Maibohm Motors Company

Maibohm Motors Company
legal form	Corporation
founding	1916
resolution	1922
Reason for dissolution	insolvency
Seat	Racine , Racine County , Wisconsin , USA Sandusky , Erie County , Ohio , USA
management	HC Maibohm
Branch	automobile

The Maibohm Motors Company was an American automobile manufacturer . The brand name was Maibohm .

Company history

Maibohm Motors Company share dated July 13, 1920

The blacksmith, wagon builder and real estate agent Peter C. Maibohm from Racine (Wisconsin) founded the Maibohm Wagon Works in 1886 , which his son HC Maibohm reorganized as Maibohm Motors Company in early 1916 .

As a result, the company built unspectacularly designed, but solid and rather sporty mid-range vehicles , initially with an in-house four-cylinder engine and, from 1918, with a six-cylinder engine that was bought in.

On December 4, 1918, there was a fire at the plant. Initially, reduced production was maintained in an unaffected wing of the plant. In the spring of 1919 Maibohm decided to move the company to Sandusky (Ohio) . It is not known whether there were any financial incentives from the local Chamber of Commerce , but this was quite common at the time. At that time, the company is said to have been valued at US $ 1 million and have agencies across the US. The six-cylinder was refined to the model B-6 and remained practically unchanged in the program until the forced cessation of production in 1922. On the other hand, the selection of bodies was adjusted every year. At the end of 1920 the capacity was a production of 30 vehicles per day; the hoped-for annual output of 7,500 vehicles, however, remained a long way off due to a lack of sales.

HC Maibohm had meanwhile participated in the unsuccessful restructuring of the Biddle Motor Car Company in Philadelphia . At that time, Biddle was one of the most respected brands in the USA and, together with the better-known Brewster, the most exclusive manufacturer of assembled automobiles, so-called assembled vehicles .

During Maibohm's absence, Maibohm Motors Company had run into trouble. The reasons for this are not explicitly named, but there was a brief but severe recession in the USA from 1920 to around 1922 , the causes of which can be found in an agricultural crisis. HC Maibohm tried in April 1922 his company with the purchase of formerly highly respected brand Simplex in Bayonne ( New Jersey to save). This had last belonged to the Hare's Motors group around the former Packard manager Emlem S. Hare and was for sale due to the insolvency of the short-lived parent company. It never came to that; in May the creditors took over Maibohm Motors at a price of US $ 110,000. Operations ceased in July 1922, and the facilities were transferred to Arrow Corporation , which was founded for this purpose, in August . Shortly thereafter, the Courier Motors Company emerged, which only produced the Courier Model D, a successor to the Maibohm Model B-6 with improved details for the 1923 model year . Simplex was acquired by Henry M. Crane (who had sold his own company to Simplex in 1914 and had already taken over Biddle ) and organized as the Crane-Simplex Company . This company failed in 1923. HC Maibohm later founded a factory for the production of radios .

market

Ford Model T (1916), US $ 345 (excluding wire-spoke wheels). This is the modernized and reduced price version, introduced in the middle of the year.

Chevrolet H-2 "Royal Mail" Roadster (1915), US $ 720.-

Apperson Light Six 6-16 Touring (1916), US $ 1485.-

The Maibohm Model A was a fully-fledged automobile with a sporty twist that was only available as an open or closed two-seater. It had as a representative of that lower middle class with Ford and his Model T a direct and dominant rivals. The Maibohm Model A was constructed more elaborately and also slightly larger than the Ford Model T , but also had a weaker motor and was significantly more expensive. The in-house motor was unusual for a manufacturer of this size, but the design with vertical valves was conventional. By American standards, the engine was rather small, which at least offered tax advantages because of the calculation basis used at the time, which was based on the cylinder bore . On the other hand, Maibohm's restriction to models with only two seats was unwise; by far the best-selling body style was the 5-seat touring.

