Covert Motor Vehicle Company

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Logo from 1903
1904 emblem

The Covert Motor Vehicle Company , previously Byron V. Covert & Company , was an American manufacturer of light automobiles and voiturettes at the beginning of the 20th century.

description

The company was founded in 1902 to produce a steam car that BV Covert had previously developed. Ultimately, he refrained and instead began in Lockport ( New York ) with the production of a lightweight automobile with gasoline engine . According to company records, the headquarters of the administration was in Rochester (New York). Despite changes to the original planning, the Covert 3 HP Runabout went into series production in the late summer of 1902, and a representative in New York City , Fickling & Fulton at 248 West / 54th Street, established itself in the fall.

The car had a single-cylinder engine with an output of 3 HP , which was placed under the driver's seat, according to the calculation formula at that time, usually according to NACC (National Automobile Chamber of Commerce) or ALAM (Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers). The cooling is interesting : air for the cylinder and water ( thermosiphon cooling ) for the cylinder head . The water cooler seems to have been installed under the floor of the car because it cannot be seen from the front in a contemporary photo. The power was transmitted to the rear axle via a two-speed gearbox and chain . There was no reverse gear . It was steered by means of a lever ; the steering column was mounted on the outside right next to the driver's seat (all Covert were right-hand drive , typical of the time ). The car had a suspension that consisted of two elliptical springs per axle, each with a spring leaf, and filigree-looking wire - spoke wheels . The wheelbase was 1575 mm (62 inches). With a retail price of US $ 600, the Covert was competitive. It was occasionally called Covert Motorette in the trade press .

Covert Chainless

Advertisement for the Covert Chainless in Motor Age ; Late 1903.

Covert showed a second, somewhat larger model at the New York Motor Show in January 1903. This new Covert Chainless had a water-cooled engine based on the popular De Dion-Bouton single-cylinder engine with 5 hp and manual ignition timing . The chassis consisted of square tubes. Instead of the wire spoke wheels, Covert now used those with wooden spokes (so-called artillery wheels ). This model was also only available as a runabout for two people. Its construction based on the Panhard principle (motor at the front, driven axle at the rear) was much more modern than that of the 3-hp car. The honeycomb cooler again worked with the thermosiphon principle and was attached to the front of the car in front of the bonnet . The engine now installed upright worked under this. Its power was no longer transmitted via a chain ("Chainless" = without chain), but via a shaft to the two-speed gearbox with spiral teeth, " transaxle " design, which was interlocked with the rear axle .

The advertisement referred to a conventional gearbox, while a reference to a planetary gearbox is found in a contemporary driving report by mistake . Surely there was now a reverse gear. The steering lever gave way to a steering wheel . The car had two brakes and a locking device; one was operated with a lever and the other with a pedal. Usually one brake applied to the rear wheels and the other applied to the differential ; However, there is no exact information on the covert. The manufacturer attached importance to the information that all working parts are encapsulated.

Covert promoted the Chainless with the slogan “Artistic in design, superior in construction, modern through and through. Fast enough for good roads, powerful enough for bad ones. "

While the price of the 3hp car was cut to US $ 500, the new Covert Chainless was US $ 750.

Covert Motor Vehicle Company

Covert Chainless, probably 5 HP (1903), artwork from the Automobile Trade Journal ; Vol. 7 issued by the Chilton Company
Covert 6½ HP, dated 1904 by the Royal Automobile Club
Covert 6½ HP from 1904

In 1904 the company was renamed Covert Motor Vehicle Company . There was a new vehicle program; the 3 hp model was discontinued and a larger and stronger Chainless replaced the 5 hp runabout. The engine now developed 6½ HP,

the wheelbase was 1829 mm (72 inches). On the occasion of the World Exhibition of St. Louis in 1904 , a reliability drive from Buffalo to St. Louis ( Missouri ) was carried out, on which a Covert Chainless was the only one in its class to reach its destination.

Four-cylinder model

At the same time, with the new 20/24 PS, a four-cylinder model from Covert appeared for the first time . This upper mid-range car cost US $ 2250, had a wheelbase of 2388 mm (94 inches) and was only available as a five-seat Touring .

There were few changes for 1905. The price of the Chainless has been reduced to US $ 650. Covert always suffered from undercapitalization , which expressed itself in a restriction of sales to the state of New York as well as in the restriction to the Chainless from 1906. It was possibly built until early 1908; Vehicle production was officially stopped in 1907.

Vehicle components

After that, Covert concentrated on the manufacture of components for automobiles and commercial vehicles , mainly suspension parts and axles. The company became a major automotive supplier as Covert Gear , based in Detroit .

Covert-Jackson

Some examples of the Chainless appear to have gone on sale in the UK as Covert-Jackson .

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (Editor) and Clark, Henry Austin, Jr.; The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 2nd edition, Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, USA (1985), ISBN 0-87341-111-0 ; Page 369 (English)

Web links

Commons : Covert  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Kimes (1985), p. 368
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Horseless Age of December 24, 1902; Driving report
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Kimes (1985), p. 369
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Advertisement in Motor Age late 1903
  5. ↑ a b c Frank Leslie's Monthly Magazine 1904
  6. ^ Advertisement in Motor Age at the end of 1903: “Artistic in Design, Superior in construction, through and through up to date. Fast enough for good roads, powerful enough for bad roads. "
  7. ^ Starting number 409 at the 2011 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
  8. ↑ homepage LBVCR; 2005; Participant No. 356
  9. ↑ 1727 mm = 68 inches according to Frank Leslie's Monthly Magazine 1904
  10. ↑ the English Wikipedia quotes David Wise Burgess (2000); The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles. Chartwell Books. ISBN 0-7858-1106-0