Handley-Knight Model A

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Handley Knight
Handley-Knight Model A 7-passenger Touring (1921)
Handley-Knight Model A 7-passenger Touring (1921)
Model A
Model B
Production period: 1920-1922
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Touring car , limousine , coupé
Engines: Slide motor :
3.9 liters
(35.8 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 3145 mm
Empty weight : from 1500 kg
successor Handley 6-60

The Handley-Knight Model A and its almost identical successor, Model B, were American luxury cars offered from 1920 to 1922 . The vehicle was produced by Handley Motors in Kalamazoo ( Michigan ). These were the first and second production models from this manufacturer; both were equipped with a four-cylinder system Knight valve engine.

Model history

The Handley-Knight Company was founded in January 1920 by James I. Handley with a share capital of US $ 1 million. Due to his previous professional activity, he was known to John North Willys from Willys-Overland , where the engines for models A and B were manufactured.

A prototype was completed by early July 1920 , and regular production of the only type in the program, Model A, began on October 1, 1920 for the 1921 model year. The advertising slogan was: America's Finest Knight-Motored Car , referring to the slide motor system Knight , which was mostly used in high-priced vehicles because of its elaborate construction.

The lines were conservative, the workmanship and the materials used were first class. A concept was published in Motor Age Magazine on November 18, 1920. Model A was available as a seven-seater touring or sedan and a four-seater sedan coupe . The radiator grille was reminiscent of Willys-Overland and Buick .

Model B.

In 1921, there was the Model B replaced. It seems that this model change was more of a marketing measure, because Model B hardly differed technically and visually from its predecessor. A five-seater Touring has now been added to the previous body variants. A deluxe version of the seven-seater Touring was available for an additional price of US $ 200, undoubtedly a measure to lower the basic price.

technology

Handley-Knight Model A 7-passenger Touring (advert from late 1920)

The weight is given as 3300 lbs (approx. 1500 kg) for the Touring. All Handley-Knight and Handley were structurally very similar. It was about assembled vehicles , so "assembled" automobiles that were assembled from purchased components. The engine seems to have been specially produced for Handley-Knight; at Willys-Overland there is no corresponding counterpart. The ball bearings were obtained from Snead-Thermold , the electrical equipment from Auto-Lite and batteries were supplied by USL

Slide motor

Front view of the Knight slide motor.

As already mentioned, the engine was bought from Willys-Overland . This is a work in Elyria (Ohio) made Knight - valve engine with four cylinders and water cooling . Its bore and stroke are 4⅛ × 4½ inches (104.8 × 114.3 mm), resulting in a displacement of 240.6 ci , corresponding to 3942 cm³. The crankshaft has three bearings. Were standard, as with Willys, Tillotson - carburetor installed. The power stated is 48 bhp (35.8 kW) at 1800 rpm; according to another source 54 bhp (40.3 kW). According to the NACC rating used in the USA at the time, the 4⅛ inch cylinder bore results in 27.24 hp. Accordingly, the Handley-Knight was valued at 27.2 tax horsepower in Great Britain .

Handley used pressure circulating lubrication and a vacuum system to deliver gasoline. The modern design of the cooler was built up cellularly, cooling was carried out according to the thermosyphon method that was common at the time . The cooling circuit was 6.75 US gallons (25.5 liters).

The on-board voltage was 6 volts. Auto-Lite supplied the starter ; the ignition system came from Connecticut Ignition .

Power transmission

The Handley-Knight Model A had a conventional, unsynchronized gearbox with three forward gears and reverse gear from Grant-Lees and a single-disc clutch from Borg & Beck , the simplest technical solution. Model B received a multi-plate clutch. The power transmission to the rear axle took place via a cardan shaft and a bevel gear axle drive ; the gear ratio in the differential was 4.9: 1.

The rear axle was designed "semi-floating", i. H. the two half-shafts of the rear-wheel drive are connected to the axle body via a roller bearing at their outer end . On the outside they end in a flange to which the impeller is attached. The inner end is in the differential . Due to the design, the half-shafts are free of transverse loads on the inside, but on the outside they absorb slightly offset axial forces.

Shift and handbrake levers were located in the center of the vehicle.

Chassis and suspension

Typical front axle suspension with semi-elliptical springs.
How semi-elliptical springs work on the rear axle.

The chassis was designed as a conventional ladder frame with four cross members. The side members were made of 6 inch (152 mm) deep and 3/16 inch (4.76 mm) thick carbon steel . The rearmost cross member held the fuel tank and protected it in the event of an impact. Handley-Knight called the wheelbase of 125 inches (3145 mm) "not too big for easy handling and adequate for comfortable sitting, especially in connection with the Handle-Knight springs". These leaf springs are occupied at least on the rear axle in a semi-elliptic design; on the front axle they can be assumed based on the illustrations provided. They were made of vanadium steel; the rear ones were 61 inches (1.54 m) long. The successor models Handley 6-40 and 6-60 have semi-elliptical springs all around.

