Courier Car Co
Encyclopedia
The Courier Car Co. was an automobile
manufacturer formed in 1909 by the Stoddard-Dayton
Company in Dayton
, Ohio
, to produce smaller, lighter and lower-priced models than the luxury automobiles produced by Stoddard Dayton.
Its advertisements were early advocates of the compact car
: "Don't buy more car than you need ... Don't you buy a car of greater power or capacity than you need." The cars were built on a 100 inches (2,540 mm) wheelbase and powered by a 22.5 hp engine. Four-cylinder models (3245 cc and 3638 cc) were produced.
The car was comparable in size to the Ford Model T
, but had three forward gears to Ford's two and the Courier was a snappier performer. Only two body styles were offered: an open, four-passenger touring car
and a sporty, two-seater sportster.
Like Stoddard-Dayton, Courier formed part in the United States Motor Company
. After the acquisition by United States Motors, the 1912 models were called Courier Clermonts. Production ceased in 1913, when United States Motor Company failed.
The Courier plant occupied what had been the Kinsey Manufacturing building on the southwest corner of Wayne Avenue and State Street (now Fourth Street), which now houses the Dayton Plumbing Supply Co.
The discovery and restoration of a Courier is featured in a chapter of Ralph Steubenrauch's classic book The Fun of Old Cars.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer formed in 1909 by the Stoddard-Dayton
Stoddard-Dayton
Stoddard-Dayton was a high quality car manufactured by Dayton Motor Car Company in Dayton, Ohio, USA, between 1905 and 1913. John W. Stoddard and his son Charles G...
Company in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, to produce smaller, lighter and lower-priced models than the luxury automobiles produced by Stoddard Dayton.
Its advertisements were early advocates of the compact car
Compact car
A compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
: "Don't buy more car than you need ... Don't you buy a car of greater power or capacity than you need." The cars were built on a 100 inches (2,540 mm) wheelbase and powered by a 22.5 hp engine. Four-cylinder models (3245 cc and 3638 cc) were produced.
The car was comparable in size to the Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
, but had three forward gears to Ford's two and the Courier was a snappier performer. Only two body styles were offered: an open, four-passenger touring car
Touring car
A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...
and a sporty, two-seater sportster.
Like Stoddard-Dayton, Courier formed part in the United States Motor Company
United States Motor Company
The United States Motor Company was organized by Benjamin Briscoe in 1910 as a selling company, to represent various manufacturers. It had begun life as the International Motor Company in 1908 in an attempt to create the first major consolidation within the industry with Maxwell-Briscoe and Buick,...
. After the acquisition by United States Motors, the 1912 models were called Courier Clermonts. Production ceased in 1913, when United States Motor Company failed.
The Courier plant occupied what had been the Kinsey Manufacturing building on the southwest corner of Wayne Avenue and State Street (now Fourth Street), which now houses the Dayton Plumbing Supply Co.
The discovery and restoration of a Courier is featured in a chapter of Ralph Steubenrauch's classic book The Fun of Old Cars.