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

As we can see below, it's a Stephens.
Popular Mechanics: 1927


February 9, 1927. Central High School, Washington, D.C. "High school girls learn the art of automobile mechanics. Grace Hurd, Evelyn Harrison and Corinna DiJiulian, with Grace Wagner under the car."

The Car

That 'junker' was probably premium automobile twelve or fifteen years before, overhead valves were a luxury car feature until Billy Durant co-opted Louis Chevrolet, and that's no Chevy... I'm curious what make of car this is. I've had no luck enlarging and reading the hubcap from this version of the image.
As we can see below, it's a Stephens.

 

And some more common makes....

 

HJManiac: THAT is some fascinating info on the Stephens cars, and for multiple reasons! For one, the horsepower for that era. Wow.

Secondly, I think this brand is a GREAT case study on how automaking AND auto companies functioned in the economy that existed prior to 1930. I THINK THERE IS A POPULAR MYTH (OR ASSUMPTION) THAT ALL THE DEFUNCT U.S. CARS HAD, SOMEHOW, INNATE FLAWS THAT DOOMED THEM TO FAILURE! AND, IN TRUTH, MOST (though not ALL) MAKES DON'T FIT THAT M.O. AT ALL!!!

The Stephens was OBVIOUSLY an outstanding car and, being largely hand-built, was NOT inexpensive. Like so many OTHER early car companies (even including the likes of Peerless and A.C.D.), Stephens clearly made a decision to eliminate automaking from its company portfolio to concentrate on business sectors that were making better profits!!!

Finally, I'm really interested in the Henney connection! HJ, from the material here, it SURELY appears that John Henney started the Henney of automotive fame (hearses, ambulances, etc.) virtually from the ashes of the Stephens car concern. Do I understand correctly???

If so, Stephens' exit from car building was surely NOT an ungraceful exit!

 

Sinister: THOSE radiator emblems are just FUN to look at! I'll bet there are plenty of ocllectors who would LOVE to have several of those in their collections!!!

 

My friend's father owns these three Maxwells. I don't remember the model years off-hand so I'll have to ask him again. If I remember correctly, the one on the lift is one of three of that model/year left in existence.. and the only one in Canada. I'll have to re-confirm that with him.

 

I've got a fondness for the American "regional" quality cars of the Vintage era. Cunningham (I don't mean the later sports car maker) is fairly well known, but who remembers Daniels, or McFarlan? Excellent products all.

 

Ned Ludd wrote: "I've got a fondness for the American "regional" quality cars of the Vintage era. Cunningham (I don't mean the later sports car maker) is fairly well known, but who remembers Daniels, or McFarlan? Excellent products all."

Hi, Ned! Good to see you visit this thread. THANKS for sort of echoing my sentiments RE QUALITY of many regional, lower-production companies!!! And let's add the Lexington to your short-list. Made in Lexington, KY, then Richmond, IN.

McFarland was quite a well-known automaker in its heyday and ran in verious competitions (including the Indy 500) to heighten its public image. Fact: Mel Marquette wrecked a McFarland in, I think, the 1912 Indy. They made a variety of body styles in a broad price range. Some McFarlands were pretty opulent, too! As you seem to note, FEW people today even remember the name, and few seem to survive, anyplace except museums.

As for the early Cunningham or the Daniels, I'll have to dig for any info I can find. HOPEFULLY, fellow HAMBers will/would search, too! THANKS, all!!!<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

 

Wrecked #23 McFarlan Six at the 1912 Indy 500, second year of the event.
Driver Mel Marquette's car broke late in the race.

 

After working for GM early on, George Daniels set out to produce high-quality luxury cars in Reading, PA, beginning in 1916. With the era of the horseless carriage quickly winding down, there was a growing market for bigger, more powerful and well-appointed automobiles.

The Daniels car fit all parts of the bill and was powered by an ample narrow-bank V-8 engine. The Daniels was a brass-lamp-era, made-to-order car and, so, was a prestigious possession -- for those who could afford some 7.5 grand in a time when a professional doctor might make $3,000 in a good year!
The final Daniels production year was 1924.

