La Petite Model A

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La Petite

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Model A
Production period: 1905-1906
Class : Small car
Body versions : Roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
0.32 liters
(3 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 1524 mm
Empty weight : 160-295 kg
successor Paragon 5 HP

The La Petite Model A was only offered in 1905 and 1906, an American small car or a Voiturette . Manufacturer was the Detroit Automobile Manufacturing Company in Detroit ( Michigan ), designer JP La Vigne , who later also designed the cycle car of the same name .

La Petite

La Petite , preceded by several prototypes, was presented to the public at the 1903 Detroit Automobile Show . The voiturette was shown under a large advertising banner with the inscription Within the Reach of All , which related both to the sales price of only US $ 375 (for the Roadster ) and to the low maintenance costs.

The vehicle lived up to its name ( La Petite means “the little one”). It had a wheelbase of just 60 inches (1524 mm) to 65 inches (1651 mm) as a delivery van and weighed just 350 lb (just under 160 kg). For comparison: the current Smart Fortwo has a wheelbase of 1873 mm and an empty weight of 880 kg. In relation to the size of the vehicle, huge artillery wheels measuring 28 × 2.5 inches made it appear squat.

Depending on the source, the 4 to 5 HP (3–3.7 kW) single-cylinder engine - two-stroke engine was air-cooled and had a displacement of only 14.7 ci (241 cm³) from a 2 ½ inch bore and 3 inch stroke (63.5 × 76, 2 mm). It was manufactured in a Detroit engine foundry according to La Vigne's plans. A two-stroke engine is noted for the successor Paragon, which initially had an identical drive system. As a single cylinder, this bore resulted in 2½ tax horsepower according to the ALAM rating. The power specification also corresponds to the British R.AC rating at the time , but says little about the actual engine power.

The engine was housed under a hood at the front. The otherwise very modern design already featured a three-speed planetary gear and cardan drive . According to a contemporary illustration, La Petite already had a steering wheel instead of the steering lever common in this class. Accordingly, there seem to have been semi-elliptical leaf springs all around . Like many vehicles from that time, it was right-hand drive.

As mentioned, the two-seat runabout cost US $ 375. US $ 425.00 was charged for the slightly longer delivery van.

La Vigne was, however, dissatisfied with the engine and probably also with the construction. He left the company in 1905 after about 200 La Petite were built.

Paragon

Paragon

Image does not exist
La Petite Model A
Production period: 1906
Class : Small car
Body versions : Roadster
Engines: Otto engine :
0.32 liters
(3 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 1524 mm
Empty weight : 160-295 kg
Previous model La Petite Model A

According to one source, La Petite was still available in 1906. The Detroit Automobile Manufacturing Company decided to continue building the vehicle in a slightly revised form and with a new name. The Paragon (a model name has not been passed down) was therefore identical to the La Petite Model A except for a slightly longer wheelbase of 68 inches (1727 mm) . The manufacturer now promised a top speed of 22 mph (35.4 km / h). The engine was a short time four-stroke - two-cylinder replaces unknown origin. It had a square bore and stroke of 3 inches (76.2 mm) each, a displacement of 42.7 ci (695 cm³) and 5 bhp (3.7 kW) power. This results in an ALAM rating of 7½ HP.

There is no explanation for the fact that the Paragon is given a higher weight than La Petite . One source cites 550 lb (250 kg) for the Paragon single-cylinder and 650 lb (295 kg) for the two-cylinder, which, according to the same source, also had slightly larger wheels measuring 30 × 3 inches. Another source cites a flat rate of 650 lb for the Paragon. There is no reference to any Paragon delivery vehicle.

According to a contemporary illustration, the exterior of the Paragon has been modernized. He was given a bonnet with side parts protruding from below, which looked similar to those of contemporary Buick , Cadillac , Ford or Reo , and a fabric hood was obviously available. However, it is not clear whether the picture shows the one or the two cylinder version.

Why only about 200 La Petite and even fewer Paragon could be sold is unclear. The vehicle was slightly smaller and motorized a little less than the market leader Oldsmobile Curved Dash , which, however, was significantly more expensive at US $ 650.00 (1904: US $ 675.00).

Remarks

  1. ↑ For the almost identical Paragon 550 to 650 lb (250–295 kg) are given
  2. ↑ ALAM = Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers , the first US American standards organization, from around 1904–1912. The power is calculated: cylinder bore ² × number of cylinders; the result is divided by 2.5. The successor organization NACC ( National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ) used the same formula. Around 1920 the SAE-PS prevailed.

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1996; ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd Edition, 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • 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 .
  • Alan Naldrett: Lost Car Companies of Detroit. The History Press, Charleston SC, 2016; ISBN 978-1-46711-873-6 .
  • James J. Flink: America Adopts the Automobile - 1895-1910. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), 1970; ISBN 0-262-06036-1 .
  • Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers : Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles / 1904–1905–1906. Introduced by Clarence P. Hornung, Dover Publications, New York, 1969.
  • National Automobile Chamber of Commerce : Handbook of Automobiles 1915–1916. Dover Publications, 1970.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era. 2013, p. 92 (La Petite)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 841 (La Petite)
  3. ↑ a b c d Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 1150 (Paragon (1906))
  4. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 852 (La Vigne)
  5. ↑ a b N.ACC: Handbook of Automobiles 1915–1916 , p. 212 (HP Rating)
  6. ^ Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era. 2013, p. 107 (Paragon)