History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

Wow, this looks incredible. Vintage industrial kid gear.
The Fageol Walkee Tricycle takes its name from its inventor, Christopher Walkee. Haha, no. William B. Fageol and his brother Frank built the first bus. Their company, the Fageol Motor Company, in Oakland, eventually became Peterbilt. Before then, though, the Fageols had already moved to Kent, Ohio, where they created another bus manufacturer, the Twin Coach Company, and eventually, the Fageol Walkee Tricycle Company.
The seller of this awesomely hammered rustbucket of a Fageol Walkee dates it to 1938, but William Fageol's patent application for the Walkee is only dated 1945, and the patent wasn't granted until 1947. I can understand if the war put the Fageols' steel trike-building dream on hold for a few years, but these dates seem hard to reconcile.

 

The Divco truck was built by the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company and its successors These trucks became a part of the American way of life. Chances are your milkman drove a Divco truck. So did most other delivery services. The Divco was manufactured form 1926, until 1986. The Divco truck was a multi-stop delivery trucks unlike any others. The only vehicle that stayed in production with the same basic model for a longer period of time was the Volkswagen Beetle. Today many people consider Divco as the icon for the multi-stop delivery era.
In 1922, George Bacon, Chief Engineer for the Detroit Electric Vehicle Company designed a remarkable new electric driven milk delivery truck. It could be driven from four positions, front, rear, or either running board.
However as we know electric trucks were no match for a gasoline powered truck.
This was the main reason the George Bacon and others formed the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company (D.I.V.CO.) to produce his invention using a LeRoi gasoline engine.
In 1937 the Divco was completely redesigned with a welded all-steel van body and a snub-nosed hood which was used with virtually no change up to the end of production.


<CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER><CENTER>A Divco-Twin by the orginaly Twin Coach Company</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></CENTER>
Divco was began by George Bacon in 1925, he designed a new milk delivery truck. It could be driven from four different positions, front, rear and either running board. Divco was originally located on Fort St. West in Detroit. The site has since changed and moved many times. In 1932 Divco went bankrupt and all assets were turned over to Continental Motors. (12801 East Jefferson Ave) The Fageol Brothers reorganized Divco in 1937 and began the Divco-Twin Truck Co. located on Hoover Rd, in Warren, MI. The name changed in 1944 to The Divco Corporation. In 1956 they moved to Richmond, IN, and bought Wayne Works, later they moved to New York, their new name was Divco-Wayne Corp. In 1967 they were purchased by Boise-Cascade, the truck manufacturer was spun off to Highway Products in Kent,OH. They were only interested in the milk truck contract. They moved the operation to Delaware, OH and ended the history in Detroit. The company again went bankrupt in 1987.
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n 1922, George Bacon, Chief Engineer for the Detroit Electric Vehicle Company designed a remarkable new milk delivery truck. It could be driven from four positions, front, rear, or either running board. But battery power was no match for winter weather, heavy loads (such as milk) or long days on the city streets. His employer balked at making a gasoline powered truck, so Bacon and other investors formed the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Company (D.I.V.CO.) to produce his invention using a LeRoi gasoline engine. After testing a prototype in 1924, and 25 more prototypes with the Detroit Creamery in 1925, Bacon and his investors were ready to go into business:

This information is paraphrased from the Automotive Encyclopedia:
(1) Detroit Industrial Vehicle Co., Detroit, Mich. 1926-1927
(2) Divco-Detroit Corp., Detroit, Mich. 1927-1934
(3) Continental-Divco Co., Detroit, Mich. 1934-1935
(4) Divco-Twin Truck Co., Detroit, Mich. 1936-1944
(5) Divco Corp., Detroit, Mich. 1944-1956
(6) Divco Truck Div., Divco-Wayne Corp., Detroit, Mich. 1957-1967
(7) Divco Truck Co., Transairco, Inc., Delaware, Ohio 1968-1972
(8) Divco Truck Co., Correct Mfg. Co., Delaware, Ohio 1972-1986