 

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Elwood_Haynes_driving_his_first_automobile,_the_Pioneer_in_1886.jpg

Information Description=Image caption in book says that photo is c. 1885, provided courtesy of the Elwood Haynes Museum Source=Madden, W. C. (2003). Haynes-Apperson and America's first practical automobile: a history. McFarland. ISBN 07864139

 

McFarlan Automobile Co. - Connersville, Indiana - 1856-1929
In 1886 carriagemaker John B. McFarlan, Sr., wanted to expand his buggy business. To accomplish this, he needed to shorten the delivery time of parts to his factory. To do so, he created the nation's first industrial park to accommodate manufacturers supplying wheels, leather, glass, and axles for his operation. The buggy soon became the horseless carriage and it was a natural progression for McFarlan to make the transition to automobile production. McFarlan produced their own automobiles from 1910 until 1928 as well as making some quite elaborate bodies for Locomobile, Lexington, H.C.S. and Auburn starting in 1902. McFarlan is best known for its huge twin-valve 6-cylinder models which were produced from 1920-1929. McFarlans were known as "the most expensive car made in the US" and "the American Rolls-Royce" during the 1920s. One magnificent McFarlan Town Car seen at the 1923 Chicago Auto Show had gold-plated interior and exterior hardware and could be had for a mere $25,000. McFarlan remained solvent into 1928 when the price pressures of mass-production autos finally forced the company to close. As the McFarlan plant was only five blocks from E.L.Cord's Central Manufacturing Company's Connersville assembly plant, Cord purchased the assets of the company in 1929 to use as a storage depot for raw materials and finished cars.
©1967 Alvin J. Arnheim & Henry Blommel- What was the McFarlan?
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McFarlan 1856-1928 - bodies for Auburn, Duesenberg, Locomobile, H.C.S., Lexington, and Stutz.
The McFarlan body building division was also busy, with contracts from Marmon, Locomobile, Auburn and others.
Built custom bodies from 1902-1925 Built complete automobiles 1910-1929
McFarlan of Connersville built their own bodies as well as those for the top-of-the-line Premier automobile (Indianapolis, Indiana) from 1924-1926 plus production bodies for Stutz.
Several carriage builders in Indiana turned to making automobile bodies, and some made complete automobiles. McFarlan was one of these, as noted in Alvin Arnheim's book on this massive make. While they also built some bodies for the largest Auburn at one time, they had earlier turned out custom bodies on other chassis such as Locomobile in their plant in Connersville. I do not recall that they built custom bodies for any other chassis to any extent once their own car was in production.
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McFarlan built at least one hearse on a 1925 TV Six chassis. It was built on a Twin Valve 140" wheelbase chassis with a huge six-cylinder engine of 572 1/2 cubic inches. The McFarlan TV Six motor had 24 valves (4 per cylinder) and a triple ignition system (3 spark plugs per cylinder). Ambulances, Funeral Cars and Fire Trucks were available on special order according to their advertisements.
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A deep blue 1927 Duesenberg Model X transported some 650 miles from Ann Arbor, Mich., by Dr. Peter Heydon (essentially an improved version of the company's Model A and the only survivor listed in the club registry) was a shoo-in for the Concours' Best Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg award. The car has a dashing boattail speedster body by the McFarlan firm that also built about 3600 complete cars in Connersville, Ind., from 1910-28.

Duesenberg Model X McFarlan Speedster

 

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Was this one ever mentioned? Neat place in history.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Selden Automobile[/FONT]​

<HR align=center SIZE=1 width="30%">[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Selden horseless carriage or automobile was a truly AWESOME machine when Mr. Selden applied for his patent in 1879. Unfortunately he could not find financing for his invention and people were very reluctant to embrace a future without the horse. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mr. Selden&#8212; a lawyer by profession&#8212;was able to keep the patent process open until 1895 when he was finally issued his patent. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In 1899, he sold his patent rights to William C. Whitney, who proposed manufacturing electric powered taxicabs as the Electric Vehicle Company, EVC, for a royalty of $15 per car with a minimum annual payment of $5,000. Whitney and Selden then worked together to collect royalties from other budding automobile manufacturers. He was initially successful, negotiating a 3/4 of 1 % royalty on all cars sold by the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers, the ALAM. He began his own car company in Rochester under the name, Selden Motor Car Company.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In 1903, Henry Ford asked to join the ALAM but his application was refused because he was an ASSEMBLER of automobiles and not a MANUFACTURER. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As a result, he took the ALAM to court and the trial dragged on from 1905 to 1911. In 1908, the U.S. circuit court judge upheld the Selden patent but on appeal the judge's opinion was overthrown and the court ruled in favor of Ford. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mr. Selden's fame as the inventor of the automobile was almost completely obliterated from the history books and the credit for making the automobile available to the masses was given to Henry Ford instead. [/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Selden auto was a front wheel drive, turbo charged gas turbine engine mounted on the common buggy of the day. The motor is closer to the jet engine than the common automobile of today. It ran very quietly and did not need a muffler because it produced no explosion in the cylinders. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It was light years ahead of anything that Henry Ford produced. [/FONT]​

 

You guys are a veritable fountain of information!

