Only Model A (1909)

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Only
Only Model A Racytype Torpedo on the Port Jefferson Hill Climb (1910)
Only Model A Racytype Torpedo on the Port Jefferson Hill Climb (1910)
A, F
Production period: 1909-1911
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Roadster , touring car
Engines: Otto engine :
3.4 liters
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 2642 mm
Empty weight : 680 kg
successor Only Model A (1912)

The Only Model A was an inexpensive and sporty passenger car that was offered as a two-seater from 1909 to 1911 and as a four-seater from 1910 to 1911. The manufacturer was the Only Motor Car Company in Port Jefferson , Suffolk County , New York , USA . Suffolk County is on Long Island .

Model history

The Only Motor Car Company was founded in 1909 by local businessmen to produce a promising sports car design by the Frenchman François M. Richard . The vehicle was sold as the 12 HP Racytype Torpedo in its first two years of production, according to one source ; for another was the term always Model A .

Richard was one of the last advocates of the single-cylinder principle in passenger car construction. The advantage was seen in fewer mechanical parts, an uneven engine running was accepted. However, two- and four-cylinder engines were common in the class .

The Only Motor Car Company limited itself to a single series and initially dispensed with body variants. It was not until 1911 that a second version of the same vehicle was added with the model F 4-passenger torpedo . With a price of US $ 700, the Only Model A was a very attractive offer; a somewhat sporty Ford Model T with its 2.8 liter four-cylinder engine and 22 bhp (16.4 kW) output cost US $ 900 as a runabout in 1910. The prices for 30 hp cars started at around US $ 1400. With the introduction of the Model F at US $ 1050.00, Model A also became US $ 100.00 more expensive.

The manufacturer named a remarkable top speed of 60 mph or just under 100 km / h. The high expectations were not fulfilled, very few vehicles were built. It is possible that only a single Model F was made.

When a successor appeared in 1912, which in turn was called Model A , the company was already in financial difficulties.

technology

1910 Only 12HP Model A Racytype Torpedo (1910)

The Only Model A was a modern design. The vehicle looked massive and very sporty. The shape of the cooler is reminiscent of contemporary Lorraine-Dietrich and Turcat-Méry from France. The 1911 Model A is reported to weigh 15,000  lb (680 kg).

engine

The engine was a Richard design. It was a very large, water-cooled single cylinder with a 5⅛ inch (130 mm) bore and 10 inch (2540 mm) stroke and thus had a displacement of 206.3  ci (3381 cm³). The crankshaft was mounted on ball bearings and had flywheels at both ends . The valves were side-controlled , although it is unclear whether they were arranged according to the T-head principle , as in the successor . There is also no information on the ignition system . The carburetor was probably designed according to Richard's patent. The engine's performance is unknown; the 12 HP mentioned in most sources is likely to be the ALAM rating, which is calculated from the cylinder bore. This was a common, but very imprecise, method of determining performance. The 1909 Cadillac Model Thirty developed 30 bhp (22.4 kW) from four cylinders and 3.7 liters of displacement.

Power transmission

Precise information on power transmission is not available. A conventional three-speed manual transmission and a multi-plate clutch were common at the time, other solutions such as a friction gear would probably have been mentioned in the press. On the one hand, the images do not show any chains or chain housings in front of the rear axle and, on the other hand, indicate a differential on the rear axle , so that modern power transmission via cardan shaft to the rear axle is likely.

Chassis and suspension

As far as can be seen, the Only Model A had a conventional ladder frame . The vehicle had rigid axles at the front and rear. The front axle was suspended from semi - elliptical leaf springs. Nothing is known about the rear suspension; the successor also had semi-elliptical leaf springs. Photos suggest the Underslung design . The wheelbase is specified as 104 inches (2642 mm). It was not unusual at the time that the vehicle was designed as a right-hand drive; on the other hand, the extremely far back position of the two individual seats is unusual. They are practically attached above the rear axle. Because the engine is also located upright in the front of the chassis (directly behind the radiator), a large, unusable space is created in the middle of the vehicle.

