Finley Robertson Porter Company

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Finley Robertson Porter Company

logo
legal form Corporation
founding 1914
resolution 1918
Reason for dissolution closure
Seat Port Jefferson , Suffolk County , New York (Long Island), USA
management Finley Robertson Porter
Branch Automobiles , armaments , aircraft engines

The Finley Robertson Porter Company was an American automobile manufacturer from 1914 to 1916. Brand names were Porter-Knight and FRP. Before the First World War , the company was taken over by the US government and manufactured armaments such as aircraft engines until 1918 . The sporty, luxurious FRP automobiles were among the most powerful and expensive on the US market at the time.

Finley Robertson Porter

Mercer Type 35 Raceabout (1911).

Finley Robertson Porter (1871–1964) was the managing director of a metalworking company and acquired engineering skills in evening classes. He finished his studies without a formal degree. Nevertheless, he worked from 1910 to 1914 as a designer for Mercer . He developed the Type 35 Raceabout with a T-head engine (an engine with intake and exhaust valves on the opposite side of the engine block ), which made the vehicle one of the most successful racing cars and Mercer one of the most famous sports car manufacturers of its time.

Because the management decided to use a side-controlled motor for the successor model and showed no intention of introducing a model suggested by Porter above the existing program, Porter quit in May 1914 and founded his own company.

Company history

Two of the three Porter-Knight racing cars built for the Indianapolis 500 in 1915.
Introductory advertisement for the FRP Model 45. Shown is a Holbrook Series B Touring with Victoria convertible top (1915)

In Port Jefferson ( Suffolk County on Long Island , New York State ) Porter found suitable premises and set up the Finley Robertson Porter Company to manufacture high-quality automobiles. The company was organized under the laws of the state of New York and funded with US $ 100,000. The systems had previously been used by the now insolvent sports car manufacturer Metropol Motors Corporation . The board consisted of FR Porter as president, the vice-presidents PD Veiller and H. Adams , CH Froelich as secretary and Robert B. Porter as chief financial officer; the latter was FR Porter's son, who studied engineering at Princeton until 1915 . He then worked in the company as a designer of aircraft engines.

Until production was set up, experiments were carried out in Woonsocket, Rhode Island . It is not proven, but plausible, that the first three vehicles were built here. They were specifically designed for the Indianapolis 500 , which was held in late May 1915. These racing cars were known as the Porter-Knight . Her chassis measured 110 inches (2794 mm); the Willys-Knight four-cylinder valve engines , tuned to 52 bhp , were provided by Porter's friend John North Willys . However, due to engine problems, none of the three vehicles could start in Indianapolis. This debacle led Porter to turn away from the Knight valve engine and develop his own engine with S OHC valve control .

The specialist magazine "The Automobile" reported on the young company as early as 1914 and noted that "practically every screw and bolt" was manufactured in-house. The brand name for the new passenger cars was FRP , which stands for Porter's initials. The first "series vehicles" were completed at the end of 1914 and the official launch took place on January 3, 1915 in the elegant Hotel Astor in New York. The FRP Model 45 was a superlative car. It was advertised with the slogan: America's Foremost Pleasure Car. With a list price starting at US $ 5,000 for the bare chassis - the equivalent of a Packard 3-38 with a closed body, two Cadillac Type 51 Brougham or eleven well-equipped Ford Model T Touring - it was one of the most expensive on the market. Only a few other brands achieved the output of 100 bhp (74.6 kW); a higher power rating of 145 bhp (108 kW) is mentioned in contemporary reports, for example by "The Automobile" and apparently also "The Motor". On the other hand, the 170 bhp (127 kW) also mentioned are more likely to be attributed to the legend of this brand.

FRP was probably the only manufacturer who relied on four-cylinder engines of their own design for this performance. The small brands that bought the Rochester-Duesenberg engine are most comparable . This was done with some success by Roamer , Revere or the not very sporty Biddle , who served a wealthy clientele in and around Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania ) with elegant city cars.

takeover

In 1916, the US government took control of the company and produced armaments for the US Army's Division of Military Aeronautics . It is likely that these were primarily aircraft engines. During the First World War was one FR Porter as a test engineer for the team in Dayton ( Ohio ) the Liberty engine developed.

closure

After the war, Porter returned to Long Island and took the position of chief engineer at the aircraft manufacturer Curtiss Engineering Corporation in Garden City . The government no longer needed the Finley Robertson Porter Company after the war and wound it up in 1918.

Model 45

FRP Model 45 Series B Holbrook 7-pass. Touring (1915).
FRP Model 45 Series B Holbrook Town Car (1916).

From Model 45 few copies were very built, although he was well received much in the professional world. The small numbers can be explained by the switch to arms production. The short development time and the scarce resources suggest that the Model 45 was technically closely related to the Porter-Knight. At least the short wheelbase of the Model 45 Series A is identical.

