Northern Type C

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Northern
Northern Type C 20 HP 5-passenger Touring (1906).
Northern Type C 20 HP 5-passenger Touring (1906).
Northern 12 HP
Northern 15 HP
Northern 17 HP
Northern 18 HP
Northern 20 HP
Northern Type C 20 HP
Northern Type C 24 HP
Northern Touring Car
Production period: 1904-1908
Class : Middle class
Body versions : Roadster , tonneau , touring car , limousine , panel van
Engines:
Petrol engines : 4.1–4.3 liters
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 2235-2692 mm
Empty weight :
Previous model without
successor without

The American motor vehicle manufacturer Northern Manufacturing Company , founded in 1902 and from 1906: Northern Motor Car Company , also offered an innovative mid-range model with a two-cylinder engine from 1904 to 1908. It came onto the market in 1904 and was offered until 1908 in a slightly revised form as:

  • Northern and Silent Northern 12 HP (1904)
  • Northern and Silent Northern 15 HP (1904-1905)
  • Northern and Silent Northern 17 HP (1905-1906)
  • Northern and Silent Northern 18 HP (1905-1906)
  • Northern and Silent Northern 20 HP (1906-1908)
  • Northern and Silent Northern Type C 20 HP (1906-1907)
  • Northern and Silent Northern Type C 24 HP (1908)

The manufacturer occasionally used the term Northern Touring Car , which is misleading because, on the one hand, the Northern upper-class models L and K were mainly bodied as touring and, on the other hand, the two-cylinder series was also available with other bodies. The 18 HP and 20 HP / Type C also came in a commercial vehicle version as a delivery van .

Northern Manufacturing

Northern logo (1905).

The company was founded by Detroit investors who brought in two well-known designers: Jonathan D. Maxwell (1864–1928) as plant manager and designer and Charles Brady King (1868–1957) as chief engineer. Both came from the Olds Motor Works in Lansing ( Michigan ); Maxwell was there involved in the development of the Oldsmobile Curved Dash . Using construction principles that had already been applied there, he developed a very similar but slightly larger runabout for Northern . It was released as the Northern 5 HP and, with constant improvements and under various names, remained in the program until the end of the company. Maxwell left Northern Manufacturing in 1904 and co-founded Maxwell-Briscoe . King became his successor as a designer at Northern . In the same year the two-cylinder series described here appeared and in 1906 with the Northern Type K a very innovative upper-class vehicle, which was offered from 1907 as the Northern Type L. In 1908 Northern and the Wayne Automobile Company in Detroit merged. The Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Company (EMF) emerged from this in 1909 . King left as early as 1908 and two years later founded the King Motor Car Company .

Maxwell-Briscoe subsequently became one of several forerunners of the Chrysler Corporation , EMF was taken over by the Studebaker Corporation and formed one of the foundations of the Studebaker automobile.

Model history

With the runabout , Maxwell succeeded in establishing the Northern brand and establishing the company's reputation as a manufacturer of seriously designed and solidly built automobiles. Maxwell may have been involved in the design of the vehicle, but most of the work was probably done by Charles King.

The two-cylinder series was produced from 1904 to 1908. The modern design with front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive via a cardan shaft could be retained. However, the vehicle underwent a model update practically every year, which not only led to new names. The engine output was also increased several times, the wheelbase varied, Northern provided further body variants and there were at least two optical retouches in the area of ​​the front end. From 1906 the only commercial vehicle from this manufacturer, a delivery van, was built on this chassis. In 1907 Northern set up a second plant in Port Huron (Michigan), which exclusively manufactured the Type C.

King implemented innovative technical solutions here that contributed to the simplification of vehicle operation. This was perfected in the following Northern Model K and L.

Northern 12 HP and 15 HP (1904-1905)

This ominous ad in a special issue of Frank Lesley's Monthly Magazine from January 1904 is the only reference to a Northern 12 HP .