The original Divco milk truck resulted from an electric prototype built by George Bacon, chief engineer of Detroit Electric Car Co. Built in 1922 it had four driver positions, front, rear, and from the running boards on both sides. Three years later a separate company, Detroit Industrial Vehicle Co. was set up to market a gasoline-engined version. This went onto the market in 1926 as the "Divco", powered by a 4-cylinder Continental engine with Warner 4-speed transmission.
The first 25 Divcos were forward-control vans with a front-hinged door through which the driver could step ahead of the axle. Control from the running boards was also possible.
But development of such a specialized "Multi-Stop" vehicle was expensive. Among unexpected expenses were the design of heavier brakes, clutch and generating systems than most vehicles of the time required. New capitol was needed, and the company was reorganized in 1927 as the Divco Detroit Corporation.
In 1928 came the Model G which had a short hood and was available with van or open-sided bodies. The control was from the normal position, either sitting or standing or from either running board, using a tiller for steering. A later development was the model H. This model was the first Divco to have a drop frame with the walk-through aisle which became a basic Divco feature. Subsequent improvements took manufacture all the way through the Model "S" Divco by the mid-1930s.
Divco Detroit was hit hard by the depression, and in 1932 the company was purchased by Continental Motors, one of their largest suppliers. It was renamed "Continental-Divco Corporation."
In 1936 through a stock manipulation, Divco was divested from Continental Motors, and merged with the truck business of the Twin Coach Co. of Kent, Ohio, who were making a similar vehicle. Under direction of the Fageol family the merged companies and products were known as Divco-Twin until the Twin Coach name was dropped during WWII in 1944. After that the firm was simply known as the Divco Corporation.
In 1937 the Divco was completely redesigned with a welded all-steel van body and a snub-nosed hood which was used with virtually no change up to the end of production. A huge new plant was built on Hoover Road near Detroit to manufacture the first snub-noses which appeared in service in 1939. The doors were of the folding, semi-automatic type, and the power unit was still a 4-cylinder Continental. In 1940 the first insulated and refrigerated unit was built. But production was stopped so the plant could be used for war materials during WWII. After the war, the 1946 Divcos were basically similar to pre-war, and came in two wheelbases, the 100-3/4 inch Model UM and 127 inch model ULM. GVW were 9000 and 12,000 lbs. and engines were 4- and 6-cylinder Continentals. In the early postwar years production briefly reached 7000 annually, more than double the best pre-war figures. In 1954 refrigerated vans were offered as a regular production option, and the forward-control Dividend series made its debut in 1956. Continental 4- and 6-cylinder and Hercules 6-cylinder engines were standard in the 1950s, while in the 1960s 6-cylinder ohv Nash engines were used in addition, and there was also the option of a Detroit-Diesel 3-53N 3-cylinder 2-stroke diesel.
In 1957 Divco Corporation bought the Wayne Works, a school bus builder in Richmond, Indiana, and renamed itself, Divco-Wayne Corporation. Snub-nosed products remained about the same, but the firm put more emphasis on the larger forward control vehicle designed to tap into more delivery truck markets, including the growing wholesale delivery of dairy products. Dividend Series trucks were also modified with seats and windows from the Wayne Works to produce a Dividend Bus. But very few of these units were built between 1959 and 1961.
Starting in 1964 engine options were Ford F240 and F300 6-cylinder gasoline units, which eventually became standard for the Divco range. The snub-hood models were continued in several sizes and there was also the forward-control Dividend in three sizes, from 3000 to 9200 lbs. payload, made up to 1966.
The largest Divco ever made appeared in 1961 - this was a 6 ton refrigerated wholesale delivery model with Dividend chassis and cab, and a separately attached van body in 14-, 16- or 18-foot lengths.
In 1968, The Divco-Wayne Corp. was acquired by Boise-Cascade, Inc., and delivery truck production was spun off to Highway Products, Inc., a company using the old Twin Coach plant in Kent, Ohio to build trucks and buses. Highway Products immediately resold the Divco line to Trainsairco, later Correct Manufacturing, a family of businesses owned by Glenn Way, in Delaware, Ohio. Down a year to move production from Detroit to Delaware, the Divco assembly line reopened in 1969 producing far fewer trucks annually. The final models were the 300 and 200 series with 115 inch and 127inch wheelbases, and load capacities from 6000 to 10,000 lbs. The same Ford gasoline engines as in 1963 were available, with an optional 3-speed dual range automatic transmission. Diesels included Detroit, Caterpillar or Deutz. Chassis were also produced for other uses, including Divco Refuse trucks
In addition to Divcos, Correct produced truck beds and Skyworker Cranes. Product liability suits against some of these in the 1980's and the resulting court battles forced the company into bankruptcy in 1985. The final Divco trucks were produced under the authority of the bankruptcy trustee in January, 1986, and the assets of the company were then liquidated. With no more trucks being produced, one by one the dealerships closed, until there was only one left. The last dealership in America was Tri-City Divco Sales in Rock Island, IL.
The final Divcos produced looked like the truck above. But today there is a growing interest in all models of Snub-Nosed delivery trucks and their ancestors. The Divco Club of America is the oldest and largest group of Divco enthusiasts, collecting, restoring, and operating Divcos for pleasure and business. Our library is stocked with Divco literature, manuals and advertising materials. We catalog parts sources to keep Divcos running and facilitate restoration. And we offer a number of fun Divco related products for members. A partial listing of some "Divco Stuff" is available by clicking HERE. ​

