Gorham (motor vehicle)

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Gorham Sanrinsha tricycle / four-wheeler
Production period: 1920-1922
Class : Microcar
Body versions : limousine

As Gorham were motor vehicles referred to by the engineer William Gorham were constructed. The vehicles were produced by the former Japanese automobile manufacturer Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō .

Gorham Sanrinsha tricycle

Sanrinsha tricycle

Image does not exist
Production period: 1920-1921
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
1.2 liters (5 kW)
Length: 2580 mm
Width: 1060 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 350 kg

In 1919, William R. Gorham developed a motorized tricycle in a factory in Kawasaki City for his disabled boss, Yumito Kushibiki. This first model was more or less a three-wheeled motorcycle on which two people could sit side by side on a bench. The company Kubota from Osaka became aware of this and wanted to market the vehicle. So a company was created with William R. Gorham as chief engineer for the manufacture and marketing of the Gorham Sanrinsha baptized tricycle under the company Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō (English Jitsuyo Motors). Production began in 1920 with components imported from the United States.

The production version of the Gorham Sanrinsha tricycle differed in some details from the prototype from the previous year. A closed structure fitted with a fabric roof was used. There were no windows to the sides or to the front, instead the cabin was simply open. A handlebar reached from the moving front wheel, to which a headlight and fender were attached, into the interior. Inside there was space for three people, the driver sat in the front in the middle and two more passengers could be carried on a back seat in the rear.

The engine used was an air-cooled two-cylinder engine from Harley-Davidson , which had around 7 hp and was connected to the right rear wheel by means of a chain. The drive was controlled with levers on the right-hand side of the vehicle outside the cabin. Equipped in this way, the tricycle reached a top speed of 48 km / h.

Gorham four-wheeler

Four wheel

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Production period: 1921-1922
Body versions : limousine
Engines: Otto engine :
1.2 liters (5 kW)
Length: 2970 mm
Width: 1150 mm
Height:
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 450 kg

In 1921, the technical concept of the tricycle was changed by William R. Gorham and an engineer named Takayoshi Goto. They installed a two-wheeled front axle to improve driving stability when cornering, creating a four-wheeled motor vehicle. The rest of the vehicle remained unchanged from the previous design. The body still offered three seats and the handlebars and the engine were retained.

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