Like the smaller Northern Runabout , the new two-cylinder model was a meticulously built automobile. This redesign was based on the then modern solutions and differed fundamentally from the runabout in terms of layout . There is only one illustrated advertisement of the 12 HP in a special automobile edition. This appeared in January 1904 and also advertised the Northern 6 HP . The vehicles are named Northern Runabout (5 HP) and Northern Touring Car (12 HP) somewhat misleadingly . The illustration of the 12 HP shows a structure as a tonneau with rear entry. Although 15 HP and early 18 HP were then also referred to as Touring Car , these are also not bodied as Touring with side entry to the rear. Northern seems to have used this name to refer to the purpose of the vehicle as a touring car; Runabouts were more suitable for shorter distances and were often used by doctors for house calls.

Whether the 12 HP was just announced, whether it was only a prototype or whether there was even a short production run cannot be clarified. Northern noted that the vehicle was designed with two rows of seats and was not a two-seater with a tonneau attachment in the rear. The only technical details mentioned, the two - cylinder boxer engine and direct drive (for the upper gear) correspond to the later versions.

By the late summer of 1903, Northern had been admitted to the ALAM ( Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers ) and was featured in the first edition of the association's yearbook.

Northern 17 HP and 18 HP (1905-1906)

Northern 18 HP Touring Car as a tonneau with rear entry (1905).

These vehicles appear to have been technically identical. The slightly higher performance was reserved for the Two Passenger Touring Car with a shorter wheelbase (88 instead of 100 or 102 inches; 2235, 2540 and 2591 mm) in 1905 . In American English, limousine means a closed vehicle for chauffeur operation; at that time the chauffeur compartment was open on the sides. The Northern limousine is also illustrated in this way. It is different with a wheelbase of 100 respectively. 102 inches shown. In the ALAM yearbook, the 17 HP is shown as a touring with side entry; According to the ad opposite, it was also available as a tonneau and with the 18 HP engine at least in 1905.

These vehicles have a side slightly more rounded hood, the first also on the successor Type C is found.

Northern Type C (1906-1908)

Advert for Northern Type C (1906).
  • Northern and Silent Northern 20 HP (1906-1908)
  • Northern and Silent Northern Type C 20 HP (1906-1907)
  • Northern and Silent Northern Type C 24 HP (1908)

In 1906 the company name was changed from Northern Manufacturing Company to Northern Motor Car Company . The series shows minor changes in shape and wheelbase. The two-cylinder engine was a further development of the 18 HP. In 1906 and 1907 it was the only motorization of the Type C , in 1908 the output was increased to 24 HP.

The touring and sedan were offered in 1906 with a 106 inch (2692 mm) wheelbase each; according to the same source, there were three chassis for the Two Passenger Touring Car with 88 inches (2235 mm; as in the previous year), 100 inches (2540 mm) and also 106 Inches (2692 mm) to choose from, according to another, the vehicle was only available in the shortest version.

technology

"Dust-free and noiseless": display for the Northern 18 HP with special technical features such as the flywheel with embedded fan blades and the rear designed as a "dust shield". The rearward sloping installation position of the motor is also visible. (1905).

The Northern two-cylinder models could be operated without the usual side-mounted hand levers for the gearbox and handbrake. A single hand lever on the steering column was used to accelerate and brake. By 1908 the system was so mature that the vehicle controls were completely attached to the steering column, although only the sedan was offered in this form. Northern also made a point of making sure that all key components under the hood were easily accessible.

Technical specifications

More or less complete data are only available from 1906 onwards; however, these differ from one another in some cases, for example in terms of displacement or wheelbase . There are various explanations for this. In addition to changes to the vehicle introduced at short notice, probable causes include confusion between the year of construction and model year or imprecise manufacturer information. The most accurate Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805–1942 , provided clues for the following compilation . by Beverly Rae Kimes and Henry Austin Clark, Jr. , Robert D. Dluhys meticulous American Automobiles of the Brass Era: Essential Specifications of 4,000+ Gasoline Powered Passenger Cars, 1906-1915 , and the Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles of the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM), which as for the years 1904 to 1906 Facsimile is available. A very interesting, early source is Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly Magazine , which published the special issue The Automobile of 1904 in January 1904 and includes both manufacturer-based briefs, advertisements and a general editorial section. This is the only way we know of the existence of the first version of the series, the 12 HP .

