Meteor (Car Brand, Iowa)

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Meteor was an American automobile brand. The manufacturer was based in Bettendorf , Iowa .

description

Arno Peterson from Bettendorf and Bodo Liebert from the neighboring town of Davenport designed a prototype as early as 1906 , founded the Meteor Auto Works and did not make it into series production.

In 1907 a meteor with a 60 bhp (44 kW) Rutenber engine covered the distance Chicago - St. Louis (644 km) in 23 hours.

In 1908 they founded the Meteor Motor Car Company . In March 1908, a mass-produced car was presented. The big car had a 3048 mm wheelbase and its four-cylinder engine developed 50 bhp (37 kW). There were three bodies: a four-seater runabout, a touring car with five seats and a limousine with five seats. In the following year, a touring car with seven seats was added. The vehicles were available for US $ 3000 to US $ 4000.

The company was quite successful until a fire in the summer of 1909 completely destroyed the factory buildings. The technical documents could be saved, but production was no longer possible.

In January 1910 the company was dissolved and the factory was taken over by the Bettendorf Axle Company .

literature

  • Beverly Ray Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, Iola 1985, ISBN 0-87341-045-9 . (English)