 

HJ, the only time I have seen one of these was when somebody had one,
in POOR shape, on eBay. This is keen to see one when they were new.
BEST thing about it is how much delight those two little boys are having,
sitting in a REAL car!!!

 

Jeesh, as common every-day as THESE used to be in the
'50s where I grew up, they are gaining NEW respect today!
Just THINK about the cool stuff you could do with one
of these, to haul the fam & gear to a run or show!!!
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SunRoof, what a shame they couldn't pull this off.
As much as I like the K-F Vagabond/Traveler theme,
a REAL staionwagon would probably have netted
them 5-6 times more customers.

 

NICE job. AND I don't imagine Mike & Karen are looking
to get rid of this car, either!!! Should be a DOOZY when
done!

 

I'd like to hear about this LeRoi engine. Never heard of one. All I have found so far was a 2 cyl air-cooled, but surely too small.

 

Hi, Frank, thanks for posting, but ya don't show a pic of the little motor you're talking about. I checked, and there are some REALLY cool sites about the tiny gas motors LeRoy Cox developed after WWII (not to friggin' mention, he made a boatload of money!).

Any-who, the thread is about defunct cars, and it sure seems to me, the LeRoi engines are not extinct and have a decent following among model-car and airplane enthusiasts.

But, not tryin' to run you off. Give us some more info or pix. If we can't help, maybe posting your own thread on this subject would bring a ton of people out who'd love to talk about these motors. Hell, they were, and ARE, fun!

 

Frank's post made me think about this keen model-car box art I saw
a month or two ago by another HAMBer. It's just friggin' fun to think
of a time when the Edsel was still well-respected enough to be inte-
grated into a rod (at least, as a plastic model!).

 

Yes John (at the wheel) was very happy as was his sister and brother when he won this car in from the Desoto dealership in Clinton Iowa. I got the above picture from the dealer on the left and they also have home video from 1958. John like everyone else I talked to that had one of these said the same thing. "the body fell apart so we tossed it and ran the frame until it died" My original plastic bodied version body is in bad shape but I have a NOS fiberglass body, and original frame with the 6B Briggs motor .

And yes someone had the balls to modify one of these to look like a fuel injected 58 Adventurer convertible.

To see more pictures go to these links on my website.
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer02.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer03.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer04.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer05.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer06.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer07.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer08.jpg
http://www.jrcentral.com/images/firemiteadventurer09.jpg

 

A 1924 Le Roi Model 2-C, used for a hoist in a silver mine in California

Le Roi first started making engines in 1913, mainly for farm tractors. The earliest smaller engine I have seen is the Model 2-C dated 1919. The company made many different models with 1, 2 and 4 cylinders.

Around 1930, Le Roi started making engines with ball bearings on the main bearings and camshaft; these were all L-head engines. I have an original sales brochure from the early 1930s stating 87 percent of the internal parts of these engines interchange. In all of the engines I have disassembled, there is only one connecting rod, valve, and spring and piston size - 3-1/8-inch for all of the Model M and derivatives. The ball bearing engines are mostly 2-3/4-inch bore and they have the bearing made into the rod instead of an insert; they also have a smaller diameter valve.
Remember that these engines were primarily designed as power units. There were several models that used the same parts but changed the drive train, such as clutches, in-and-out boxes, transmissions, etc. There were many different flywheels, depending on the application. Some of the Model Ms had the power direct off of the crankshaft and some off of the camshaft for a gear reduction. They made the camshaft about 4 inches longer and added a ball bearing to help carry the load. If the engine was designed for a light-duty application, it had only one set of gears. For a heavy load, they doubled the camshaft gears.
Prior to 1940, the first overhead valve engine, the Model D-140, was developed. One of my books shows a spark plug change in 1940. They continued to make several different Model D engines and all of these engines are virtually identical to Allis-Chalmers engines. I have always been told that Westinghouse Air Brake Co., owned by Dresser Industries (who also owned Waukesha), bought Le Roi in 1954 and production was moved to Clinton, Iowa, to Climax Engine Co. The engines were called Le Roi Roiline. The Dresser engine website states Waukesha bought Climax in 1957.



