Inter-State Model T

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Inter-state
Inter-State Model T Touring (1916)
Inter-State Model T Touring (1916)
Model TR
Model T
Production period: 1915-1919
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Roadster , touring car , coupé , sedan , panel van
Engines: Petrol engines :
3.2 liters
(22.4–23.1 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 2794 mm
Empty weight :
Previous model without
successor without

The Inter-State Model T was a US lower middle class passenger car offered from 1915 to 1918 . The manufacturer was the Inter-State Motor Company in Muncie , Indiana . This was the only model from this manufacturer. For the 1915 model year the name Model TR appears occasionally ; what is meant is the same vehicle that is best documented of all inter-state series.

Model history

The company emerged from the insolvent Inter-State Automobile Company , which had previously offered four- and six-cylinder models in the upper middle class. After a lengthy dispute between the investors and the management, one of the main investors, the entrepreneur Frank C. Ball , co-founder and partner of Ball Corporation , had taken over the facilities and founded the Inter-State Motor Company . Production took place at the same location. Like most Inter-State , Model T is a mid-range vehicle . However, it is smaller and cheaper than the previous ones and can therefore be classified in a segment below them.

It seems that Ball was more concerned with saving his previous investments than with becoming an automobile manufacturer himself. The Model T was nevertheless a seriously designed and solidly built automobile with a price in the middle of its competitors. However, it always had to struggle with a lack of awareness and probably also scarce financial resources.

Ford license?

Ford Model T Touring (1914)
Ford Model T: Pedals, from the left clutch, reverse gear, brake. In the background on the right the manual ignition adjustment.

Probably because of the similarity and the type designation "T", which was chosen for reasons that are no longer comprehensible today and does not fit into the usual branding scheme, the Ford Model T is sometimes referred to as a license production .

Ultimately, such a collaboration contradicts the intentions of Henry Ford , who refused outside influence and had only just gained complete control of his company. There is also no evidence of such collaborations with other licensees. On the contrary, Ford endeavored to grow the company on its own and set up plants in Germany and abroad.

It is possible that Inter-State used Ford patents; license production of the entire automobile can be ruled out: the engine of the Inter-State Model T was purchased; therefore, at most, Rutenberg & Beaver would come into question as licensee for the first, page-controlled version; however, no corresponding evidence can be found. The Ford Model T , in contrast to the Inter-State Model T , has a planetary gear hand throttle and a foot pedal clutch, reverse gear and foot brake; plus a chassis with a wheelbase of only 100 inches (2540 mm), drawbar axles with transverse leaf springs at the front and rear - a completely different suspension concept - and a handbrake acting on the transmission. Most sources cite a "three-quarter-floating" drive-shaft design for the Inter-State and a "semi-floating" for the Ford ; the difference is that in the former, the drive shaft has to absorb more lateral forces. The body of the Ford T Touring did not have a driver's door for reasons of cost; In any case, access was made more difficult by the shift and handbrake levers that are located to the left of the driver. A price comparison shows that the "slightly more luxurious" Inter-State was twice as expensive as the Ford for most of its four years of production .

Price comparison: Ford Model T Touring vs. Inter-State Model T Touring:

Model year ford Inter-state
1915 490.- 1000.-
1916 440.- 850.-
1917 360.- 850.-
1918 360.- 925.-

technology

Model T or TR in the first model year was the last series of the brand and completely redesigned. While the exterior of the vehicle changed little during the production period, the side-controlled engine was replaced by an overhead- controlled one in 1917 . These were the two smallest motors used by Inter-State .

Engines

The four-cylinder engines for the Model T were purchased. There are two versions known, which are practically the same in cylinder dimensions and performance and were used in succession. The Rutenberg & Beaver Four was used in model years 1915, 1916 and possibly until early 1917, the Beaver Four in model years 1917 and 1918.

Four; Rutenberg & Beaver : This engine is known to be a side-controlled four - cylinder in - line engine with a 3½ inch (88.9 mm) bore and 5 inch (127 mm) stroke and thus 192.42  ci (3153 cm³) displacement . The engine block is made from one cast. The power is given by Inter-State as 30 bhp (22.4 kW); 19.6 according to the NACC rating. The engine is water- cooled according to the thermosiphon principle , centrifugal lubrication and a simple battery ignition system (a contemporary source mentions double ignition in 1916. ) The crankshaft has three bearings. From 1916 there is an oil circuit with a pump attached. The vehicle has a 6-volt electrical system from the Remy Electric Company .

