Keller Motors Corporation

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Keller super chief
2 vehicles from basement

The basement Motor Corporation was an automobile manufacturer in Huntsville (Alabama) .

description

The company manufactured cars from 1948 to 1950 based on the Bobbi-Kar from the Bobbi Motor Car Corporation in San Diego (California) . George D. Keller , former Vice President of Studebaker , revised the Bobbi-Kar and replaced the inline four-cylinder engine with 1063 cm³ displacement and 25 bhp (18.3 kW). Instead, he installed engines from Continental . These were also four-cylinder in-line engines, initially with 2179 cc and 49 bhp (36 kW), later with 2655 cc and 58 bhp (43 kW). There was a two-door convertible with three seats, in which the engine was installed at the rear, and a three-door station wagon (designed as "Woody" with wood paneling from the doors to the rear) with a front engine.

The cars were originally built mainly by former aircraft technicians who were fired from the Air Force after World War II . They mostly used parts from local aircraft manufacturing facilities. Various innovations were introduced in the basement, such as the block construction of the engine, flywheel, clutch and gearbox. This unit could easily be removed and installed.

With his sales experience, Keller had already won 1,500 dealers across the United States when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in October 1949. So only 18 copies were made, as production was stopped after his death.

Models

model Construction period cylinder Displacement power wheelbase Superstructures
Chief 1948-1950 4 row 2179 cc 49 bhp (36 kW) 2337 mm Cabriolet 2 doors, station wagon 3 doors
DeLuxe Super Chief 1949-1950 4 row 2655 cc 58 bhp (43 kW) 2337 mm Cabriolet 2 doors, station wagon 3 doors

literature

  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , chapter basement.
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 2: G – O. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 815. (English)
  • Gunnell, John (editor): Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 , Krause Publications Inc., Iola (2002), ISBN 0-87349-461-X .

Web links

Commons : Keller Motors Corporation  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files