In addition to the Hercules engines already mentioned, Star used LeRoi 4 cylinder engines on two models. This drawing shows what a truck-mounted LeRoi gasoline engine rig looked like. The model was No. 32A used principally for drilling water wells. Cut is from Bulletin No. 25.

 

I disagree with you Jimi

 

<TABLE border=1 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width=195>BARTLETT</TD><TD width=97>1914-1917</TD><TD>Canadian Bartlett Automobile Co. Ltd., Toronto and Stratford, Ont. Production of over 200 tourers and roadsters, and up to 400 trucks. The first seven cars had Northway engines; the balance had Le Roi engines. The later cars were a composite of different U.S. parts, ie. Kelsey wheels, McCord radiators, Britnell frames, Allis-Chalmers electrical systems, etc. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

The Astra was an American automobile manufactured in 1920. The car was built by a subsidiary concern of Dorris Motors Corporation, and was shown that year in its native St. Louis, Missouri. It featured a 108-inch (2,700 mm) wheelbase, a Leroi four-cylinder engine, and a slightly pointed radiator. Some five or ten units were built before the company failed in June 1920

Dorris - St. Louis Missouri (1906-1926)​

​

In his native Nashville Tennesse George Preston Dorris had built an experimental gasoline car between 1896-1897. He decided in 1898 to head north to St. Louis Missouri where he joined his friend John L. French to organize the St. Louis Motor Carriage Company and serve as chief engineer. When French elected to move the company to Peoria Illinois in 1905, Dorris decided to stay in St. Louis and form his own company under his own name. The Dorris Motor Car Company took over the original St. Louis Company's plant and produced its first automobile an ohv 30 hp four-cylinder Dorris touring car with a 101 inch wheelbase which introduced at the New York Automobile Show in January 1906. Through the years they became more advanced and more powerful. With an 80 horsepower engine, and a 132 inch wheelbase, also had a price tag of $7000 for the closed cars. Before World War I the first truck production began. In 1917 the capital stock in the company was increased from $300,000 to $1,000,000 for the purpose of expanding the company. Dorris president H.B. Krennning stepped aside "because of needed rest" for W.R. Colcord to take over as president. George Preston Dorris was the real force in the Dorris Company, he preferred not to exercise his power from the president's chair. In 1920 the Dorris Company bought the Astra Company also, a St. Louis Company and reorganized as Dorris Motors Corporation. In 1923 there were rumors that Dorris, Haynes and Winton Companies would merge to form a new company, but the plan fell through. Also, in 1923 was the last full year of production for the Dorris automobile. Production virtually ceased, the Dorris, which the company advertised as being "practically hand-built" was hand-built to special orders through 1926.

 

Mike, disagreement = good when it leads to the right info. Apparently, I found a different engine-maker name LeRoi. No probs.

 

RoadKillontheWeb, hey, THAT is cool information, man! Do you know if this
(contests for these little DeSotos) was something done at a LOT of dealerships
around the country?

 

Oh, and HJ, I think it's very interesting that the wild engineering features of the Bartlett are pretty amazing. Double frame, "easily removed body" for accessibility, and sticking with solid rubber tires, e.g. Whoa!

 

Obviously you have not been to my website yet?
http://www.jrcentral.com/firemite.html is the firemite page
Yes they were used as sales promotion tools all over the country. however very few survive til today. I can account for 6 cars and two bodies without frames. The originals had vacuum formed plastic bodies that just could not take the abuse of the juvenile drivers combined with bumpy sidewalks and motor vibration. They made fiberglass bodies in the end that were not as detailed as the plastic but it was too late as they already had a bad reputation so not many sold.

 

To me, the circumstances under which Nash-Kelvinator got into sports car building and, at least indireclty, racing is among the more interesting stories in American auto history.

British automaker Donald Healey was returning to England after an unsuccessful try at buying engines from Cadillac when he met Nash chief George Mason. The fellow passengers soon became friends and business associates, and the Nash-Healey sports cars of 1951-54 were the result.

I feel they are worthy of mention on this thread in that only about 500 in all were built (what's that? about equal to Earl Muntz's Jet?). Today, a well maintained or well-restored N-H is both rare and expensive.

