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

HJManiac, excellent post, man. One of the overriding points you made (with broader implications, too!) is that not ONLY Franklin but a LOT of companies/majority owners WERE driven out of the AUTO business during the Depression . . . BUT, they didn't "go out of business" at all!

I can think of a few, and I'm sure there were/are plenty of others. Peerless ditched their new aluminum V-16 (unmarketed) and switched to brewing Carling Beer! Studebaker (which had wisely diversified) remained in business as Studebaker in other business pursuits, until subsumed by a larger company which, finally, dropped the Stude name. I think Graham had been making the original RotorTillers and kept THAT business alive, separate from Kaiser activites. Another company (I can't remember) went into properties and now owns the New York Nicks venue. E.L. Cord knew not to beat a dead horse and went (profitably) into real estate holdings out West. Etc.

SO, extinct? In a manner of speaking, NO, not all, right?!?

 

I just wanted to mention the Pierce-Arrow V-12 lived on, in the hands of the Seagrave fire engine company of Columbus, OH. They used the design they'd purchased from Pierce and continued to make the gas-powered V-12s until '69 or '70.

There's a GREAT current thread on the 906-CID Seagrave right now! GREAT reading AND pix!!!

 

Henry J Kaiser -- Kaiser Permanente

<TABLE border=0 width=485><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]January 24 - August 29, 2004[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Henry J. Kaiser: Think Big</EM>[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]History Special Gallery[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Presented by the History Department[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Exhibition sponsors
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Henry Kaiser surrounded by admiring workers. The affection cut both ways. Never aloof or distant, Kaiser expressed an open warmth and honest respect for working people everywhere.[/FONT]​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]" I always have to dream up there against the stars. If I don't dream I'll make it, I won't even get close."[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
--Henry J. Kaiser

Henry J. Kaiser launched more ships than any other builder during World War II, headed the first company to manufacture steel on the West Coast, completed massive construction projects like the Hoover and Grand Coulee dams, and developed a health care organization, headquartered in Oakland, that became a model for HMOs nationwide. Described by one historian as "America's boldest, most spectacular entrepreneur," Kaiser is one of the individuals who have most influenced the history of California and the West Coast.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]A long-overdue exhibition on the life of Henry J. Kaiser and his impact on the modern economic and cultural landscape, Henry J. Kaiser: Think Big, opens Jan. 24, 2004 at the Oakland Museum of California, to run through August 29. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The exhibition includes a re-creation of a maternity hospital room featuring innovations Kaiser incorporated in the Walnut Creek Medical Center when it was built in 1953. Other highlights include two Kaiser automobiles, a 1953 Henry J Corsair Sedan and a 1954 Kaiser Darrin sports car--one of only 435 manufactured and the first automobile to have a fiberglass body. The Kaiser Darrin was donated to the exhibition by Dr. Ed Schoen of Piedmont, who acquired it as a "company" car when he began working as a physician with The Permanente Medical Group. [/FONT]

 

Check this book out. You can get it at www.WRHS.org gift shop

Golden Wheels: The Story of the Automobiles Made in Cleveland and Northeastern Ohio 1892-1932

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars The most prized book in my library, <NOBR>September 27, 2002</NOBR>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>By </TD><TD>M. Substelny (Cleveland Heights, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Few people are aware that Cleveland was America's first "Motor City" long before Detroit claimed that title. In Golden Wheels, Richard Wager tells the largely unknown story of early American automobiles from Northeast Ohio. This includes venerable names like Winton, Stearns, Peerless, Chandler, Templar, and Jordan. In all, Golden Wheels tells the stories of 80 different automobile marques from the classic era. Every true automobile enthusiast should know the stories in this book.
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Not sure but you might mean 1932.

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1932 Peerless Prototype Touring Sedan ​

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how about a 1906 Anderson high wheeler, air cooled 2 cylinder

 

Sorry, HJ! Yes, 1932 Peerless! I got carried away (= didn't double-check FACTS!).

Also, THANKS for the TIP on the great book about Cleveland BEFORE Detroit! Guys, we gotta get hold of this book!

