California Motor Car Company

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Sunset Automobile Company
Victory Motor Car Company
California Motor Car Company
legal form Company
founding 1900
resolution 1913
Seat San Jose , California , USA
Branch Automobiles

California Motor Car Company , previously Sunset Automobile Company and Victory Motor Car Company , was an American manufacturer of automobiles .

Company history

Dorville Libby Jr. ran the Sunset Automobile Company in San Francisco , California . In 1900 the production of automobiles began. The brand name was Sunset . Frank H. Holmes was later involved in the design of the vehicles. Harry A. Knox of Atlas Motor Car Company showed interest in Sunset products. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed the factory in 1906.

Libby left the company. Bert Knapp from the Knapp Manufacturing Company in San José , California, was interested. The two companies merged. The new company name was Victory Motor Car Company . The seat was now in San José. Frank Holmes was President and Bert Knapp was Vice President. Knox built vehicles under license and thus helped to survive the financial problems. In August 1906 a new plant was completed. At the end of 1908, eight vehicles were made every month. At the time, 230 vehicles of the brand were registered in San José alone. In 1910 Holmes and Knapp left the company. Herbert S. Swanton now managed the company. At the end of 1912, production at Victory came to a standstill.

The California Motor Car Company manufactured the vehicles in 1913 . It's unclear whether it was a renaming or a takeover. The plant was sold in September 1913. With that the production ended for good.

In 1917, 37 vehicles of the brand were still registered in California.

vehicles

From 1900 to 1904 there were steam cars in the range. They had a two- cylinder steam engine from the Mason-Neilan Regulator Company . The chassis came from AL Dyke Automobile Supply Company . The engine power was transmitted via a chain. Was steered with a steering lever.

In addition, were electric cars manufactured, the interval is unclear.

In 1904, vehicles with gasoline engines replaced the previous models. At first it was a two-cylinder two - stroke engine with 10 HP output, which was mounted under a hood at the front . It drove the rear axle via a planetary gear and a cardan shaft . The chassis had a wheelbase of 213 cm . The structure was always a runabout until 1905 .

In 1906 Surrey and touring cars were added. In addition, a model with a four-cylinder engine and 20 hp completed the range.

In 1907 there were three models in the range. Model A had a two-cylinder engine and was runabout $ 950 . Model B, with a three-cylinder engine, was also a runabout that cost $ 1,250. Model C also had a three-cylinder engine, but was bodied as a touring car and cost $ 1,400. A wheelbase of 213 cm and an engine output of 15 hp have been handed down, although it remains unclear whether this information only refers to the latter model.

A roadster was added in 1908 . These vehicles were also used in motor racing . In September 1908, three out of five races were won in Fresno .

The Model 30 appeared in 1909 . It had an engine from the Continental Motors Company . The wheelbase was 279 cm. There was a choice of roadsters for $ 1,450 and touring cars for $ 1,500. A top speed of 96 km / h was guaranteed. The models with two-stroke engines remained available.

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. 1450 (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. 1550 (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. 1450 (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. 1550 (English).