Though an exemplary machine overall -- and with respectable European racing laurels, as well -- the Nash-Healey, after four model seasons, proved to be too costly to justify continuation as a Nash halo car. Great car and loss-leader, but it had to go. While a '53 'Vette sold for about $3,500, the N-H ranged in price during its run from a bit under $4,000 to nearly $6,000.

From a cost standpoint, the Nash-Healey was probably a "marked" car from the start, because Nash, first, had to ship all driveline components to Healey in Warwick for assembly on Healey's chassis. Then, Healey shipped rolling chasses to Pinin Farina in Italy which, in turn, shipped finished cars back to Nash in the U.S. A costly arrangement from the start, but it served a keen, very timely purpose at a time when the U.S. sports car craze and horsepower race were just kicking in!

One could probably say that Nash-Healey's portion of the Nash ad budget was money astutely spent!



'51 Nash Healy. Sincere appreciation is
expressed to Wikipedia, the Free Online
Encyclopedia.

 

RoadKill, sorry man, I'm guilty as charged!!! LOL I have to say, I am GLAD there are a few folks like you, bending over backwards to find and preserve these unique little cars. I think MANY people have a spot spot for things produced to make life cheerier for kids! Pedal cars, marx toys, plastic model cars, go-karts, you name it.

Have you checked out sme of the entries on this thread dealing with little cars made specifically for kids to drive around for fun? NIFTY little critters (the cars, not the kids!).

 

'54 Olds concept. What would ya call it? "OliVette" ?

 

I don't remember whether it was HJ or SunRoof who quoted that, "That which was old is new again." But HERE is proof of it! Rolled into ONE concept, I see elements of Bugeye Sprite, Corvette, 'Vaire, '59/'60 GM (windshields), fastback Mustang, and even a touch of Exner.




'55 Chevrolet Biscayne concept

 

While digging through the old posts on this thread I have ran across this post wondering where the Tucker on a used car lot came from?

I have the original for this shot! it was given to me by an insurance guy in northern Iowa that took it while going to school in berkeley CA. He knew it was unusual so he took the photo. The year was 1954.
i also see the Desoto sweptside truck from my website and I will probably see some UTEs?

 

Buick Blackhawk concept, built to celebrate Buick's 2003 centennial year. Thanks to BusinessWeek and Bloomberg.com. Generally based on the Buick "Y-Job" of '38/'39 by Harley Earl's GM Art & Color Department, the car brought $475,000 at Barrett Jackson in January '09, reportedly. (Cord fans can undoubtedly see a little of Gordon Buehrig in here, too!) GM apparently undertook the custom in 1996, allowing plenty of lead time for Buick's 100th birthday!

 

RoadKill, I'm sure I speak for SunRoofCord, too, when I say THANK YOU! This is one of the coolest things about this thread. People contribute what they do know and ask QUESTIONS; then, somebody else happens along who can fill in some blanks. WHAT a case of rounding out a piece of history! Used Tucker, Berkeley, 1954. Wow!

 

<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Leroy Cox<!--mstheme-->

1906—December, 1981​

Leroy Cox checking parts on the engine assembly line. Photo courtesy of Pegasus Hobbies archives​

<!--mstheme-->[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Leroy M. Cox, L.M. Cox Manufacturing Co. Inc.<!--mstheme-->[/FONT]

(Based on a more detailed biography by Evan T. Towne that can be found on the Academy of Model Aeronautics web site at http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/museum/bio/Cox.pdf.
<!--mstheme-->[FONT=Arial, Arial, Helvetica]Bringing powered model cars and airplanes to millions of enthusiasts<!--mstheme-->[/FONT]