Engine construction

The two-cylinder engine was designed as a water-cooled boxer and a further development of the single-cylinder from the runabout . Usually two- and four-cylinder engines were put together from individual cylinders and placed on a common crankshaft housing. Cylinders cast in pairs are also possible. A technical feature of the engine was an oversized flywheel , which should have ensured smooth running due to its size (diameter: 24 inches, corresponding to approx. 61 cm) and weight. On the back, "fan blades" were cast in, which, when the engine was running, swirled the road dust behind the car and thus kept it away from the driver and passengers.

Cubic capacity and engine power

For the models produced in 1904 and 1905, there is no direct information on cylinder bore , stroke or displacement . The company had been a member of the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM) since the early summer of 1903 , which usually insisted that the affiliated manufacturers use the ALAM formula developed in-house . According to this, the power was not measured, but calculated from the cylinder bore.

Only for the 15 HP from 1904 are clearly stated bhp ; however, this is no longer proven for the runabout of the same year. The bore of the 12 HP , known only from a single display, would have been 3⅞ inches (98.425 mm) according to the ALAM rating and that of the 15 HP approx. 4.3 inches.

Dluhy noted for 20 HP and Type C from 1906 to 1908 a displacement of 249.5 ci (4088 cm³) with a 5½ inch (approx. 133 mm) bore and 5¼ inch (approx. 140 mm) stroke. Only in 1908 do most sources cite an output of 24 HP, including Dluhy.

The online source Carfolio already mentions a displacement of 261.4 ci (4283 cm³) for 1906 with a square ratio of bore and stroke of 5½ inches (approx. 133 mm), but 20 HP power. For the Type C Touring from 1908 presented at Conceptcarz , (probably rounded) 260 ci and 24 HP are listed. The only explanation for this inconsistency is a transmission error in one of the sources. For the model overview , the most plausible representation, derived from a still existing car, was chosen, according to which the larger engine was only used in 1908, which also explains the higher output of 24 instead of 20 HP.

Power transmission

The series probably used a two-speed planetary gear with reverse gear throughout, but certainly from the 15 HP onwards . The upper corridor was laid out directly. This gearbox is also noted for a very early 18 HP .

The drive train of the Northern Touring Car can be considered very modern. The front-mounted engine was already interlocked with the gearbox - a solution that only became generally accepted years later - and hung in the chassis at an angle to the rear. This brought the crankshaft and rear axle into an ideal position and allowed the cardan shaft to transmit power quietly and with little wear.

chassis

The system of the main and subframe that was used in the runabout can no longer be verified for the two-cylinder series. From the earliest known illustration of the 12 HP, it can be deduced that the body rested directly on the chassis. From 1904 to 1906, the manufacturer named “angle steel” as the starting material. There is no evidence that this was later changed.

The wheelbase has been changed several times. A compilation can be found in the model overview , where the representation of a main source was adopted. The manufacturer itself caused confusion, when in 1906 the two-seater was advertised in three lengths (88, 100 and 106 inches; corresponding to 2235, 2540 and 2692 mm wheelbase). The specialist literature does not follow this, or only partially (88 and 100 inches) or only for 1907. The track was the 56 inches (1422 mm) customary for passenger cars at the time.

4-inch tires were listed as early as 1904 and mentioned as a selling point in an advertisement in early 1905; Wheels of the dimension 30 × 4 inches are verifiable from 1905 to 1908.

Bodies

Northern advertisement from 1905 with runabout and touring car. This is already referred to as 17 HP .