The price of the Model A from US $ 595 was a problem. When it was launched in early 1916, a Ford Model T Roadster cost US $ 390. In the course of the year the price fell to just US $ 345.00; that was less than some cyclecars cost. And the price stayed at that level until 1918. For the 490 called for Chevrolet , as promised, the name, as a roadster or touring US $ 490.-. Its engine performed significantly more with 24 bhp (17.9 kW) and put the Maibohm slogan An All-American Sport Car into perspective . The slightly more luxurious Chevrolet Series H cost US $ 720 to 750. Other well-known competitors were Dodge with the models 30-35 and 30 and many manufacturers who also served higher price segments, including Auburn , Hupmobile , Overland , Reo and Studebaker . Similar problems gewärtigte of small vendors Inter-State with the preppy Model T .

The Maibohm Model B / B-6 was also designed in a fiercely competitive market segment, into which manufacturers were increasingly being pushed who were unable to cope with the aforementioned price war in the lower market segment. The better-known providers in this class at the time included almost all of the brands mentioned above and others such as Buick , Chalmers , Chandler , Hudson , Nash , Jordan or Oldsmobile . There were many more, including small ones like Ace , Apperson Fremont , Handley, and Stephens .

export

Although American automobiles with relatively large-volume engines were tax-disadvantaged in Europe and Maibohm vehicles were not produced in large series, there was also an export. So were Southgate, Ltd. , 19-21 Heddon Street, Regent Street in London W.1. sole Maibohm concessionaires for Great Britain and Ireland, i.e. the general agency , and Brook Motor & Engineering Co. , Deansgate, Manchester , the regional agency for Lancashire , Derbyshire and the Isle of Man . Brook Motor offered the Maibohm Model B-6 around 1919 (unoccupied date) as the Maibohm 20 hp , although the actual RAC rating must have been 23.4 hp. As a "Standard Touring 4-5 seater" it cost GB £ 575, as a "Two seater Coupe" GB £ 750 and as a "Four seater Saloon" GB £ 775. There was also an "English built sporting model, 4 seater" at £ 650.00 with wire- spoke wheels . What is meant is an open tourer resp. Torpedo . This suggests that Brook Motor also bought some vehicles as rolling chassis and had them clad at a local coachbuilder. This had several advantages for the retailer. First, of course, he had a unique offer to advertise. Then he had direct influence on getting a product tailored to his customers, which was easier to sell, and he obtained better terms from the bodybuilder. In the case of imported vehicles, it was also important that a lower import duty rate was applied due to the work performed in Germany. Such deliveries are known, for example, from the body shop Whittingham & Mitchel for the Wolseley contract dealer Watkins or from TH Gill & Son Ltd. for the Isotta Fraschini importer. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the Maibohm Sporting model is not known.

In France, Model B-6 should have been rated as 16 CV at that time. So it fell into the same tax class as the upper-class representatives Lorraine-Dietrich or Panhard .

technology

Maibohm Model B-6 Phaeton with artillery wheels (1920; picture)

See also : "Technology" in the Maibohm Model A article  and "Technology" in the Maibohm Model B article

According to several sources, the two-liter engine of the Maibohm Model A was an in-house development, although reservations are appropriate as to whether a company the size of the Maibohm Motors could actually cast engine blocks itself . It is a complicated monoblock to manufacture, the manufacture of which was by no means mastered by every foundry at the time. Previously, cylinders were cast individually or in pairs and screwed onto the crankcase. The power is given as 17 bhp (12.7 kW). The NACC rating is 15.63 HP.

The six-cylinder of the Maibohm Model B was a valve-in-head , i.e. top-controlled , and was purchased ready-to-install from Falls Motor Corporation . The power is given differently with 45 or 46 bhp (33.6–34.3 kW), the NACC rating is 23.44 HP.