HJ, I love the pic of Elwood Haynes in his ride -- trying to look COOL! And you mentioned MANY details about the ONCE-vaunted McFarlan that I never knew. Fab stuff. Makes me wonder why so few McFarlans survived!!!

Swi66: Great stuff, as usual! The Selden was a front-drive, turbo-charged gas turbine??? Holy mackerel! In 1908 ?!?!?!?

 

1909 Simplex Model 90 Double Roadster
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See Links Below

http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10122/1909-Simplex-90-HP.aspx

http://www.remarkablecars.com/ppads/showproduct.php/product/2691
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The Simplex Automobile Company came into being in 1907 when wealthy textile mogul Herman Broesel bought the struggling S & M Simplex Company. Designed by Edward Franquist, the 4-cylinder S & M Simplex was one of the more expensive cars of its day, costing close to $7,000 in 1904—and that's just for the chassis. Bodies were generally executed by the most prestigious custom coachbuilders of the time. When you consider the mean yearly income was about $1,000, a completed car could easily exceed 15 years wages for the average American. This is the stuff of Carnegies, Vanderbilts and Rockefellers.

Following Broesel's purchase, the Simplex continued its reputation as transportation for only the most privileged of classes. The fi rst Simplex featured a 9.8 litre, 50hp "Thead" engine mated to a four-speed sliding gear transmission and twin chain drive. A passionate racing enthusiast, Broesel campaigned his 90 m.p.h. capable car in a number of races including the fi rst Indianapolis 500 where it fi nished 6th. In spite of some competitive success, Simplexes were more in their element squiring the upper crust around in stately comfort. The term "land yacht" certainly applies here—these cars are huge, Ford Excursion huge—with 12 foot wheelbases and, depending on coachwork, 5,000 pound plus curbweights.

Upon Broesel's death in 1912, his sons took over and proceeded to run things squarely into the ground. Within a year, they sold the company to the New York-based consortium of Goodrich, Lockhart and Smith. The new ownership group transferred operations to New Brunswick, New Jersey and purchased the Crane Motor Car Company. The acquisition of Crane was a savvy and expedient way to acquire both a 6-cylinder engine (deemed necessary to compete in the rarifi ed atmosphere of luxury transportation) and the services of Henry M. Crane, a brilliant engineer. Crane's chassis work had achieved a well deserved reputation for luxury and technical excellence and commanded prices of 8, 10 even 12 thousand dollars. By 1915, a Simplex-Crane with a body by the likes of Brewster, could easily represent the most expensive automobile operating in America.

When the U.S. entered WWI, Simplex was acquired by the Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. Automobile manufacture was eventally suspended and the New Brunswick plant converted to aero engine production specifically, the Hispano-Suiza under license. Eddie Rickenbacker's "Hat-in-the-Ring" Spad fl ew its way to fi ghter ace fame powered by an engine built in New Brunswick. Following the war, a few additional cars were constructed from existing parts bringing the total of Simplex- Cranes produced to a fi gure just shy of 500.

The game of musical ownership chairs continued when, in 1920, former Packard vice-president Emian S. Hare bought the rights to the Simplex name. Soon after, Henry Crane reacquired the moribund marque and at this point—and only at this point—the moniker "Crane-Simplex" is accurate. Crane would go on to enjoy a successful career as a engineer with General Motors. It is perhaps a testament to the enduring reputation of Henry Crane that the misnomer "Crane-Simplex" is so often applied to cars produced during the Simplex corporate era.

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I have heard over the years that another that was built in Oregon was the Beaver of which no examples exist .

 

Below is an article I just had published in the Corvair Society of America's magazine about a unique Corvair motor and it's story. Though technically not "extinct" as this is the only known left of the original prototypes, it was pretty close to being extinct. It is now on display at the Buffalo Transportation museum, shortly to be joined by the only known to exist Corvair Modular motor.
If you follow the links to the other pictures on Webshots, you will see photo's of the actual Canadair Dynatrac, as well as comparison photo's of stock pieces against the custom peices.