The sources do not reveal the reason for the manufacturer Rutenberg & Beaver . A misspelling of Rutenber is conceivable ; accordingly, the motor would either have been the result of a cooperation between Beaver and Rutenber or would have been produced with Rutenber patents.

Four; Beaver : This four-cylinder, which is practically the same size as its predecessor, was also purchased. A displacement of 192.408 ci is stated, which also results in 3153 cm³ rounded, and an output of 31 bhp (23.1 kW) (according to NACC unchanged 19.6 PS). The thermosiphon cooling was retained. The most important innovation concerns the valve control, which some sources refer to as OHV , but most as valve-in-head . A page control is mistakenly mentioned by a source. Schebler carburetors are documented for at least 1917.

Power transmission

The Inter-State Model T has a three-speed sliding gear , a cone clutch and cardan drive to the rear axle , the bevel gear axle gear of which is reduced to 4.00: 1.

Shift and handbrake levers were now in the middle of the vehicle instead of to the left of the driver's seat.

Chassis and suspension

Typical rear axle suspension (1912) with three-quarter elliptical springs ("Underslung" design with an axle attached above the springs).

After the luxury car Inter-State Model 45 , Model T was the second series with the left-hand drive that was just becoming widely accepted . With a rather short wheelbase of 110 inches (2794 mm), it is also the smallest of all vehicles from this manufacturer. The chassis is a ladder frame bulging from the front third in the shape of a "U" open to the front. It is rather untypical that the side members and the final rear crossbeam connect seamlessly in a 90 ° bend. There is another crossbeam in the middle of the car and a third one that bears the weight of the gearbox and the rear of the engine. This seems to be part of the chassis like the early Hispano-Suiza , in that the struts cast on the side of the front part of the engine block lead to mounts in the longitudinal members and thus also stiffen the engine in the chassis.

"Gravity" is specified for gasoline pumping, which means that the gasoline flows from a higher-lying tank into the carburetor. Such tanks are usually installed under the torpedo plate in front of the windshield.

The vehicle has rigid axles at the front and rear; Usually a three-quarter floating construction is noted, but a semi-floating one is also mentioned. It is not clear whether this is a design change or an oversight.

As with all Inter-State , the suspension consists of longitudinally arranged front semi-elliptic and rear three-quarter elliptic leaf springs . The track width is 56 inches (1422 mm).

Like its predecessors and most contemporary automobiles, Model T had artillery wheels with 10 wooden spokes in the front and 12 wooden spokes in the rear. The tire dimension is 33 × 4 inches. The spare tires are still mounted on removable wheel rims ( rims ). In times of non-removable wheels, this was a clear step towards greater comfort; In the event of one of the frequent flat tires, all you had to do was replace the rim. At home you could pull off, repair or replace the defective tire; usually the wreath was brought to a specialist. The completed wreath came back on the car as a replacement.

The steering is a worm steering . Both the foot brake (" Service brake ") and the hand brake (" Emergency brake ") act on the drum brakes on the rear axle.


The chassis number is located in the vehicle in front of the driver's seat. It is a pure production number and consists of a four-digit number between 7100 and 11503.

Bodies

In 1915 only a 5-seater Touring was available, the following year it was supplemented with a 5-seater sedan as well as a roadster and a coupé with 2 seats each. Instead of the latter, a Divided Seat Touring with 5 seats and slightly better equipment was offered in 1917 . In the shortened model year 1918 there was a 2 and 4-seater roadster, the sedan now known as the Touring Sedan and the Touring.

A small van was only offered in 1917 and 1918, which was called Deluxe Delivery in the first year of production and just Delivery Wagon in the second .

It is not known whether Inter-State manufactured the bodies themselves or commissioned a specialist company to do so. At that time, car bodies usually consisted of a wooden framework that was clad with sheet metal.

There does not seem to have been a wide range of colors; from 1916 to 1918, blue was the only color used for the Touring. It is possible that this was the only color available for the Model T , but it is more likely that each body variant was given its own color.

Furnishing

When it was launched on the market in 1915, the standard equipment included an electric starter, speedometer, electric charge indicator, the aforementioned wheels with removable rims ("demountable rims") and the windshield on open vehicles.

Electric starters were very expensive components. From 1916 it is no longer mentioned in the equipment list.