Both series have a conventional, unsynchronized three-speed gearbox and cardan drive that is interlocked with the engine . The rear axle will be described different in the two models: As a "free-floating" ( full floating ) in Model A 1917, Model B 1918 to 1921, or "three-quarter floating" in Model A 1918 Model B 1922, the Courier Model D . In both designs, which were relatively widespread at the time, the drive shafts / semi-axles are freed from supporting the vehicle weight by a surrounding axle body . In the case of the “free-floating” construction, in addition to these vertical forces, the forces acting laterally on the wheel are also diverted into the axle body, as they arise when cornering or on sloping and uneven ground; the drive shafts only have to transmit the drive forces, which can save weight. In the "three-quarter floating" construction, on the other hand, they absorb these lateral forces via appropriate bearings, so that weight can be saved on the axle body surrounding them.

The chassis is a ladder frame made up of two cranked longitudinal members and five cross members. The second supports the transmission and is therefore also part of the engine suspension. At least in the Courier Model D and its predecessor Model B , the fuel tank is suspended from the rearmost of these struts (there is no corresponding illustration for Model A ). It can be assumed that a rigid axle was also used at the front; a deviation from this standard configuration would certainly have been mentioned at this time. Braking is done with brake drums on the rear axle. Work photos show wooden spoked artillery wheels with removable wheel rim ; later vehicles were apparently delivered with fashionable full-pane covers ("hubcaps") over these wheels. The pictures of the British importers apparently show completely removable wire-spoke wheels.

The wheelbase is 105 inches (2667 mm) in Model A , 115 inches (2921 mm) in Model B and 116 inches (2946.4 mm) in Model B-6 and Courier Model D .

Model overview

Type	MJ	engine	Cubic capacity c.i./cm³	Power bhp / kW	Wheelbase in / mm	body	List price US $
Model A 15.63 HP (NACC)	1916	R4 sv Maibohm	122.7 / 2011	17 / 12.7	105  in (2,667  mm )	Roadster  2 pl. Roadster- Coupé  2 pl. Coupé 2 pl.	595-1095
Model A 15.63 HP (NACC)	1917	R4 sv Maibohm	122.7 / 2011	17 / 12.7	105  in (2,667  mm )	Roadster 2 pl. Roadster-Coupé 2 pl. Coupé 2 pl.	595-1095
Model A 15.63 HP (NACC)	1918	R4 sv Maibohm	122.7 / 2011	17 / 12.7	105  in (2,667  mm )	Roadster 2 pl. Roadster-Coupé 2 pl. Coupé 2 pl.	795-1095
Model B 23.4 HP (NACC)	1918	R6 ohv falls	195.6 / 3205	46 / 34.3 @ 2290 rpm	115  in (2,921  mm )	Touring  5 pl. Roadster 2 pl. Roadster-Coupé 2 pl. Coupé 2 pl.	975-1375
Model B-6 23.4 HP (NACC)	1919	R6 ohv falls	195.6 / 3205	46 / 34.3 @ 2290 rpm	116  in (2,946.4  mm )	Phaeton Brougham Sedan	1290-1890
Model B-6 23.4 HP (NACC)	1920	R6 ohv falls	195.6 / 3205	46 / 34.3 @ 2290 rpm	116  in (2,946.4  mm )	Phaeton 5 pl. Brougham 4 pl. Sedan 5 pl.	1395-1995
Model B-6 23.4 HP (NACC)	1921	R6 ohv falls	195.6 / 3205	46 / 34.3 @ 2290 rpm	116  in (2,946.4  mm )	Roadster 3 pl. Phaeton 5 pl. Sport  4 pl. Coupé 4 pl. Sedan 5 pl.	1575-2395
Model B-6 23.4 HP (NACC)	1922	R6 ohv falls	195.6 / 3205	46 / 34.3 @ 2290 rpm	116  in (2,946.4  mm )	Roadster 3 pl. Sport Roadster 3 pl. Phaeton 5 pl. Sport 4 pl. Coupé 4 pl. Sedan 5 pl.	1395-2295