Leroy Cox developed an early interest in mechanical devices while working around his father’s bicycle shop in Placentia, CA. Once out of school he spent 20 years as an electrician, running his own electrical business part time. Efforts to branch out into a photography equipment business were unsuccessful due to shortages of materials caused by World War II.
In 1944, he came up with a superior design for a wooden popgun and produced it on a small budget it his garage with the help of neighborhood women as his workforce on an initial investment of $2200. Like some of his later products, its success was based on the fact that it was better built than the existing competition. Sales took off rapidly and the product was a success; however, the renewed availability of metal for toys at the end of the war meant that wooden toys were soon to be a thing of the past. Cox recognized this and along with a friend, Mark Mier came up with a design for a metal model racecar to take advantage of post-war America’s fascination with cars. By August 6, 1946 he and a crew of 20 people were turning out 1500 unpowered model cars a day.
A fire that totally destroyed the factory on August 7<SUP>th</SUP> brought an end to production after 4 months. The destruction was almost total and there was no insurance, but they still had orders on hand, so he did some fast talking and bought a nearby vacant lot. A military-type Quonset hut was set up in 4 days, and by October 15<SUP>th</SUP> he was back in business filling orders for Christmas. He even managed to double his production capacity with the emergency change.
He introduced the Cox Thimble Drome Champion racecar in 1947. This model was not a pull toy but included a handle and cord that attached to the side so it could be swung around in circles at high speeds. The 9-1/2” long metal car had rubber tires and an attractive paint job, adding to its success. The $4.95 car ushered in the start of the popular fad of tether car racing and the “Thimble Drome” name was soon to be applied to future products as well.
Cox noticed that customers, fascinated with the realism of the Champion racecar were installing engines from model aircraft in it. He contracted with Cameron Brothers model engine company for a .25 cubic inch engine that could be installed in the Champion using a direct drive. The confined cockpit area dictated vertical cooling fins rather than horizontal as was the convention. A later engine called the “Doodle-Bug” was similar but smaller with a displacement of .099 cubic inches, and a larger .19 engine was also developed. By 1948 he was ready to introduce a ground-breaking engine powered racecar. It was the first under $100—WAY under $100—at only $19.95. Sales that year were over $500,000 for cars with and without engines. He also developed and sold his own brand of Thimble Drome racing fuel.
In 1949 the company added a smaller car called the Special. The .045 cubic inch engine was made up from a piston, rod, cylinder and head from the Mel Anderson Company but produced in his own factory so he could better control the quality of production. Other engine manufacturers at the time were experiencing quality problems because often they could not afford produce all the parts themselves. They would source out production of certain parts to others and then do the final fitting and assembly themselves. Cox recognized that in order to get high production quality and consistency he wanted, he would have to control all production himself and even designed the manufacturing equipment needed to do so. Eventually the entire racecar and engine were made within his own facility, although he later outsourced production of plastic parts for some products.
1949 saw a rapid decline in the popularity of tether cars, but engines were still in demand in the rapidly increasing model airplane market. Cox spent the next year working on an engine that would overcome some of the problems (hard starting, lack of dependability) that plagued existing engines. He felt a better running, easy to start, high quality engine would bring many more people into the model car and airplane hobbies and came up with an .049 cubic inch glow engine called the Thimble Drome “Space Bug” that hit the market about October, 1950.
This engine featured a glow head with built-in coil of Cox’s own design, but the main advance was the steel piston and cylinder that were machined to very close tolerances for the time. The compact crankcase was cast aluminum and attached to a large cast aluminum gas tank which was mounted to the firewall with four screws. Inside the tank was a reed valve fuel induction system. The Space Bug sold for $6.95. With the heavy tank removed it was called the “Thermal Hopper” and also sold for $6.95. The “Space Bug Junior” featured a plastic tank and sold for $3.95. An engine review in Model Airplane News magazine in 1953 sparked a new wave of enthusiasts.
Cox offered their first complete airplane in 1953. The Thimble Drome TD-1 was a U-control model weighing 10 ounces and had an aluminum wing that was 24-1/2” long. The plastic body was 18” long, and it sold for $19.95 ready to fly including an accessory kit with a Skyon control reel, battery wires, connecting clip, control lines, filler hose and finger guard.
By the time the engine was winning almost all the ½-A flying contests and a new factory was built in Santa Ana, CA where 250 people were employed. In 1955 they introduced the second generation .049 engine which was called the Baby Bee. The engine now featured a spun aluminum tank in place of the cast tank and a signature black glow head and cylinder. The engine initially sold for $3.98, but you could also buy it mounted in several different plastic U-control plane. It had a spring starter making it easy for even a novice to start properly.
Cox later introduced the Pee Wee, which was an exact scaled down copy of the Baby Bee displacing .020 cubic inches. Interestingly, despite the smaller size it put out almost as much power as the larger engine. It was billed as “The World’s Smallest Model Engine” and sold for $3.98. These two engines were to remain in continuous production for well over 50 years, a remarkable achievement in itself.
For 1961, Cox took the line of reed valve sport engines and expanded it to include contest or high performance engines. They had engine designer Bill Atwood come up with a front rotary valve induction system to increase RPM and came up with what was called the Space Hopper*. The new method was applied to four engines for 1961 release: the .010, .020, .049 and .15 cubic inch models.
*Bob Beecroft notes, "The front rotary induction engines were the Tee Dee series I think is what is meat here."
The .010 had no fuel tank so it could be used with light, thin-wall brass tanks. It could turn up to 30,000 RPM and sold for $7.98. (It was sometimes offered with a brass tie clip in case the user wanted to wear it to work instead of use it to power an airplane—a testament to its tiny size.) The .020 sold for $6.98, the .049 for $7.98 and the .15 for $12.98. These engines have sold in huge numbers and brought the company a lot of financial success.
The slot car fad did not go unnoticed by Roy Cox, and in 1962 they established Cox International in Hong Kong to meet this demand. However, the sudden collapse of the slot car fad in 1967 left the company with a cash flow problem. At this same time Roy’s wife died and he experienced health problems, so he sold the company in 1969 to Leisure Dynamics, Inc. who continued production of the engines until the company was purchased again by Estes/Centuri in 1996. The company celebrated its 60<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary in 2005.
Leroy Cox died in December, 1981. His company over the years produced so many engines (sometimes over 1 million a year) that it is said their total output exceeded that of all model engine manufacturers in the world put together. That is quite a remarkable achievement, and many modelers today got their start with his products.

