People's Automobile Company

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
People's Automobile Company
legal form Company
founding 1900
resolution 1902
Reason for dissolution insolvency
Seat Cleveland , Ohio , USA
Branch Motor vehicles

The People's Automobile Company was an American manufacturer of buses and light passenger cars and one of the first companies to offer automobiles as kit cars .

Company history

The company was founded in 1900 in Cleveland , Ohio . Paul Gaeth was recruited as a designer. The aim was the production of buses . In the same year the production of passenger cars and buses began. The brand name was People’s . From 1901, another model added to the range, marketed as the Buckeye and also available as a kit car . Bankruptcy began in January 1902 .

Gath later founded the Gaeth Motor Car Company .

There was no association with the Logan Construction Company and the Buckeye Wagon & Motor Car Company , which used the same brand name Buckeye .

"People's Rail-less Streetcar"

In 1900 Cleveland suffered a long strike by local tram personnel. This gave local business people the idea of ​​building buses to transport passengers. The People's Automobile Company was for this purpose with a capital of 50,000 US dollars founded.

It seems that the company was a bit naive; the striking employees would hardly have allowed alternative means of transport to undermine their labor dispute. With a length of 6.71 m (22 feet) and 26 seats, the proposed bus was hopelessly too heavy for the single-cylinder engine with 2 ¾ to 3 hp (according to the calculation method used at the time).

The rail-less streetcar was designed by the local engineer Paul Gaeth , who had previously built his own car with the Gaethmobile .; However, he had great difficulty just getting a first prototype up and running. Eventually a few copies were completed. The expected problems regarding the under-motorization occurred; a few of these buses were probably sold.

Brand name People's

Most of them, however, had their engine removed for use in a light, two-seat runabout . The engine, which was placed under the seat, was far better suited for this. The People's Runabout was a conventional construction with wire-spoke wheels , a drive chain that ran along the center of the differential on the rear axle , and the usual steering lever; Steering wheels only gained acceptance later. A contemporary photo shows no brake drums on the wheels, suggesting that the slowing lever on the driver's right acts either on the gearbox or the differential (or both). The vehicle sold for $ 650; a price that corresponded to that of the popular Oldsmobile Curved Dash, which initially had 4½ hp. According to a source, six cars of this brand were built.

Brand name Buckeye

Here the single-cylinder engine developed 2.75 hp. The engine was mounted under the seat. The steering lever was in the middle of the vehicle. The vehicle had wire-spoke wheels. Body style was a two-seat runabout. The kit included all parts except the body and tires. The price was $ 447.50. The company asked for $ 1,000 for a complete vehicle. One source suspects that the large price difference should encourage potential buyers to buy the kit instead of the complete vehicle.

It appears that a subsidiary, the Buckeye Automobile Company , was established for this purpose. The customer could order the factory built for $ 1,000 or as a kit (excluding body and wheels) for $ 447.50.

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 157 and p. 1171 (English).
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 3: P – Z. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 1206. (English)
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0 . (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr .: Standard catalog of American Cars. 1805-1942. Digital edition . 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola 2013, ISBN 978-1-4402-3778-2 , pp. 157 and p. 1171 (English).
  2. ^ A b George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 1206. (English)
  3. ↑ a b Kimes (1985), p. 147
  4. ↑ a b c Kimes (1985), p. 1129
  5. ↑ Kimes (1985), pp. 595-596