Production numbers

Model year	number of pieces	Remarks
1917	828	Model A only
1918	615	Model A & B
1919	327	Model B
1920	1212	Model B
1921	623	Model B
1922	217	Model B
Total	3822	Model A & B

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. Because the numbers are only listed by model year and both series were offered in 1918, the production number can only be estimated by series: At least 828 and a maximum of 1432 Model A were produced, with 1,200 being a realistic estimate. From Model B therefore at least 2,379 and no more than 2,994 copies were built; it must have been around 2600. The slump in sales in 1919 can be traced back to the fire of December 1918 and the subsequent move. Kimes and Clark also list the Courier Model D with 373 copies as a further development of the Maibohm Model B ; this number has not been taken into account here.

Remarks

1. ↑ The NACC ( National Automobile Chamber of Commerce ) was an American standards organization. The power is calculated: cylinder bore ² × number of cylinders, the result is divided by 2.5. From this formula SAE-PS were later developed, it is also the basis of the British tax-PS ( RAC Horsepower ) at the time. Their problem was that the factor 2.5 became less precise with increasingly higher speeds.
2. ↑ To make work easier after a flat tire, only the removable wheel rim and tires were replaced, the hub and wooden spokes remained on the vehicle. Such demountable rims were common in the 1910s and 1920s and can be recognized by the screws on the wheel rim.

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
• 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.
• Brook Motor & Engineering Co .: Maibohm 20 hp (advert, ca.1919).
• Southgate, Ltd .: Maibohm Coupé (advert, circa 1919).
• Courier Motors Company (Ed.): A Good, Husky Six , Courier Sales Brochure (1923).

Web links

Commons : Maibohm  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• American Automobiles: The Maibohm Automobile & The Maibohm Motors Co. (English)
• Early American Automobiles: American Automobiles; Chapter 21: Courier & Maibohm (English, scroll)
• hubcapcollector.com: Maibohm hub cap (English)
• csgnetwork.com: cubic inch calculator (english)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile. 1996, p. 916 (Maibohm).
2. ↑ ^{a b} American Automobiles: The Maibohm Automobile & The Maibohm Motors Co.
3. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile. 1996, p. 124 (Biddle).
4. ^ ^{A b c} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile. 1996, p. 383 (Courier).
5. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile. 1996, p. 386 (Crane, Crane-Simplex).
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 285 (Chevrolet 1916).
7. ↑ ^{a b} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, pp. 55-60 (Apperson).
8. ↑ ^{a b c} NACC: Handbook of Automobiles 1915-1916 , 1970; P. 12 (PS NACC).
9. ↑ ^{a b} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 580 (Ford T 1916).
10. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 581 (Ford T 1917-1918).
11. ↑ ^{a b c} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile , 1996, pp. 916–917 (Maibohm)
12. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 614 (Fremont).
13. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 674 (Handley-Knight).
14. ^ ^{A b} Southgate, Ltd .: Maibohm Coupé (advertisement, ca.1919).
15. ↑ Brook Motor & Engineering Co .: Maibohm 20 hp (advertisement, approx. 1919).
16. ^ ^{A b} Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of the American Automobile. 1996, p. 917 (Maibohm).
17. ↑ ^{a b} classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1918 Maibohm Model B (English).
18. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1917 Maibohm Model A (English).
19. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1919 Maibohm Model B-6 (English).
20. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1920 Maibohm Model B-6 (English).
21. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1921 Maibohm Model B-6 (English).
22. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1918 Maibohm Model A (English).
23. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1922 Maibohm Model B-6 (English).
24. ↑ classiccardatabase.com: Standard Specifications 1923 Courier Model D; If T8000
25. ^ Courier Motors Company (ed.): A Good, Husky Six , Courier sales brochure (1923).
26. ^ Early American Automobiles: American Automobiles; Chapter 21 (Courier, Maibohm)