The Cox .049 Baby Bee may be the highest production engine in the world. Some years saw production on this engine top 1 million, and it was produced for many years. The one on the right with the spring starter was donated by Bill Holcomb along with an original bubble pack card showing a sale price of $4.69.

A PT-19 control line trainer. Many real pilots learned to fly in the full-size version of this plane, and many kids took to the air for the first time with the Cox version. The wings were attached to the fuselage with rubber bands that would come off in case of a crash.


A Shrike propeller driven car and a 1/32 scale Corvette slot car. The Cox slot cars featured an aluminum frame and high quality molded bodies in several popular styles. A factory was built in Hong Kong to meet this expected demand, but they hit the market near the end of the slot car craze, leaving the company with a cash flow problem. <!--mstheme-->
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More intrigue with the Richelieu-ReVere VanZandt LeRoi saga and what Richeleiu assests did Barbarino and investors by up?

Many cars were manufactured in Indiana during the early part of the century. Logansport produced two models, the Bendix and the Revere. While the Bendix only made a few vehicles, the Revere operated here from 1917-1926 making more than 2600 automobiles.



Innovations included an all aluminum body, bullet headlights, the first modern hubcap and an unusual double steering wheel. Most ReVeres made before 1922 were custom made according to the customer&#8217;s desire. The most famous ReVere customer was King Alfonso XIII of Spain who ordered a Sport Victoria in 1919 for which he paid $7800. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O></O><O></O>
The story behind the ReVere involves its financial troubles, due to mismanagement. The first signs of trouble surfaced in 1920. Much to the delight of Logansport businessmen, Newton VanZandt informed them of an eastern syndicate that was to order 12,000 vehicles over the next five years. Those orders were never filled. In December of 1920 three Chicago firms claimed they hadn&#8217;t been paid and tried to force ReVere into bankruptcy. When assets were shown to be greater than debts, the suit was dropped. Almost immediately another petition was filed on January 26, 1921. It was at this time that the Citizens Loan and trust Company of Logansport was appointed receiver of the corporation.<O> </O><O></O>
The focus of the ReVere&#8217;s problems was repeatedly aimed toward Newton VanZandt. He left for the east coast and started a new car company named Richelieu and sold several hundred Richelieu cars in New York during 1921. It was quickly discovered that several ReVere cars were being loaded onto trains in Logansport at night with destinations to the east coast. These ReVere&#8217;s were being passed off as VanZandt&#8217;s Richelieu automobile.<O> </O><O></O>
With VanZandt apparently stealing money and automobiles, the future of the company was bleak. ReVere was again in court in October of 1922 when the Cass Circuit Court declared the ReVere Motor Car Corporation bankrupt. The factory was padlocked and sold to the ReVere Stockholders Association for $52,000. The company was re-incorporated in February 1923 under the name of revere Motors Company. Unfortunately the financial trouble frightened away investors. ReVere finally closed its doors for good in January 1926.<O> </O><O></O>