Golden Wheels: The Story of the Automobiles Made in Cleveland and Northeastern Ohio 1892-1932

 

Saw one just yesterday in Green Lane, Pa.!! Was in a body shop yard.

 

Great thread! Always good to get a little history here. Not extinct but of the
lesser known here's a couple.

Hatfield?



And a couple more for NE Ohio...





And another







I think I read Saxon in this thread so here's another one of those.

 

How about the Dagmar. From Hagerstown Md, I believe a dozen were made, not sure of the years.

 

Ramblur, glad you are enjoying this thread! Your post is most welcome, because not only did you point up some VERY rare makes, your museum photos are superb!!!

Obviously, we've adapted the "extinct" tack, since, if something were really extinct, even a photo would be difficult to come by (I think the closest we came was the '32 Peerless V-16, though HJManiac's coverage of the '31 Jordan Speedway ACE Model Z hilights a one-of-a-kind survivor!).

(BTW, since guys & gals seem to ENJOY this exam of the RARER & NEAR-EXTINCT oldies, how about giving it a few blue stars at the TOP of the page??? The more lookers we get, the more contributors of rare car makes we'll probably get!)

 

The Rugby was an assembled car produced by William Durant when Durant Motors was NYC-based. It was essentially the twin of Durant's Star line, though the Rugby was ostensibly built SPECIFICALLY for export markets. In 1923, the Rugby name was used instead of Star, since a "Star" car was already being made in Britain. The Star was made 1922 through 1928. Rugbys were made from 1923 to possibly late as 1931, but apparently relatively few Rugbys ever got built.

BTW, the Durant Motors stable included the Durant, Star, Rugby, Flint, Frontenac, DeVaux, Locomobile and Dort.

 

Rugby also built 1/4 ton and bigger trucks.

 

mr57, any of those trucks survive, or are they gone for good?

 

TWO U.S. Anderson makes? Yup! The Anderson High Wheeler that JeepJay pictures above is an example of the early Andersons made in Indiana. Made only from 1907 to 1910, this is the lesser-known (AND rarer) Anderson car. But, thank goodness, we can SEE there is ONE left, at least!!

The OTHER Anderson is remembered by South Carolinians as the most successful automobile built in a state not known today for auto-making. Made from 1916 through 1925, Andersons peaked with 2,000 production for 1923. Andersons reportedly offered a variety of attractive bodies and paint colors. Like Ned Jordan's cars, Andersons utilized proven Continental 6 engines.

 

Another N.E. Ohio make.



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From Bicycles to Automobiles[/FONT] ​

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Elmore Manufacturing Company was located at 51 Amanda Street, Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 to 1912. The founder, Harmon Becker, moved to Elmore, Ohio in 1869 with his wife and four children, where he established a sawmill and stave factory on the banks of the Portage River. Becker and his sons, James and Burton, began manufacturing bicycles in Elmore in 1892. Looking for more spacious quarters to produce their Elmore Bicycles, the Beckers in 1893 purchased an empty organ factory in Clyde. From an operation that employed 50 workers and produced 500 bicycles in 1892, the new Clyde plant was able to manufacture 1,500 bicycles in 1898 using 80 employees.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Not willing to sell their business to the American Bicycle Company, a trust, the Beckers quit making bicycles in 1897, and began to concentrate their energies on the building of automobiles. In 1898 the Beckers began the construction of a two-cycle motor, and had a car on the road by early 1900. By February 1 of that year, the very first Elmore car had been assembled with the second following three months later. In 1902 the Beckers introduced the horizontal-type motor, changing the design in 1903 to a 2-cylinder engine.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (Krause Publications, 1985): "Early Elmores had a single-cylinder engine mounted under the seat; another cylinder was added in 1903 which Elmore claimed to be 'the only double-cylinder motor in the world that can be started without cranking.' Elmore was almost belligerent in its championing of the two-stroke idea; 'The Car That Has No Valves' remained the company slogan for all of its life."[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Elmore Manufacturing Company was the biggest maker and booster of the valveless engine. It was the simplicity of the two-cycle engine that appealed to the Beckers, who felt that a motorcar, at best, was a very complex product, and if it were smaller than the other cars it would be easier to sell.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With production rising to three cars per day in 1903, the company began to enter its product in endurance races throughout the country. The Elmore Pathfinder, which was produced in the spring of 1904, participated in the American Automobile Association sponsored race from New York to the St. Louis World's Fair in July, surprisingly winning the event. The Beckers also competed for the prized Glidden Cup in 1905 and 1906, and on the Munsy Tour, Washington to Boston in September 1909, the Elmore was the only car to go the entire distance with a perfect record.[/FONT]

