Continental Engine Manufacturing Company

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The Continental Engine Manufacturing Company , based in Chicago ( Illinois ) and a production facility in Minneapolis ( Minnesota ) was an American manufacturer of motors and automobiles before the First World War .

Model history

In 1914, the company launched a cycle car under the brand name Continental . The design came from John E. Pfeffer . It appears that the Minneapolis manufacturing facility was actually that of the Dispatch Motor Car Company and that it was making the small car for Continental Engine Manufacturing .

Only a few months after the start of production, new investors were found in WC Shrobisher from Sturgis (Michigan) and Emory Nonnast from Chicago ( Illinois ). The company was reorganized with US $ 1 million in new capital and renamed the Continental Engineering Company . The Continental was developed into the Ceco and built in new, dedicated halls in Chicago.

John E. Pfeffer remained connected to the company, but also allied himself with the Bull Moose-Cutting Automobile Company in St. Paul, Minnesota . There a slightly modified version of the Continental was made as Baby Moose 12 HP in 1914 .

technology

The Continental was the company's only model, but the customer could choose between driving the rear wheels with a chain or belt . The price was the same: US $ 360, -.

The use of a four-cylinder engine was unusual for a cycle car . Continental made it itself. It was a T-head engine with air cooling . With 66.7 ci (1093 cm³) displacement , the usual size for Cyclecars of 1100 cm³ was maintained. The cylinder bore was 2.6875 inches (68.2625 mm) and the stroke 2.9375 inches (74.61 mm). An output of 11.6 HP is stated for the motor. It is calculated, not measured, and is based on the NACC formula , which defines 12.1 HP for four-cylinder engines with this bore.

The wheelbase was also the usual 2337 mm (92 inches), the track was unusually narrow at 813 mm (32 inches).

Model overview

construction time Model
rating		 engine Displacement drive wheelbase body List price
1914 12 HP 4 cyl. 1093 cc Drive belt 2337 mm Tandem - Roadster , 2 pl. US $ 360.00
1914 12 HP 4 cyl. 1093 cc Chain 2337 mm Tandem roadster, 2 pl. US $ 360.00

Remarks

NACC rating 1916-1917.
  1. ↑ The initial dimensions may have been rounded, so the conversion may result in a sham accuracy.
  2. ↑ The NACC ( National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ) was an association of automobile manufacturers that implemented standards for the US auto industry. These performance data are not measured, but calculated from the formula "( cylinder bore ² × number of cylinders) ÷ 2.5". For this purpose, tables were published that provided a quick overview (see figure below). A conversion to kilowatts (kW) is not possible.

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 .
  • George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd Edition, 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • Robert D. Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era: Essential Specifications of 4,000+ Gasoline Powered Passenger Cars, 1906-1915, with a Statistical and Historical Overview. Mcfarland & Co Inc. publishers, Jefferson NC, 2013; ISBN 0-78647-136-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942. 1996; P. 372 (Continental).
  2. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942. 1996; P. 265 (Ceco).
  3. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942. 1996; Pp. 93-94 (Baby Moose).
  4. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942. 1996; P. 193 (Bull Moose).
  5. ↑ a b c d e Georgano: Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. 1973, p. 204 (Continental).
  6. ^ A b c Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era. 2013, p. 65 (Ceco / Continental).