Success Auto-Buggy Manufacturing Company

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1906 Success High Wheeler

The Success Car Buggy Manufacturing Company in St. Louis (Missouri) in the de-Ball fours Avenue 532 was an American automobile manufacturer.

history

The company was founded by John C. Higdon, who had already built an automobile in 1896, but which he did not want to market and publicly released for copying. First of all, a high-wheeled runabout (automobile design) with a 1575 mm wheelbase was produced, which, at a retail price of only US $ 250, was extremely inexpensive even for a high-wheeler . For comparison, the Black was US $ 375 and the Western Gale Model A was US $ 500. The mass-produced Oldsmobile Curved Dash was available for US $ 650 and Ford's Doctor's Car was for US $ 850.

This Success Model A had an air-cooled single cylinder gasoline engine installed next to the right seat, steel wheel tires (rubber tires cost US $ 25, - extra charge), two-stage planetary gear and chain drive to the right rear wheel. Speeds of 4 mph (6.5 km / h) to 18 mph (29 km / h) were feasible and the fuel consumption was 4.25 l / 100 km. Later, other models with wheelbases of up to 2438 mm were added, which were also offered as Surrey or delivery vans.

The cheap price was not kept; later, more elaborately built highwheelers cost up to US $ 500; the “F” sports model with a four-cylinder engine was even US $ 800.

Success held various patents on components of its vehicles and issued licenses to other small automobile manufacturers. The company sued the Economy Motor Car Company in Fort Wayne and the WH Kiblinger Company (a predecessor of the Auburn Automobile Company in Auburn ), both competitors from Indiana in Highwheeler market, on patent infringement. This was resented by Higdon after his earlier permission to copy parts in the trade press. However, his Success Automobile Manufacturing Company had to file for bankruptcy in 1909 before a verdict could be reached.

By then the company had built around 600 automobiles.

Models

model Construction period cylinder power wheelbase Superstructures
A. 1906 1 3 bhp (2.2 kW) 1575 mm Runabout 2 seats
B. 1907-1908 1 4 bhp (2.9 kW) 1575 mm Runabout 2 seats
C. 1907-1909 2 row 10-12 bhp (7.4-8.8 kW) 1829 mm Runabout 2 seats, Surrey 4 seats, van 2 seats
D. 1909 2 row 18 bhp (13.2 kW) 2032 mm Surrey 4 seats
E. 1909 2 row 16 bhp (11.8 kW) 2438 mm Runabout Cabriolet 2 seats
F. 1909 4 row 24 bhp (17.6 kW) 2134 mm Runabout 2 seats

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. 1448 (English).

Web links

Commons : Success Auto-Buggy Manufacturing Company  - Collection of Pictures, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 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. 1448 (English).
  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. 1539 (English).
  3. ^ A b c d Floyd Clymer: Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925. Bonanza Books, New York 1950.