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1909 Elmore Model 30 Touring


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Here is a link to my Webshots album at the Buffalo transportation Museum from 2008 when they unveiled the restored Zust that had competed in the Great Race of 1908 and was one of the 3 vehicles that drove all the way around the world.
http://rides.webshots.com/album/563426312uISwjI

I don't know how many Zust's are left.
There are also plenty of other rare vehiclles in this album including the Buffalo Built Playboy
Playboy Motor Car Corporation was a Buffalo, New York-based automobile company, established in 1947. The company only produced 97 cars before going bankrupt in 1951. This company, indirectly, was the source for the name of Playboy magazine. The name was suggested to Hugh Hefner by his close friend, co-founder and eventual executive vice-president Eldon Sellers, whose mother had worked as a secretary for the automobile company's Chicago sales office before it went bankrupt.

 

HJ, this info about the Elmore is VERY interesting. From the racing and endurance record, it is OBVIOUS that the Elmore was a cleverly engineered, practical car -- very different in concept from most primitive cars of its time, right? A "valveless" 1-, 2- and 3-cylinder car that worked and WORKED hard!

Too bad they faded away just before WWI, bUT, that's exactly what happened to hundreds and hundreds of small, regional companies. As cars and car-manufacture got more sophisticated, smaller or less-capitalized companies fell by the wayside, unable to make cars at competitive prices (the main reason). Ranging up to $1,500, Elmores were not cheap.

But, in 1908, Billy Durant bought Elmore and added it to the GM stable. After Durant was forced out, the by-then dated engineering of the Elmore had run its course, and it was one of the brands discontinued in a reorganization to cut corporate costs.

I think Elmore, Brush, Geerless, Franklin, Doble and MANY others are proof that even building GOOD cars was no guarantee of staying in business! The existence of cars like this helps debunk a popular myth that (it seems to me) is held by many NON-car people, that cars that became defunct did so due to inherent FLAWS!!! Simply not so, right?!?

 

SWi66, I never even HEARD of the Zust auto! And it's not on Wiki's huge list of defunct U.S. car makes. THIS is one that's got me curious, so I'll have to follow up that link you provided. THX for the post.

(PS: The Playboy of Buffalo is one I covered in my book, so I'll go pick up on that info & report in here! Natch, we wanna know HOW MANY LEFT, too, don't we???)

 

Zust was not a US make, it was an Italian Car, brought over to the US to compete in the Great Race of 1908. Should have mentioned that.
Note the Italian Flag colors..........

 

Right! When you're right your right; Right? Right.

 

Right! You got it right -- right??? LOL

 

Sandusky Auto Parts and Motor Company

1912 Sandusky Model C 1 1/2 ton delivery truck​

"1912 Sandusky 1.5 Ton Stake. As the automobile developed, the need for cargo carrying vehicles became clear. To meet this need the first trucks were designed, basically by attaching a flatbed cart to a modified car. One of the early refinements to trucks was the introduction of a removable engine by the Sandusky Auto Parts and Motor Company of Sandusky, Ohio, in 1912. This 1912 Sandusky is a 1.5 ton stake truck. Its 4 cylinder engine, transmission, radiator and fuel tank were assembled as a unit that could be removed quickly from the truck to facilitate repairs. This Sandusky was a gift to the Crawford Auto Museum by Henry Austin Clark, Jr. of Cleveland and is possibly the only one in existence.