Contemporary photos show wooden artillery wheels with ten spokes at the front and twelve spokes at the back as well as brackets for a removable rim . This was a step towards a little more comfort in times of non-removable wheels: in the event of a flat tire, you only had to replace the rim and remove the defective tire at home and repair it or take it to a specialist. The plan was for tires measuring 29 × 3½ inches.

No information is available on the braking system. Usually either the foot brake worked on the brake drums on the rear axle and the handbrake on another drum on the gearbox or the cardan shaft . Modern designs had inner-shoe brake drums that were operated with the foot brake pedal and outer-shoe brakes that were acted on with the handbrake.

The fuel tank was barrel-shaped and arranged across the seat. The manufacturer named a gasoline consumption of 30 miles per US gallon (MPG) , corresponding to 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers.

body

Model A has a typical “Speedster” body. The tall engine required a very tall bonnet. The radiator was mounted relatively high above the front axle. Behind the bulkhead, the body bulged outwards. The cockpit was minimalist and there were no doors to the individual bucket seats or a trunk. It can be assumed that a bracket for carrying spare wheel rims was attached to the rear. A contemporary illustration shows the car with fenders and lights. Accordingly, the front fenders were angular and merged into the running board. The rear fenders were rounded. The hood was secured with leather straps.

Unfortunately there is no image for the model F 4-passenger torpedo . The designation indicates a similar design, possibly also without doors. In this version, the driver's seat must have been moved forward significantly to make room for the second row of seats.

Model overview

model construction time engine
Cubic capacity c.i / cm³ 		Power
bhp / kW 		Wheelbase
mm / in 		body Price
US $ 		Remarks
Model A Racytype Torpedo
12 HP 		1909-1911 1; sv
Only 		206.3 / 3381 104/2642 Racytype Torpedo 2 Pl. 700.-
800.- 		1911: higher price
Model F
12 HP 		1911 1; sv
Only 		206.3 / 3381 104/2642 4-pass. torpedo 1050.-

Racing

Advertisement by Knox with results of the Port Jefferson Hill Climb (1910)

In 1910 Richard organized a hill climb in Port Jefferson. The route was 2000 feet (610 m) across East Broadway . 67 vehicles competed against each other in 16 races. There were classes according to the list price of the vehicles as well as according to engine size and an open "Free-For-All" class, in which the Only , driven by a Mr. Sloat, also took part. Ralph DePalma won this class in a Fiat Gran Prix racing car with a time of 20:48 seconds. The Only finished tenth with a time of 40:48 seconds.

The race was held for the first time, the lead was the Automobile Club of Port Jefferson , to which Richard probably belonged. It was very well staffed. Besides DePalma, Fred Belcher and Louis Disbrow were among the most famous participants . Most of the vehicles at the start were larger and significantly more powerful than the Only . At the start were among others Buick , Chalmers , Columbia , Houpt-Rockwell , Jackson , Knox , Matheson , National , Only , Palmer-Singer , Pope-Hartford , Stearns , Thomas , Velie and Züst . In the price range of Only were Ford and Hupmobile represented. Why the Only started in the "open" class is unclear.

Remarks

  1. ↑ The ALAM ( Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers ) was the first US 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.

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (ed.), Henry Austin Clark Jr.: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 .
  • 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 0-7864-7136-0 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition (hardcover), 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
  • 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.

Web links

Commons : Only Model A  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Dluhy: American Automobiles of the Brass Era , 2013, p. 105 (Only)
  2. ↑ a b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 1090 (Only)
  3. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 576 (Ford T)
  4. ↑ a b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 207 (Cadillac 30)
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 1089 (Only)
  6. ↑ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , 1996, p. 966 (Metropol)
  7. ^ The Automobile, Vol. XXII No 26: Knox Wins Feature Events at Port Jeff Hill.
  8. ^ Vanderbilt Cup Races: The "Sensational" 1910 Port Jefferson Hill Climb.
  9. ↑ The Horseless Age, Vol. 25 No 26, p. 978: Sport and Contests: Sensational Climbs at Port Jefferson's Premier.