In the short period of its existence, the Finley Robertson Porter Company only built this one model, which was available in three series. The only difference between them was the wheelbase and the factory body. With regard to the wheelbase, there are - from good sources - different information. While it is undisputed that there were wheelbases with 110, 130 and 140 inches (2794, 3302 and 3556 mm) and that Series A is the shortest model, the allocation of Series B and C is less clear. Most sources assign Series B to the 130-inch chassis and Series C to the 140 -inch chassis . Other sources see it the other way round; this view also coincides with the illustrated introductory display of the manufacturer itself. Accordingly, Series C had the 130-inch chassis and Series B the 140 -inch chassis . Because this interpretation is covered by the manufacturer himself, this article also follows it.

The engine was a masterpiece of lightweight construction and weighed only 580 lb (about 260 kg). It consisted mainly of aluminum alloys; The crankshaft , camshaft and even the valve lifters were hollow or provided with holes to reduce weight. The engine has an overhead camshaft and one intake and one exhaust valve per cylinder . When closed, the valves form a hemispherical closure of the combustion chamber. The crankshaft had three bearings

Isolated information on four-valve technology does not apply to the FRP at least with a very high probability and is only mentioned in isolated sources. It is conceivable, but not proven, that the increase in performance of the Porter is due to four-valve technology., The bore was 4.6 inches (approx. 117 mm), the stroke 6¾ inches (171 mm). This resulted in a displacement of 448.7  ci (7353 cm³) .; the occasionally mentioned engine capacity of 454 ci is likely to be due to rounded starting dimensions.

The FRP reached a speed of over 80 mph (130 km / h) and consumed around 12 mpg (approx. 20 l / 100 km).

Porter used new steel alloys for the chassis. The longer versions, especially the one with a 140-inch wheelbase, were less intended for sporty cars, although a seven-seater, open touring was also available ex works. They mostly served as the basis for closed representation cars. Holbrook supplied the Touring and Town Cars shown in the catalog . For customers who wanted an individual body, the bare chassis was also available, which was clad by the bodybuilder of their choice. The only surviving FRP Touring has a Brewster superstructure .

porter

Porter Model 45 Sedan (1919)

Finley Porter remained an aircraft engine engineer after the end of the war. He was no longer interested in automobile production. The armaments company and mechanical engineering company American & British Manufacturing Corporation in Bridgeport ( Connecticut ), who also had experience in commercial vehicle manufacture, was commissioned with this. Robert B. Porter, who is familiar with the vehicle, took over the technical management.

This vehicle, which was marketed as the Porter , was technically very similar to the FRP, and parts and components of the FRP appear to have been used up. The power was now given as 125 bhp (93.2 kW) and there was only one chassis with a 142 inch (3607 mm) wheelbase, with which a customer group interested in sports could do little. The mighty chassis with right-hand drive and the powerful engine was particularly suitable for prestige cars. The bodies of leading bodybuilders such as Brewster, Fleetwood and Demarest are known . Once again, Holbrook provided the factory bodies, including a Speedster. The design has been modernized and given stricter lines. The shape of the radiator was reminiscent of Rolls-Royce. Robert Porter became chief engineer . The company existed from 1919 to 1922 and produced 36 vehicles. The bare chassis cost US $ 6750; a porter with a body could easily cost over US $ 10,000. The company could not withstand the enormous competitive pressure in this market segment and the economic crisis of 1922.

Model overview

Model
N.ACC rating 		construction time engine Cubic capacity
ci / cm³ 		Power
bhp / kW 		Wheelbase
inches / mm 		body Price
US $
Porter Knight
 1914 R4 
Knight - Willys-Knight pusher
 52 / 38.8 110/2794 Racing car 2 pl.
FRP Model 45 Series A
33.9 HP 		1914-1916 R4; ohc
F.RP 		448.7 / 7353 100 / 74.6 110/2794 Raceabout Speedster
2 Pl. 		5000.00
FRP Model 45 Series C
33.9 HP 		1914-1916 R4; ohc
F.RP 		448.7 / 7353 100 / 74.6 130/3302 Runabout
2 pl. 		6500, -
FRP Model 45 Series B
33.9 HP 		1914-1916 R4; ohc
F.RP 		448.7 / 7353 100 / 74.6 140/3556 Touring
7 pl.
Town Car
2 pl. 		6800.00

This table was compiled from several sources. The performance data vary considerably (up to 170 bhp (126.8 kW) are mentioned); the information from Kimes and Dluhy in the bibliography was used.

Rating according to NACC : The NACC ( National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ) was a manufacturer's organization. Its predecessor introduced the first standards for motor vehicles in the USA in 1903; the NACC rating is based on this. These performance data are calculated, not measured.

There are no precise figures about the exact number of pieces. What is certain is that material for 10 vehicles was purchased and that there was a 'Series B'. Depending on the source, between 3 and 12 pieces were built. Two of the runabouts are said to have been built.

Exotic airplane slide engine

The first design project after the Model 45 concerned a novel and complex aircraft engine. It is unclear, however, whether the technically highly sophisticated double four- cylinder boxer engine with joint slide control of the valves got beyond the drawing board.