 

1907 Studebaker-Garford Model H Landaulet​

1907 Studebaker-Garford




edited by David Barth, 30 January 2009.
Courtesy The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.



This luxurious landaulet (automobile with a half-folding roof) was the combined effort of the Studebaker Corporation and the Garford Manufacturing Company. In 1902, Studebaker added electric cars to their wagon production. Two years later, in 1904, gasoline powered cars came out of their factory as well. Between 1906 and 1913, Studebaker acted only as the selling agent for cars made to their order and produced by other manufacturers.

The Garford Manufacturing Company of Elyria, Ohio, made the more expensive models that were sold as Studebaker-Garfords. These models were favored by ladies and were intended for town use, shopping, visiting, and short drives. The body is very small with little storage space.

This Studebaker-Garford was custom-made for Mrs. Bertha Palmer of Chicago, the widow of Potter Palmer, owner of the Palmer House Hotel and several properties along State Street. Their house was called "Palmer Castle," and Mrs. Palmer was the grand dame of Chicago society. The car's exterior is in her favorite shades of purple, heliotrope (lighter) and amaranth (darker), with red striping. The mauve velvet interior is accented with tapestry trim, beveled glass, and rich cherry wood. This Studebaker-Garford was sold by the Palmer chauffeur to a collector in the 1950s and has been painstakingly restored.

Model: H
Body Style: 2-door Landaulet (7-passenger)
Original Factory Price: $5,540
Brake Horsepower: 30
Displacement: 280.6 cubic inches
Bore: 4 1/8 inches
Stroke: 5 1/4 inches
Cylinders: 4, cast in pairs
Wheelbase: 104 inches
Manufacturer: Garford Manufacturing Company
Distributor: Studebaker Corporation
Location: Elyria, Ohio, USA (Garford)
South Bend, Indiana, USA (Studebaker)
Years of Production: 1903-1910

Donor: Louis A. Bettcher

 

The Vim half-ton truck was the product of a firm, the Touraine Company of Philadelphia, which found its touring cars difficult to sell. They assembled trucks from purchased parts including Northway engines from 1913 to 1915.

The company became the Vim Motor Truck Company in 1915 and produced trucks until 1923. Sales were in excess of 13,000 trucks per year from 1915 to 1917, but dropped off rapidly after that. Vim built their own engines known as Philadelphia for a time. Post-War models used Continental and Hercules engines.
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After leaving the St. Louis Motor Carriage Company in 1906, George P. Dorris founded the Dorris Motor Car Company with the financial backing of H. B. Krenning. The automobiles produced from this company were priced close to twice that of the average motorcars of the time, which was reflected in its motto, Built to Last. During this time Dorris continued to strive for excellence in engineering, developing at least 12 new patents for automotive improvements.
The later motto, Built Up to Standard, Not Down to Price, accurately described Dorris’s uncompromising commitment to building quality (Dorris cars were priced over $2,000), not quantity (competitors such as Ford were mass producing cars for under $400). However, this contributed to the company’s slow decline, and by 1916 the company remained in business with only the truck and bus production. By 1924, the Dorris Motor Car Company had dissolved. The following year, Dorris established Dorris Motors Incorporated, a company that focused on buses. However, it lasted only until 1926.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dENBYI3j3eE

How about this?

 

HJManiac, BOTH the Sandusky freight truck an the Studebaker -Garford landaulet are a pleasure to study visuallly and read about. THESE are not only vry OLDIES but also extremely rare!!! Wow. Great material!!!

 

Patric, any info about whether any Vim or Dorris vehicles survive anywhere?

 

Cool thread jimi!

Does anyone here know Bruce McCall's book Zany Afternoons, in which there's an ad for the Vume car? It isn't American, but being entirely fictitious it won't matter: "Vume. The motorcar so exclusive that none will be built!"

Seriously, do you know if any Gordon Diamonds were ever made, prototypes or anything else, and if any survive? It has for me always topped the Weirdness Of 1948.

 

there was one made of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlLZE23EJKs