The front and rear rigid axles were manufactured at Timken according to Handley-Knight specifications . The basic equipment included wooden artillery wheels with tires measuring 33 × 5 inches (manufacturer information); according to other sources 32 × 4½ inches.

In this class, removable rims ("demountable rims") were standard; they were also part of the basic equipment for the Handley Knight. In times of non-removable wheels, this represented a significant step towards more comfort. Although the Handley-Knight was delivered with reinforced pneumatic tires ("cord tires"), flat tires were still common. For lighter cases, an air pump was part of the basic equipment. Demountable rims were helpful for the not uncommon, major damage, such as those caused by blown tires . You only had to change the rim; The driver was spared the heavy, time-consuming and dirty work of removing the wooden spokes from the wheel hub. At home, you could remove, repair or replace the defective tire. Most of the time the wreath was simply brought to a specialist. The completed wreath came back on the car as a replacement. Images suggest that fashionable full-disc steel wheels were at least available.

The Handley-Knight typically only has rear brakes. All-wheel brakes did not begin to gain acceptance until the second half of the 1920s. The foot brake (" Service brake ") acted on the outer jaws of the drum brakes , the hand brake (" Emergency brake ") on the inner jaws.

The vehicle has a Gemmer worm steering system .

An illustration suggests that the chassis number was attached to the fire wall in the engine compartment on the driver's side.

Body and equipment

Handley-Knight Model B 7-passenger Touring (1922). The vehicle is equipped with optional bumpers, as found on many Lincoln of the time.
Handley-Knight Model B 4-passenger coupe-sedan (1922)

Obviously, Handley-Knight was particularly proud of the high-quality, in-house manufactured bodies. They were created in small series and largely by hand according to the principles of individual body construction. The structure was made of ash wood, the body skin of sheet aluminum. The seats were upholstered in hand-worked leather. The dashboard and steering wheel rim were made of walnut. The best materials were used and the workmanship was high quality. The basic equipment included the electric horn, a motometer (one of the surviving copies has a Boyce brand ), a quality tachometer from Van Sicklen , a voltmeter, a clock with an eight-day drive , a light on the dashboard and in the rear, and curtains that can be attached to the convertible top as weather protection , a set with on-board tools and an air pump.

For model B , Handley-Knight Blue is the only color used , and the slippery linoleum was replaced as protection on the running boards with sheet aluminum.

Bumpers do not seem to have been part of the basic equipment, but were optional.

Handley-Knight today

One of the first Handley-Knight Model A models to be built, probably built for James Handley, Jr., has been preserved in Europe. This vehicle comes from the well-known Harrah collection in Reno (Nevada) . A Handley-Knight Model B Touring is part of the collection at the Gilmore Car Museum , 6865 West Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, Michigan .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Carfolio names 240.678 ci from W × H 4.13 × 4.5 inches (3944 cm³, W × H 104.8 × 114.3 mm); Customs data in American data sheets are often rounded.
  2. ↑ 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 method was also used by the RAC in Great Britain .

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (Ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalogs of American Cars 1805–1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1996; ISBN 0-87341-428-4 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition, hardcover, 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • Beverly Rae Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Ed. SAE ( Society of Automotive Engineers ) Permissions, Warrendale PA, 2005; ISBN 0-7680-1431-X .
  • Handley-Knight Company: Handley-Knight - Powered by the Famous Sleeve Valve Motor. , Sales brochure, 1920–1921.
  • Handley-Knight Company: Handley-Knight Model B Dat sheet (1922) .
  • Tad Burness: American Car Spotter's Guide, 1920-39. MBI Motorbooks International, Osceola WI, 1975; ISBN 0-87938-026-8 .
  • National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ; Inc. (NACC): Handbook of Automobiles 1915-1916. Dover Publications, Inc .; Reprint; 1970.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e American Automobiles: The Handley-Knight Automobiles & The Handley Motors, Inc.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 674 (Handley-Knight).
  3. ↑ a b c Carfolio: Handley-Knight (1921 MY) specifications
  4. ^ NACC: Handbook of Automobiles 1915 , 1970; P. 12; (NACC rating)
  5. ↑ a b c d Classic & Sports Car: Handley-Knight Seven Seat Open Tourer
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g Handley-Knight: Model B data sheet (1922)
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g Handley-Knight: Model A brochure (1920)
  8. ↑ a b c d e Classic Car Database: 1922 Handley Knight B Series.
  9. ↑ Classic Car Database: 1923 Handley 6-40 Series.
  10. ↑ Classic Car Database: 1923 Handley 6-60 Series.
  11. ↑ Burness: American Car Spotter's Guide, 1920-39 (1975), p. 119.
  12. ↑ conceptcarz.com: Handley-Knight Model B Touring (1922)
  13. ↑ trombinoscar.com: Handley-Knight Model B Touring