Full series of pictures here:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/560592248tyJFOL
Canadair Dynatrac Engine
Gary Swiatowy
Back around July 2007, Cal Clark obtained a collection of Corvair parts that included an unusual motor. Some of the pieces had some unusual tooling, and he thought that maybe someone had a connection with GM to have some special parts made. Some of the casting dates are from 1962 and 1963, but are not regular production pieces. Cal sent a letter with some pictures to Larry Claypool asking him about it. Larry correctly identified the motor as one of the Canadair motors. Larry forwarded the pictures to Dave Newell for verification. See the sidebar article for Dave Newell’s part of this story.
<ST1Clark's offered it as a donation, but there was some reluctance from the CPF for accepting this. No one had any idea where it would be stored, or who would assemble it, or where it would be displayed. There are only so many artifacts the group could handle. At this time, some are languishing away in storage, awaiting a home to be displayed. Thank goodness Dave was persuasive enough to get the CPF to accept this motor, an irreplaceable piece of Corvair history.
Now, around here is where I got involved. I was contacted as Dave had been trying to reach Niagara Frontier Corvair Club member Bob Kurneta. Bob, a former <ST1Tonawanda Engine plant employee and longtime Corvair enthusiast, had a long-running interest in the Canadair project. Bob has since retired to <ST1Arizona, and no longer had Corvairs. I made contact with Chuck Facklam and Bill Gworek to see if they would be interested in accepting the engine on behalf of the CPF and the NFCC and going forward with restoring and re-assembling, with an ultimate goal of having it on display at the <ST1<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com</st1laceName>Buffalo <st1laceName w:st="on">Transportation</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Museum</st1laceType></ST1l. This would be a natural fit, as all Corvair motors were built in this area. Of course everyone became enthusiastic, and with the help of Pete Koehler the boxes of parts were transported to <ST1<st1:State w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:State></ST1la, so we could meet up with Pete and take possession of the motor. Chuck Facklam took over the role of Project Manager.
After a few false starts, the NFCC finally was able to get together and reassemble this historic engine. You know how it is, sometimes life, personal obligations, and here in <ST1lace <st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State> weather can put a delay on the best laid plans. Also, we didn’t want to just slap this together haphazardly, we wanted it to look nice and, technically, be able to run if needed.
While going through the bits and pieces, we were amazed at the amount of specialty pieces there were replacing production parts. The unique oil pan and oil pickup, the shrouding, exhaust manifolds, generator mount, air cleaners, and the oil cooler! Check out the oil cooler, pictured with a stock oil cooler. I bet if we found a cache of these, all the performance people would go nuts. Same with the stamped steel deep sump oil pan, these parts have great potential performance applications. Then it occurred to me, this is a miracle, these parts did not get diverted to performance use and lost to us for this restoration. No major parts were missing from the puzzle, only some off-the-shelf items such as rockers, pushrods, carburetors, and other small parts were lacking. It was easy enough for me to dig through my parts stash for what was needed. I even had a pair of rebuilt carbs I did years ago as spares that were the correct manual choke carbs. The only two items needed to complete the display were a 24 volt generator, and the correct military 24 volt distributor and wires. I found a generator on eBay, and it turned out that the CPF actually had an extra correct distributor and wires attached to a display board! Sometimes things just come together.
The assembly was basically similar to a straightforward Corvair motor. But then you get to notice certain things, like the use of valve rotators in the heads, and the shrouding, unlike any other shrouding we have dealt with before. We actually got pretty good at taking it off and on as we kept finding yet another piece we missed. But we got it all together. Various members of the NFCC donated their time in the assembly process. Many cleaned or scraped parts, while others sandblasted or helped in other ways. This turned out to be a great project for our club. I very much enjoyed my part in it and hope other CORSA members get to see it on display in <ST1Buffalo
It is now nicely displayed at the <ST1<st1laceName w:st="on">Buffalo</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Transportation</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Museum</st1laceType></ST1 (Pierce Arrow), see http://www.pierce-arrow.com/. Who knows what the future will hold, maybe another motor or a car to add to the display.
More pictures are available at my Webshots albums: http://rides.webshots.com/album/560592248tyJFOL.
Now, all we need to do is find an actual XM571 Dynatrac to put it in and try it out…

Thanks to: Cal Clark for the donation. Dave Newell for the valuable information and allowing us the use of pictures from his personal collection, and all his other efforts including background research, and our go-between with the CPF. Pete Koehler for assisting us by transporting first the motor and then the distributor and storing them temporarily. Chuck Facklam for heading up the project, placing the display at the museum, donating the display stand, and getting the details just right. And to Bill Gworek and all the other NFCC members who assisted in this project.