FRP today

While FRP has remained almost unknown in Europe, the brand is highly regarded in American collectors' circles. Only two FRPs seem to still exist. The better known is a Series B with a seven-seater, two-door touring body from Brewster with the chassis number 5. This vehicle was purchased in 1975 by William F. Harrah (1911-1978), who had previously searched in vain for an FRP for years. In 1977 it was restored and documented in the workshop of his museum. This collection of up to 1,400 vehicles, including many individual items such as this FRP, is considered the largest in the world at this time and still exists today in a greatly reduced form as the National Automobile Museum ( William Harrah Collection ). This FRP is said to have cost US $ 8,000, of which US $ 3,000 was for the body. After Harrah's death, his company, which included the car collection, was sold. A large part of the collection, including a Bugatti Royale and the cream and green FRP, was auctioned off at several auctions. After further changes of ownership, the vehicle came to the Seal Cove Auto Museum on Mount Desert Island ( Maine ) in 1994 . According to the museum, it has specialized in historical vehicles between 1895 and 1917.

The second surviving vehicle is a Series A Raceabout painted black . Little is known about this racing car; In 2002 it was exhibited at a dealer stand at the Rétromobile , one of the most important trade fairs for veteran and collector vehicles in Europe.

Comparable models

Locomobile Model 48 "Gentleman's Speedster (1914).

Remarks

  1. ↑ Predecessor formula for SAE-PS . NACC ( National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ) was an association of the automobile industry founded in 1913 and the successor to the ALAM ( Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers ), which introduced the first standards in US automobile manufacture in 1903. The power is calculated: cylinder bore ² × number of cylinders; the result is divided by 2.5. SAE-PS was later developed from this formula , it is also the basis of the British tax-PS at that time.
  2. ↑ The meaning of the series name is interpreted differently by different sources. What is certain is that it corresponds to the wheelbase. In the article, the manufacturer information is adopted according to the introduction notice, where A corresponds to 110 inches, B to 140 inches and C to 130 inches. Kimes mentions B with 130 and C with 140 inch wheelbase.

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 .
  • 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 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition (hardcover), 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • The Automobile , November 12, 1914: FRP 100-horsepower chassis, $ 5,000. ; online at The Old Motor, May 12, 2014: The FRP - Finley Robinson Porter's Masterpiece .
  • National Automobile Chamber of Commerce : Handbook of Automobiles 1915–1916. Dover Publications, 1970.
  • Automobile Quarterly, Volume 31, No. 4, Summer 1993. (FRP)
  • Dean Batchelor: Harrah's automobile collection: One man's tribute to the great automobiles of the world. Publisher: GP Pub, 1984; without ISBN. is not available.
  • Fred Crismon: Fire Engines. Crestline series; MBI Motor Books International, Osceola WI, 1997, ISBN 0-7603-0381-9 .
  • Albert Mroz: Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles. Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1996, ISBN 0-87341-368-7 .

Web links

Commons : Finley Robertson Porter Company  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 619 (FRP)
  2. ^ A b American Automobiles: The FRP Automobile & The Finley-Robertson-Porter Co.
  3. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 958 (Mercer).
  4. ^ A b c Early American Automobiles: History of Early American Automobile Industry; Chapter 22: 1914.
  5. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 966 (Metropol).
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 620 (FRP)
  7. ^ Princeton Alumni Weekly, Volume 17, p. 850 (Robert B. Porter).
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g "The Automobile," November 12, 1914: FRP 100-horsepower chassis, $ 5,000.
  9. ↑ a b c d e Seal Cove Auto Museum: 1915 FRP.
  10. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 1114 (Packard Twin Six)
  11. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 211 (Cadillac 51)
  12. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 580 (Ford T)
  13. ↑ a b c Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era , 2013, p. 79 (FRP)
  14. ↑ a b c d e f The Old Motor: The FRP - Finley Robinson Porter's Masterpiece .
  15. ↑ a b Carfolio: 1917 FRP 45 16 Valve technical specifications.
  16. ↑ a b c d e Supercars: FRP Series B (1915).
  17. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, pp. 1297-1299 (Roamer).
  18. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, pp. 1286-1287 (Revere).
  19. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, pp. 124-125 (Biddle).
  20. ↑ Classic Car Database: 1918 FRP 45B Series Standard Specifications.
  21. ^ A b c d e Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 1238 (Porter).
  22. ^ Coachbuilt: Holbrook.
  23. ^ Mroz: Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles . 1996, p. 6.
  24. ↑ Crismon: Fire Engines. 1997, p. 20.
  25. ↑ Crismon: Fire Engines. 1997, p. 24.
  26. ↑ The Old Motor: Finley Robinson Porter's Horizontally Opposed Dual Four Cylinder Engines.
  27. ^ A b c Conceptcarz: FRP Series B (1915) .
  28. ^ Trombinoscar: FRP Model C 7-pass Touring (1915).
  29. ^ Hemmings: William Fisk Harrah.
  30. ^ Trombinoscar: FRP Model B (?) (1914).
  31. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, pp. 1174-1175 (Phianna).
  32. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, pp. 1538-1540 (White).