After all, a convertible top and a protective cover for the open top were added in 1916. Neither the fuel level indicator nor the water temperature indicator were part of the equipment; For the latter, there were engine thermometers in the accessories trade that were screwed onto the water cooler instead of the original cap and could be read from the driver's seat. In 1918 the clock, air pump and electric horn were included in the basic price; so was the Model T of the first vehicles with a standard clock.

production

Assembled vehicle

The vehicle was at least partially an assembled vehicle , that is, it was composed of purchased components. For most of the smaller brands, this was the only way to economically produce small series in a harsh economic climate and with strong competition. Few of them lasted for a long time. In the public perception, they were mostly of inferior quality - often wrongly, as brands such as Biddle , Cole , Daniels , Handley-Knight or Stephens suggest.

commercial vehicles

Of the Inter-State series, commercial vehicles are only recorded for the Model T from model years 1917 and 1918. They were closed box vans that were offered in the first year of production as deluxe delivery on the practically unchanged car chassis. The payload was 850 lbs (385 kg). It cost from US $ 850 and is suitable for small businesses and shops with home delivery services. In 1918 this van was called the Delivery Wagon and cost US $ 875. The number of pieces cannot be determined.

Production numbers

Model year number of pieces
1915 1,123
1916 1,238
1917 1,413
1918 876
Total 4650

The adjacent production figures by model year are based on information from automotive historians Beverly Rae Kimes and Henry Austin Clark, Jr. in the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 .

With the exception of the shortened model year 1918, Model T always managed between 1,100 and 1,400 units per year and was thus each time - in some cases significantly - higher than the best year of the predecessor brand (1912) with 1012 units. The number also includes the delivery truck. The sources do not reveal whether the production of the T , which was designed for larger quantities, was worthwhile. Over half of all 8182 Inter-State built by both manufacturers were therefore Model T ; the rest was spread over four series.

market

Some representatives of the US middle class

position

This advertisement by the New York Inter-State agency for the Model T indicates the engine with 30 bhp output and the power - saving rear axle construction for smoother running (1916).

From 1915 Henry Ford began producing his Ford Model T on the assembly line. This led to steadily falling list prices while at the same time exploding sales figures; the automotive market was increasingly conquered by Ford and dominated in an unprecedented way by the Ford Model T in the early 1920s .

In the years prior to 1930, automobile manufacturers operating more regionally were not uncommon; Many of the small producers lacked the financial means to set up and maintain a national or even international sales organization. Inter-State was one of the smaller of them, with almost always three-digit annual emissions prior to 1915. That improved a bit with the Model T , but the sales of a little over 1000 copies per year are unlikely to have been considered satisfactory. The export share is also likely to have been tiny, which also explains why the brand is hardly known in Europe.

An Inter-State Model T cost about half as much as previous models from the brand. The luxury market, which Inter-State had tentatively entered with Fifty and Model 45 , was shared by others such as Pierce-Arrow , Packard , Lincoln and a large number of small and very small manufacturers such as Du Pont , Locomobile , Peerless , Lozier , Mercer and Simplex . Most of them disappeared by the end of the following decade.

advertising

Slogans for the Model T were:

  • "The 1000 Dollar Car."
  • "Suggest your own test."
  • "Extra Value."

Inter-State Model T today

In 2010 at least six Inter-State Model Ts still existed . The Inter-State Motor Car Registry serves the exchange of information between the owners of an Inter-State .

Model overview

model construction time engine
Cubic capacity c.i./cm³		 Power
bhp / kW		 Wheelbase in / mm body Prices
US $		 Remarks
Model TR
Series 71		 1915 R4 R4 sv
Rutenberg & Beaver 		192.4 / 3153 30 / 22.4 110.0 / 2794 Touring , 5 pl. 1000.- Engine 1915-1916; also Rutenberger & Beaver
Model T
Series 71		 1916 R4 sv
Rutenberg & Beaver 		192.4 / 3153 30 / 22.4 110.0 / 2794 Touring, 5 pl. 850.- Engine 1915-1916; also Rutenberger & Beaver
Model T
Series 71		 1916 R4 sv
Rutenberg & Beaver 		192.4 / 3153 30 / 22.4 110.0 / 2794 Roadster , 2 pl. 850.- Engine 1915-1916; also Rutenberger & Beaver
Model T
Series 71		 1916 R4 sv
Rutenberg & Beaver 		192.4 / 3153 30 / 22.4 110.0 / 2794 Sedan , 5 pl. 1050.- Engine 1915-1916; also Rutenberger & Beaver
Model T
Series 71		 1916 R4 sv
Rutenberg & Beaver 		192.4 / 3153 30 / 22.4 110.0 / 2794 Coupé , 2 pl. 1050 Engine 1915-1916; also Rutenberger & Beaver
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Touring, 5 pl. 850.-
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Roadster, 2 pl. 850.-
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Divided Seat Touring, 5 pl. 895.-
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Roadster, 4 pl. 895.-
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Sedan, 5 pl. 1250.-
Model T 1917 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Deluxe Delivery 850.-
Model T 1918 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Touring, 5 pl. 925.-
Model T 1918 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Roadster, 2 pl. 875.-
Model T 1918 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Roadster, 4 pl. 950.-
Model T 1918 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Touring Sedan, 5 pl. 1325.-
Model T 1918 R4 ohv
beaver 		192.4 / 3153 31 / 23.1 110.0 / 2794 Delivery wagon 875.-