The bodies were typically made of wood. No information was found as to whether Northern manufactured them in its own workshop or bought them. From 12 HP only one ad is known that the vehicle as Touring car called but Tonneau maps with rear entry. In this type of vehicle, two passengers sit opposite each other. There is a folding seat in the door for a third person. If this is folded down, a U-shaped seat is formed. It seems that this design was also used in the 15 HP and 18 HP .

For the two-seater of this series, introduced in 1905, Northern initially used the rarely used term Two Passenger Touring Car , which probably refers to the use for longer distances and not to the design of the same name. The pictures show normal runabouts . From 1907 onwards they are also referred to as such.

It is unlikely that the term tonneau , which was reinstated in 1908, refers to such a thing. With side entry, the term is synonymous with touring . In fact, a Type C from 1908 that has survived has side access to the rear and a conventional rear seat.

Depending on the model year, other variants were also available. Limousines were generally up to 50% more expensive due to the higher workload and mostly better materials. This only changed in the 1920s. The model overview provides an overview of the versions available and their prices, whereby custom-made products were not uncommon and were usually made by specialist companies. What is interesting about the ad opposite is that four "interchangeable" body styles are mentioned in the text.

commercial vehicles

Northern only offered commercial vehicles in the two-cylinder series. From 1906 to 1908 they were used as delivery vans , i.e. closed delivery vans with a payload of 1200 lb (approx. 1.6 t). The wheelbase is not known; Often, such versions were longer ex works and received a reinforced frame, stronger springs and wheels and sometimes double wheels on the rear axle.

Model overview

model Bj. engine
Cubic capacity c.i. / cm³		 Performance
HP ALAM or bhp 		Wheelbase
inches / mm		 body Prices
US $		 Remarks
12 HP 1904 2 sv
boxers 		12 HP Tonneau 1500
15 HP 1904 2 sv
boxers		 15 bhp 88/2235 Touring , 5 pl. 1500
15 HP 1904 2 sv
boxers		 15 bhp 88/2235 Tonneau, 5 pl. 1500, -
1700, -
with a fixed roof
17 HP 1905 2 sv
boxers		 17 HP 100/2540 Touring, 5 pl. 1700, -
17 HP 1905 2 sv
boxers		 17 HP 102/2591 Chauffeur Lim. , 5 pl. 2500.00
18 HP 1905 2 sv
boxers		 18 HP 88/2235 Runabout , 2 pl. 1500 Referred to as "2-pass. Touring".
Type C 1906 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 88/2235
100/2540
106/2692		 Runabout, 2 pl. 1650, -

Type C 1906 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Touring, 5 pl. 800.00
Type C 1906 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Chauffeur-Lim., 4/5 pl. 2800, -
Type C 1906 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Delivery Van
1200 lb		 1600, -
Type C 1907 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 88/2235 Runabout, 2 pl. 1600, -
Type C 1907 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 100/2540 Touring, 5 pl. 1700, -
Type C 1907 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Touring, 5 pl. 1800, -
Type C 1907 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Chauffeur-Lim., 5 pl. 3000, -
Type C 1907 2 sv
boxers		 249.5 / 4088 20 HP 106/2692 Delivery Van
1200 lb		 1600, -
Type C 1908 2 sv
boxers		 261.4 / 4283 24 HP 100/2540 Roadster 1600, -
Type C 1908 2 sv
boxers		 261.4 / 4283 24 HP 106/2692 Tonneau 1600, -
Type C 1908 2 sv
boxers		 261.4 / 4283 24 HP 106/2692 Chauffeur Lim. 2800, -
Type C 1908 2 sv
boxers		 261.4 / 4283 24 HP 106/2692 Delivery Van
1200 lb		 1600, -

The cubic capacity for 1908 has been interpreted. Compare with engine power .

Due to rounding in the sources, the calculation of the cubic capacity can lead to apparent accuracy . The information in this table has been compiled from several sources and partially converted. They are based on the ALAM rating developed by the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers .

Northern twin-cylinder models today

This series is very rare today. Presently known to a dated to 1904 Tonneau 18 HP in dark green with cream-colored chassis, the 2008 at d'Pebble Beach Concours Elegance could be seen and a Model C Touring in dark red, the 2014 at the Concours d'Elegance Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens has been shown .

literature

The NACC rating corresponds to the ALAM formula of the predecessor organization.

Web links

Commons : Northern 12 HP  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Northern 17 HP  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
Commons : Northern 18 HP  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Northern 20 HP  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels. 2005, p. 111.
  2. ↑ Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels. 2005, p. 339.
  3. ^ Kimes, Cark: Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942. 1996, p. 1523 (Wayne).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Kimes, Cark: Standard Catalog of American cars, 1805−1942. 1996, p. 1046 (Northern).
  5. ^ Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January 1904): The Automobile of 1904: Northern Runabout.
  6. ^ A b c d Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January 1904): The Automobile of 1904: Northern advertisement.
  7. ↑ ALAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles in 1905 , p.6 (list of members ALAM, 1904).
  8. ↑ a b c A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 62 (1905 Northern 17 HP; 5-pass. Touring Car).
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g h A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 61 (1905 Northern 18 HP; 2-pass. Touring Car).
  10. ↑ a b c d A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 63 (1905 Northern 17 HP; 5-pass. Limousine).
  11. ↑ a b A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 77 (1906 Northern Model C; 5-pass. Touring).
  12. ↑ a b A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 78 (1906 Northern Model C; 4/5-pass. Limousine).
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1906 , p. 76 (1906 Northern Model C; 2-pass. Touring).
  14. ↑ Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels. 2005, p. 138.
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h A.LAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1904 , p. 47 (1904 Northern Touring Car).
  16. ↑ ALAM: Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles 1905 , p 46 (1904 Northern Runabout).
  17. ↑ a b c d conceptcarz.com: 1908 Northern Model C, # 3226.
  18. ↑ a b c d e f Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era , 2013, p. 102 (Northern).
  19. ↑ carfolio.com: Northern Model C Runabout 20 hp, 1906 MY.
  20. ↑ carfolio.com: Northern Model C Touring 20 hp, 1906 MY.
  21. ↑ a b conceptcarz.com: 1904 Northern Touring. (18 HP)
  22. ^ Northern ad (Runabout and Touring; January 1905)
  23. ^ A b c d Georgiano, Naul: Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles. 1979, p. 466 (Northern).
  24. ^ A b c d Gunnell: Standard Catalog of American Light Duty Trucks, 1896-1986. 1993, p. 720 (Northern).
  25. ^ Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era , 2013, p. 35 (ALAM).
  26. ^ British Motor Car Red Book 1908: Horse Power Rating Formulas.

Remarks

  1. ↑ The ALAM was the first US American standards organization. The power is calculated: cylinder bore ² × number of cylinders; the result is divided by 2.5. SAE-PS were later developed from this formula . It is also based on the British tax PS of the time. Their problem was that the factor 2.5 became less precise with increasingly higher speeds. For vehicles like the Northern Touring Car with its two-cylinder engine, it delivered passable results.
  2. ↑ This price seems unrealistically low; In 1907 the same car cost US $ 1,700.
  3. ↑ A performance of 24 HP is documented for Kimes, Dluhy and Conceptcarz. While Kimes does not give any information on the displacement, Dluhy mentions 249.5 ci from 1906 to 1908. Carfolio mentions 20 HP at 261.4 ci in 1906, Conceptcarz260 ci for 1908. Confusion of the data is likely.
  4. ↑ The ALAM existed from 1903 to 1912. The formula is also known under the name "NACC formula" of the successor organization National Automobile Chamber of Commerce . It was also used by the British Royal Automobile Club and is explained under RAC Horsepower and in the British Motor Car Red Book of 1908 on page 4 . A NACC table can be found at the end of this article. Unfortunately, information on Northern's cylinder bores was only available from 1906.