 

I should mention, that this weekend, Saturday the 14th, is the unveiling of the Corvair Preservation Foundation's display at the Buffalo Transportation Museum (Pierce Arrow).
Of course there is the above mentioned Canadair motor, in addition, there will also be the Experimental Modular engine that Chevrolet was playing with back then. The modular engine was designed so addtional cylinders could be added to a base block as needed for a vehicles requirements. Also will be a 60 Corvair motor, an aluminum transmission as well.
Coming in the future will be the experimental Fuel Injected motor, and a cut-away motor.
The "unveiling" is this Saturday at 10:00 AM, and admission is $20 per person, but includes refreshments at noon.

Will post pictures of the display after the weekend.

 

Jimi, sorry to introduce a tangent, but it's been bugging me for days now. Years ago I came across a reference to a well-known American independent car-maker who, c.1930 (IIRC), offered a clever dual-steering-wheel system. The wheels were concentric and had different steering ratios. The inner wheel was geared very low and was intended for low-speed manoevering. I can't for the life of me remember which manufacturer it was, however (Stutz?); nor can I retrieve the source. I'm beginning to wonder if I'd dreamt the whole thing (in which case I displayed remarkable creativity in my sleep!) Can you shed any light?

 

I knew I wasn't imagining things. It was ReVere:

http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2006/02/01/hmn_feature13.html

Apparently five survive.

 

Dawie, holy mackerel!!! Talk about RARE! Only a scant handhul of Reveres got manufactured. The man behind the marque was a story on unto himself, too. Some claimed he was shady, and he did seem to have a habit dropping out for weeks or months at a time. BUT, the cars were sharp-looking AND costly, many of them with a body style I like to call "opera car" or "parade car." One of the earliest was custom-made for King Alphonso of Spain!

This DUAL-RATIO STEERING system is something else!!!

 

Swi66, dude, awesome info. My sister had a '64 Corvair that I drove now and then. I was pretty IMPRESSED by the performance, and -- being aware of all the Ralph N. crap -- I thought the cars (and GM) got pretty much a bum rap.

Here, you're showing REAL hi-perf versions of motors GM had in the works for this light and lithe little car! The degree of detail on these power plants makes me wish I had the dough to go SEE them. COOL chapter in hi-perf history (and, of course, we all know Corvair engines appeared in other "creations"!). Thanks, good post!

(NOTE: Obviously, though, I must point out that the Corvair is defunct, not extinct. The distinction here is that these rare power plants ARE extinct, for all intents and purposes, since they didn't get a chance to make it into production -- thanks to Nader.)

 

Actually, I met Nader, got his autograph on my original "Unsafe" at the Corvair Convention in DC in 1992.
Nader actually kept the Corvair in production for a few more years due to his book. GM was actually going to close the book on the Corvair after the 1966 model year. It's replacement of course was the 67 Camaro. There is speculation, that the Camaro was actually going to be the third generation of the Corvair, but in a more conventional format. There certainly is a family resemblance between the first generation Camaro and the second generation Corvair. Due to the Unsafe book, GM was not going to drop the brand, but kept it going for another 3 years until 1969. Otherwise 66 would have been the last year.

Nader didn't kill the Corvair, competition like the Mustang really killed it. In that era, you could buy a Mustang for the same price as the Corvair, so most people did. And the profit margin was not there, too much expense in the unique design that did not share many components with other brands.

After next weekend, I'll post the info on the modular engine, after I get some good pictures of it.

The Corvair was always rather innovative, had 4-wheel independant suspension before the Corvette did. Used turbocharging as an option first available in 1962.

And no matter what Nader said, the Corvair remains to this day, the only car certified as safe by the US government. Unfortunately, that did not happen until AFTER the Corvair ceased production.

Yes, the prototype Canadair motor was considered "extinct", unti this one was found, and pretty much so was the modular engine I will do a write up on soon.

 

Somebody asked again about the BEAVER automobile. Worth updating for him, as IT REALLY IS EXTINCT! Here's the info:

BAD news is that the company was very short-lived, so ONLY one Beaver car got built. EVEN WORSE, the Oregon Historical Society reports that the best info they have indicates that the lonely, sole Beaver car lay in someone's back yard for quite some time. And when the owner (OR,maybe, his wife?) got sick & tired of looking at it, he burned the largely wooden car up!

 

Swi66, I hope a ton of people see this info you posted about the oft-maligned, misunderstood Corvair! Seems there's a lot of conventional wisdom (read that, MYTH!) around the Corvair!!! THE FACTS REALLY PUT A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE CORVAIR STORY! Great posts there!