Remarks

  1. ↑ Ford lowered prices twice in 1916. The list price that was valid at the end of 1916 is given. In 1917 the Inter-State was available in two touring versions for US $ 850 and 895. The cheaper of the two is listed.
  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 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 .
  • Beverly Rae Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Published by SAE ( Society of Automotive Engineers ) Permissions, Warrendale PA 2005, ISBN 0-7680-1431-X .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present ; Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition (hardcover) 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .
  • Albert Mroz: Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1996, ISBN 0-87341-368-7
  • Albert Mroz: American Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles of World War I: Illustrated Histories of 224 Manufacturers. Mcfarland & Company Publishers, Jefferson NC, 2009, ISBN 978-0-7864-3967-6 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.), G. Marshall Naul: Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles ; MBI Motor Books International, Osceola WI (1979); ISBN 0-87341-024-6 .
  • Inter-State Motor Company (ed.): The $ 1,000 Car: Inter-State Model T . Sales brochure, 1915.
  • Remy Electric Company (Ed.): Remy Starting, Lighting, Ignition. Two units. Operating instruction, 1916.
  • National Automobile Chamber of Commerce : Handbook of Automobiles 1915–1916. Dover Publications, 1970.
  • Jean De Coster, Otto Vollnhals: Dictionary for Automotive Engineering / Dictionnaire Du Genie Automobile / Dictionary for automotive engineering: English-French-German with Explanation. De Gruyter Saur publishing house (1709); without ISBN.

Web links

Commons : Inter-State Model T  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 771 (Inter-State).
  2. ↑ a b classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1915 Ford Model T
  3. ↑ a b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 580 (Ford T Touring 1915 to late 1916).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 772 (Inter-State).
  5. ↑ a b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 581 (Ford T Touring 1917-1918).
  6. ↑ a b c d e Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 773 (Inter-State).
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1915 Inter-State Model T
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1916 Inter-State Model T
  9. ↑ a b c d e f classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1917 Inter-State Model T
  10. ↑ a b c d classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1918 Inter-State Model T
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n N.ACC: Handbook of Automobiles 1916 , 1970; P. 24 (Inter-State Model T)
  12. ↑ a b c d Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era. 2013, p. 87 (Inter-State).
  13. ↑ a b c d N.ACC: Handbook of Automobiles 1915 , 1970; P. 94 (Inter-State Model T)
  14. ^ A b c Inter-State Auto Sales Co., Syracuse NY: Extra Value. Sales advertisement, 1916.
  15. ^ Remy Electric Company (ed.): Remy Starting, Lighting, Ignition. Two units. Operating instruction, 1916.
  16. ↑ a b c carfolio.com: Standard Specifications 1917 Inter-State Model T
  17. ↑ a b c d Inter-State Motor Company (ed.): The 1000-Dollar Car: Inter-State Model T. Sales brochure, 1915.
  18. ^ De Coster, Vollnhals: Dictionary for Automotive Engineering. P. 452.
  19. ↑ a b c Mroz: Ill. Encyclopedia of American Trucks and Commercial Vehicles (1996), p. 212 (Inter-State)
  20. ↑ a b c Mroz: American Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles of World War I , 2009, p. 178 (Inter-State Model T; data sheet 1918)
  21. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, pp. 125-126 (Biddle).
  22. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, pp. 350-354 (Cole).
  23. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 413 (Daniels).
  24. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 674 (Handley-Knight).
  25. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 1395 (Stephens).
  26. ↑ a b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 285 (Chevrolet, 1915, 1916).
  27. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 968 (Metz 22, 1915).
  28. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 837 (Lambert 48-C, 1915).
  29. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 782 (Jeffery 1916).
  30. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 1416 (Studebaker SF, 1916).
  31. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog. 1996, p. 460 (Dodge 30, 1917).
  32. ↑ Inter-State Motor Car Registry accessed on April 6, 2016 (English)