Rayfield Motor Car Company

Rayfield Motor Car Company ; Rayfield Motor Company
legal form	Company
founding	1910
resolution	1915
Reason for dissolution	Bankrupt
Seat	Chrisman , Illinois , USA
management	Fred Thayer
Branch	Automobiles

Rayfield Motor Car Company , later Rayfield Motor Company , was an American manufacturer of automobiles and accessories.

Company history

Charles Rayfield had seven sons. In the summer of 1910 he founded the Rayfield Motor Car Company with his sons Bill and John . A source cites May 26, 1910 for this. Burke Vancil became President, JF Miller Vice President, EE Staley Secretary, William Rayfield Treasurer and Chief Engineer, John Rayfield Factory Manager, and George Rayfield Foreman. The seat was initially in Springfield , Illinois . They took over the Springfield Motor Car Company and its factory, and began producing automobiles and carburetors . The brand name was Rayfield . The father took care of the carburetor business and the sons took care of the vehicles. Another source states that it was not the father Charles, but the son Charles who made the carburetors. In 1911, Frederick Rayfield replaced his brother John as factory manager.

In 1912 the company moved to Chrisman , Illinois. The new name Rayfield Motor Company was registered on February 14, 1912. Fred Thayer became President, Charles Hoult Vice President, AE Schnitker Secretary and Treasurer, EE Staley Sales Director. The brothers William, John, George and Frederick Rayfield stayed with the company. The move to the new plant took place in August 1912. In September 1912, a contract for more than one million US dollars was signed with the Brown Auto Company of St. Louis. Rayfield should deliver 100 vehicles in the first year, 200 in the second year, and 300 in the third year, which the Brown Auto Company markets. This connection ended after the delivery of two vehicles.

At the end of 1913 there were plans to expand the range downwards. Thayer founded the Rayfield Manufacturing Company in November 1913 , now owned by the Rayfield Motor Company , and the Rayfield Cyclecar Company in May 1914 in Chicago as a sales company.

In 1915 a contract was signed with the Great Western Automobile Company , which stipulated that Great Western would assemble a vehicle model that had already been introduced for Rayfield. However, Great Western went bankrupt and could not perform the contract.

Bankruptcy followed in October 1915 . Production also ended in the same year. On February 8, 1916, the remains of the company were auctioned.

vehicles

In 1911 the range consisted of two models. The 14/16 HP had a four-cylinder engine that was specified with 14/16 HP . The chassis had a 295 cm wheelbase . The only structure was a roadster , which was called Junior . A toy tonneau was also planned. Another source indicates that the engine was too weak. At least one roadster was actually made. The six-cylinder engine of the 22/25 HP was specified with 22/25 HP. It had 148.4 cubic inches (2432 cc) displacement . The water cooler was behind the engine. In this way, a bonnet that resembled Renault vehicles was possible . The wheelbase corresponded to the weaker model. There was a choice of a touring car with six seats and a toy tonneau with four seats.

In 1912 there was only the Model 6 . The engine now made 30 hp. The wheelbase was 297 cm. A two-seater roadster and a five-seater touring car have survived. Versions from 1912 to 1913 had 299 cubic inches (4900 cc) displacement with 37 hp and 317.5 cubic inches (5203 cm³) displacement with 30 hp.

The roadster was discontinued in 1913. Another source states that the Model C replaced the previous Light Six , but hardly differed from it. Touring cars have been handed down.

In 1914 a small car was introduced. The first vehicle was sent to Chicago on January 5, 1914 , to be presented at the Chicago Auto Show there from January 27, 1914 . Rayfield referred to it as a cyclecar , which one source calls a poor choice. Apart from that, the vehicle did not meet the criteria for cycle cars. It had a water-cooled four - cylinder engine. A bore of 69.85 mm and a stroke of 114.3 mm resulted in a displacement of 1752 cc . The capacity limit for cycle cars was 1100 cc. The engine made 12 hp, according to other sources 12, 14 or 18 hp. The chassis had a wheelbase of 244 cm and, at 142 cm, the usual track width for US cars at the time . The roadster offered space for two people side by side. The curb weight was given as about 318 kg. The six-cylinder model was called Model 14 that year . The engine output was increased to 38 hp and the wheelbase was extended to 330 cm. It stayed with the five-seat touring car. Another source states that on October 15, 1913, the six-cylinder model D was announced as a coupé , roadster and touring car for the 1914 model year , although it remains unclear whether this model was actually produced. After December 1913 it was no longer mentioned.

In 1915 only the so-called cycle car was available.

motor race

In 1914, Hughie Hughes drove a Rayfield at the Indianapolis 500 .

Model overview

year	model	cylinder	Power ( hp )	Wheelbase (cm)	construction
1911	14/16 HP	4th	14/16	295	Junior Roadster
1911	22/25 HP	6th	22/25	295	6-seater touring car, 4-seater Toy Tonneau
1912	Model 6	6th	30th	297	Roadster 2-seater, touring car 5-seater
1913	Model 6	6th	60	297	5-seater touring car
1914	Cyclecar	4th	14th	244	Roadster 2-seater
1914	Model 14	6th	38	330	5-seater touring car
1915	Cyclecar	4th	14th	244	Roadster 2-seater

Production numbers

218 vehicles were built in 1913. This number rose to 527 vehicles in 1914 and 613 vehicles in 1915. A second source confirms these numbers. In total, that's at least 1358 vehicles. Figures for 1911 and 1912 are not available.

According to Thayer, another source names 114 vehicles with six-cylinder engines. He estimated the number at Springfield to be 50 to 100. John Hobbs states that only a dozen vehicles were made in Chrisman. As far as is known, it remained with two small cars, although the plans amounted to 5000 vehicles.

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. 1268-1269 (English).
George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 3: P-Z . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 1302 (English).

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c 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. 1268-1269 (English).
↑ ^a ^b George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 3: P-Z . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 1302 (English).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p Automobile Quarterly , Volume 32, Issue 1, pp. 38–51.

[Kimes-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. 1268-1269 (English).

[Beaulieu-2] George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . Volume 3: P-Z . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , pp. 1302 (English).

[AQ-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p Automobile Quarterly , Volume 32, Issue 1, pp. 38–51.