Meteor (Car Brand, Pennsylvania)

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Meteor Motors, Inc.
legal form Corporation
founding 1919
resolution 1922
Seat Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA
management EA Schoen, Wade D. Morton , SL Bader, AM Hooven
Branch Automobile manufacturer

Meteor was an American automobile brand. The manufacturer was Meteor Motors, Inc. , which was based in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania from 1919 to 1922 . The company was founded by EA Schoen , Wade D. Morton , S. L. Bader and AM Hooven . Morton had automotive experience with Mercer and Biddle .

Wade D. Morton

Wade D. Morton (1889-1935), real name Ward Day , was an automobile designer for Auburn and racing driver from Franklinville, New York , who took part in all the events of the Indianapolis 500 between 1920 and 1927 . After working at Meteor , he was sales manager at Cord and invented an automatic coupling. Morton died on February 22, 1935 as a result of a traffic accident in Winter Haven ( Florida ).

description

From the end of 1919, only luxury cars with walking beam engines were built by Rochester-Duesenberg . The manufacturer used a magneto ignition from Simms and a clutch from Borg & Beck . The four-speed transmission, on the other hand, was an in-house development with direct 3rd gear. A special feature were two independent brake drums per rear wheel, which were operated with separate pedals.

There were two series that differed mainly in terms of displacement. The engine was the further development of a Duesenberg racing car engine for the road. The Rochester Motors Company in Rochester (New York) took over the facility for the construction of the engine, including the exploitation rights, in autumn 1919. With the help of Fred S. Duesenberg it was very largely revised. The adjustments concerned, among other things, the position of the camshaft in the crankcase and thus the length of the rocker arm ( walking beam ), a new and quieter valve control with two instead of four valves and a changed air supply. The four-cylinder in-line engine, derived from racing, was manufactured for Meteor with light alloy pistons. He gave 80 bhp (60 kW) at 2,200 min -1 from.

The cars were introduced in 1919 exclusively as four-seater sports touring cars at US $ 4,850. In 1920 the price rose to US $ 5000, - and a two-seater runabout for US $ 5500, - announced when the brand was introduced , was available, followed from 1921 by a town car . At the same time the price for the touring was increased to US $ 5500, -. All superstructures available ex works were built at Fleetwood according to plans by Meteor, at that time a body manufacturer still independent of General Motors . For customers who wanted to take care of the assembly themselves, the chassis was also available from 1921 for US $ 4,000.

The company closed at the end of 1922 because demand did not meet expectations due to the effects of an economic crisis in the wake of the First World War .

Motorsport

The Meteor Special was built on the chassis of a four-cylinder racing car, but received the in-line eight-cylinder engine introduced in 1919. Willie Haupt competed in various races for Meteor, but like all Duesenberg eight-cylinders, the vehicle suffered from technical problems in its introduction year as a result of being introduced too early. The racing car was painted dark and received a light, pointed radiator reminiscent of a meteor.

For the 1920 season, the 297 cubic inch engine was replaced in order to comply with the new regulations. The 183 ci engine now used was more reliable and roughly corresponds to the one with which Duesenberg first won a major European trophy in the United States in 1921 with the French Grand Prix .

In 1920 Haupt started with this car at the 500 miles from Indianapolis . He wore the numbers 12 in qualifying and 34 in the race. Haupt qualified 16th, but retired on lap 146 with a broken rocker arm and was classified 13th.

Model overview

Model
N.ACC rating 		construction time engine Cubic capacity
ci / cm³ 		Power
bhp / kW 		Wheelbase
inches / mm 		body Price
US $
Series K
25.6 HP 		1919-1920 R4 8V
Rochester-Duesenberg Model G 		301.6 / 4942 approx.
90 / 67.1 		131/3327 Roadster , 2Pl .; Victoria Touring , 4 pl .; Touring, 7 pl. from 4850.-
Series R
30.6 HP 		1921-1922 R4 8V
Rochester-Duesenberg Model G-1 		360.8 / 5912 approx.
90 / 67.1 		131/3327 Roadster , 2Pl .; Victoria Touring , 4 pl .; Touring, 7 pl .; Town car from 5000.-

This table was compiled from several sources. The dimensions given may vary slightly due to rounding differences. There are different details about engine performance.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Rochester factory documents show 70 bhp (52.2 kW) for the Type G and 81 bhp (60.4 kW) for the G-1; officially calls the factory for the G 76 bhp (57 kW).

literature

  • Jon M. Bill: Duesenberg Racecars & Passenger Cars Photo Archive. Ed. Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, Iconografix, Hudson WI, Photo Archive Series, ISBN 1-58388-145-X . (English)
  • Griffith Borgeson: The Golden Age of the American Racing Car , ed. SAE ( Society of Automotive Engineers ), Warrendale PA, 1998, ISBN 0-7680-0023-8 . (English)
  • Tad Burness: American Car Spotter's Guide, 1920-39. Motorbooks International, ISBN 0-87938-026-8 . (English)
  • Don Butler: Auburn Cord Duesenberg. Crestline Publishing Co., Crestline Series , 1992, ISBN 0-87938-701-7 (English)
  • George Nicholas Georgano : Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0 . (English)
  • Beverly Rae Kimes (eds.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. Krause Publications, Iola WI, 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 . (English)
  • Karl Ludvigsen: Indy Cars 1911-1939: Great Racers from the Crucible of Speed. Enthusiast Books (Ludvigsen Library), 2005, ISBN 1-58388-151-4 . (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ oldracingcars.com: The Indy 500 drivers / Wade Morton.
  2. ^ A b c Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 9669 (Meteor).
  3. ^ A b Roe: Duesenberg - The Pursuit of Perfection. 1982, p. 68.
  4. ^ Roe: Duesenberg - The Pursuit of Perfection. 1982, p. 65.
  5. ↑ a b Butler: Auburn Cord Duesenberg. 1992, p. 91.
  6. ^ Butler: Auburn Cord Duesenberg. 1992, p. 92.
  7. ↑ a b Bill: Duesenberg Racecars & Passenger Cars Photo Archive. P. 37.
  8. ^ Butler: Auburn Cord Duesenberg. 1992, p. 102.