 1908. The Model K-7 corresponded to the Model K from 1905, so it had a wheelbase of 229 cm again. The Model N-7 had a four-cylinder engine that was specified with 35/40 hp. The wheelbase measured 274 cm. There was a choice of a runabout with two seats and a touring car with seven seats. The Model G-7 but had the same engine and the same wheelbase, was a limousine .

In 1909 there were six models on offer. Type B as a five-seat touring car and Type O as a four-seat roadster had a two-cylinder engine with 22/24 hp and a wheelbase of 259 cm. Above this was the Type G with a four-cylinder engine, 25/30 hp and 269 cm wheelbase, which was available as a touring car with three, four and five seats. Type H as a four-seat roadster and five-seat touring car and Type L as a sedan both had a four-cylinder engine rated at 35/40 hp and a 300 cm wheelbase. There was also another Type H , whose engine was specified with 45/50 hp.

In 1910 the new manufacturer did not change anything in the range.

Model overview

year model cylinder Power ( hp ) Wheelbase (cm) construction
1902 7 HP 1 7th 183 2-seater and 4-seater touring cars
1903 8 HP 2 8th 183 2-seater and 4-seater touring cars
1904 12 HP 2 12 183 2-seater and 4-seater touring cars
1905 Model K 2 20th 229 5-seater touring car
1906 Model K 2 20th 224 5-seater touring car
1906 Model M 4th 35 254 5-seater touring car
1907-1908 Model G-7 4th 35/40 274 7-seater sedan
1907-1908 Model K-7 2 20th 229 5-seater touring car
1907-1908 Model N-7 4th 35/40 274 Runabout 2-seater, touring car 7-seater
1909-1910 Type B 2 22/24 259 5-seater touring car
1909-1910 Type G 4th 25/30 269 Touring car 3-seat and 4-seat and 5-seat
1909-1910 Type H 4th 35/40 300 Roadster 4-seater, touring car 5-seater
1909-1910 Type H 4th 45/50 300 Roadster 4-seater, touring car 5-seater
1909-1910 Type L 4th 35/40 300 limousine
1909-1910 Type O 2 22/24 259 Roadster 4-seater

Production numbers

year Production number
1902 12
1903 17th
1904 75
1905 150
1906 487
1907 463
1908 573
1909 594
1910 321
total 2692

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 1474-1476 (English).
  • George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 3: P-Z . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 1599 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 1474-1476 (English).
  2. ↑ George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 3: P-Z . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 1599 (English).