Barbarino Motor Car Corporation, a firm founded by an Italian immigrant named Salvatore Barbarino in 1923.
Barbarino (b.1886-d.1960) was a well-known racecar mechanic and driver who had worked with the Chevrolet Brothers racing team during the 1919 and 1920 Indianapolis 500.
Barbarino was the designated relief mechanic/driver in the 1919 race for the Frontenac team who fielded four drivers, Louis & Gaston Chevrolet, Joe Boyer and R. Mulford.
During lap 103 Louis Chevrolet's Frontenac lost a wheel in front of the grandstand and was able to return the broken car to the pits. After a 30 minute repair the car returned to the race with Barbarino at the wheel. In the meantime Joe Boyer&#8217;s entry had been sideline and he took over from Barbarino finishing the race 7th overall.
Barbarino was Louis Chevrolet&#8217;s designated relief driver in the 1920 race. The pair piloted the Frontenac-based &#8216;Monroe Special&#8217; placing 18th after a broken steering knuckle on lap 94 put the car out of contention.
Following his brief racing career, Barbarino returned to New York where in 1923 he headed a group of investors who purchased the assets of the Richelieu Motor Co. reorganizing it as the Advance Motors Corp., of Stamford, Connecticut. Barbarino hoped to produce a high quality vehicle and set about designing a LeRoi-engined 4-cylinder equipped with four-wheel brakes mated to a 110-in chassis fronted by a Bugatti-inspired nickel-plated radiator shell.
Legal problems developed and the firm was reorganized as the Barbarino Motor Car Corporation, Port Jefferson, New York, in 1924. Barbarino fought with his new partners and left the firm shortly before production began. In January of 1925 the Barbarino made it debut at the Commodore Hotel&#8217;s Ballroom. On display was a 4-cylinder stripped chassis, a phaeton and a sedan with a cabriolet-type rear quarter panel. All coachwork was to order and the bodies on display were built by the Chupurdy Auto Coach Works, 221 West 53rd St., New York, New York.
Chupurdy is thought to have built the bodies for all 9 or 10 Barbarinos that are known to have been produced before the firm entered into receivership at the end of 1925. By that time Salvatore Barbarino had returned to his home in Flatbush, Brooklyn where he found work as brick-layer. He later operated his own auto repair shop and worked for a number of years as a longshoreman.

 

HJ, thanks for all the digging to clear up the TWO LeRoi engines -- VERY different engines at that, but both well known in their time!

I recall reading the Richelieu/Barbarino material somewhere, though I am not sure any distillation of it ever made it onto this thread, previous to your posting. I feel it is significant for several reasons. For one, the handful of Barbarinos were NOT simply re-badged Richelieus (nee' ReVeres), as I had assumed. It's interesting that the other investors kept the Barbarino name, even though Barbarino left the company before a car was issued.

Lastly, it seems sure that up to 10 Barbarinos were built during 1925, making them fodder for this thread. Since we know they were displayed publicly in late '24, one might hope that a survivor (or at least a photo) might exist (?).

Since a descendant of Salvatore Barbarino asked about these cars earlier, it would be great if we could dig one up someplace.

 

The info HJ posted RE the Barbarino automobile, indicated that it was to have been built on 110-inch wheelbase and feature a 4-cyl LeRoi engine and a nickel-plated radiator shell "inspired" by the French Bugatti. An American car copying European style cues? Would not be the first time!

And what better radiator to copy in 1924? The New Bugatti Type 35, shown below in action, burned up tracks from the moment it hit the ground, posting over 1,800 road racing wins by 1927, a monumental feat. Since we don't have a Barbarino, we can at least see what the radiator treatment may have looked like!


'24 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix racer.
See www.ddavid.com/formula1/bug35.htm for more tremendous pix & facts.


Born in Augusta, Sicily, Dec. 20, 1886, Salvatore Barbarino, lived to a ripe old age as a naturalized U.S. citizen, having worked hard and experienced notable adventures in his adopted land. This included driving a number of laps as a reliever in the 1920 Indy 500.

According to OldRacingCars.com, Salvatore moved from being a mechanic and backup race driver to builidng car chassis and cars. His name is remembered for the short-lived Barbarino cars built in 1924-25. Thereafter, he worked as a bricklayer, cement maker, longshoreman and, apparently in later years, ran his own auto-repair shop.

He died July 30, 1960, in Washington, Georgia. He is interred in the cemetery at Danburg Baptist Church, Wilkes Co., GA, alongside his wife Marie (1893-1984).

 

1933 Marmon HCM Special V-12. Howard C. Marmon
paid most of the 160,000 design & development cost
from his own pocket in a last-ditch effort to market a
high-end luxury car, despite the depression. Pro-
ducing more horsepower and fuel economy, the
sleeved V-12 was aluminum and was derived from
the aluminum Marmon V-16. Style was by Richard
Teague's father, and Marmon was not overwhelmed
by the Pierce-style head lamps. Only this singular
prototype was made.