Too, I DO feel bad that so many makes are not available to most people to actually drive -- only read about or see in videos. One can HARDLY truly know what the Corvair was like without getting to drive it, any more than you can IMAGINE what a Hemi-powered DeSoto Fireflite was like to drive! I hope you see my point.

 

ReVere automobile, courtesy Cass Co. Historical Society, Logansport, IN
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Incorporated in 1917, the ReVere company's first car appeared in 1919, made in Logansport, IN. Named in honor of the Revolutionary War patriot, there was no explanation of why the "V" was capitalized, though it seems an affectation. Averaging a hefty $4- to $7,000, the ReVere was well made and hand-made using no assembly line. Power came from Duesenberg engines and a plant made by the chief engineer, Adolph Monsen. Though the company made over 2,500 cars during its erratic run, only five ReVeres are accounted for today, including one held by the Cass Co. Historical Society, Logansport.

Ultimately, internal problems led to the company's downfall. Ironically, the fault(s) seemed traceable to the financial chief, Newton VanZandt. According to an excellent article by the historical society on the 'net, VanZandt was strongly suspected of siphoning off funds. Early on, he also "shined" investors with a fictitious story of an eastern syndicate that was to order 12,000 ReVeres.

Then, in 1922, VanZandt disappeared, reappearing on the east coast selling another line of cars he'd dubbed Richelieu. It was strongly suspected that some finished ReVere cars were disappearing in the dark of night, being loaded on trains and being re-badged as Richelieus! Talk about nerve! Well, perhaps not surprisingly, VanZandt died under "mysterious" circumstances in New York City. (And some people, later, called Preston Tucker a cheat?) The so-called Richelieu was only sold in 1922-23, making it an extremely rare make -- if you can call an illicitly re-badged car a "make."

Absent a big chunk of public confidence, the ReVere company struggled vainly to remain viable, finally folding in 1926.

The apparent antics of VanZandt make the ReVere/Richelieu story one of the strangest chapters in U.S. auto history! WELL worth reading the excellent article by the Cass Co. Historical Society. Search "ReVere Automobile." Among the earliest entries, there's one simply entitled "History."

[A notable footnote is that Logansport was home to another quite short-lived car make, the Bendix, made only 1908-09.]​

 

Perhaps the Capital V in ReVere was a reference to VanZandt?

 

Any mention yet of the Doble. While not extinct, the technology behind it made it a phenominal automobile. Jay Leno has one. Google it.

 

Built in Lorain Ohio from 1920-1922. Charles F. Carroll build these cars out of a building not far from me long before I was around. [ this was not a product of FORD also located in Lorain].
A sedan styled like an open touring car, the Carroll sported a rakish green leather roof known as a California top, a six-cylinder 55 horsepower Buda engine, a 128-inch wheelbase and a aluminum chassis. "Very few cars were made of aluminum back then, speed was a big thing in that time. You got it by reducing weight". It sold for $3,895. Only about 200 Carroll's came off the Assembly line.
The story also reads that there had been 82 automobile manufactures based in the Cleveland Ohio area from the late 1890's to the early 1930's

 

HJManiac wrote: Perhaps the Capital V in ReVere was a reference to VanZandt?

Jimi'sHemi:
You know, THAT had NOT even crossed my mind, although I have found the ReVere story odd, exciting and tragic -- all at once. YOU, HJ, I think have NAILED it! This VanZant (ReVere) character WAS obviously quite an egotistical guy! SO, it surely just ADDS UP that this is osmething he'd do, and something engineering type Monsen would have gone along with!

THAT was a very astute observation -- maybe an epiphany, even!!! Yike

 

Mr57: Yup, we covered the Doble, and Leno IS a big proponent of the return of steam, given that he has OPERATING Stanleys AND a Doble Model E. Though there were over 20 U.S. steam cars, the two mentioned here were THE best in enigneering AND performance in the field -- BY FAR!!!

Though Stanley certainly did the best job of marketing their steam cars, the Doble was (1) faster to warm up, (2) ran on various heating fuels, and (3) had fantastic performance capabilities. In all but ONE respect, the Doble was a better car than even the vaunted Stanley! The Doble's downfall was that its inventors were engineers, not marketers. It never even crossed their minds to team up with a manufacturing mogul who could have brought their cars to the masses.

Thus, the Doble is barely a footnote in U.S. auto history. AND they are scarce as hen's teeth, since the Doble brothers produced so FEW !!!