Rutenber Motor Company
Encyclopedia
The Rutenber Motor Company was established as the Rutenber Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois, USA, to manufacture a four-cylinder engine to the design of Edwin Rutenber
.
Rutenber studied the trade of mechanics and, about 1892, built a single-cylinder engine. By 1898, he produced the first four-cylinder engine to be manufactured in the United States. A six-horsepower, single-cylinder engine was used by Frank Eckhart in his 1900 prototype car that was the seed for the Auburn
which used Rutenber engines until about 1923.
In 1902, Rutenber relocated his company, renamed the Western Motor Co., to Logansport, Indiana
. There, the company designed and manufactured 4- and 6-cylinder engines for the emerging automobile and truck industry. Rutenber himself briefly entered the auto business, creating the Rutenber auto and producing as few as 10 automobiles. He quickly exited the business to focus on engines. By 1907 the company employed three to four hundred men and shipped engines all over the United States.
Rutenber engines were used from 1905 in the Stoddard-Dayton
autos, which became well known for their speed and power, winning the Indianapolis race in 1909. In 1905, the Moon
made its debut in Detroit with a 35 hp four-cylinder engine. In 1913, the Moon was equipped with a six-cylinder Rutenber engine. In 1907, a 60 hp Rutenber engine powered the Meteor that went from Chicago to St. Louis (400 miles (643.7 km)) in 23 hours. Rutenber engines were also used in a long list of early automobiles: American
, Burg, Glide, Halladay
, Jewel, the Lexington and Westcott
and were exported for use in the Australian Six
. They were also found in early Indiana trucks, De Berry airplanes, Wetmore tractors, Howe fire pumpers, marine applications, and many were used to power carnival carousel
s.
In 1912, Edwin Rutenber sold his interest in the company and the rights to the name and severed further connection to it. The company was renamed The Rutenber Motor Company. Edwin Rutenber then turned his attention to the manufacture of electric appliances to exploit the rapid electrification of the nation.
In 1973, a Rutenber descendant donated a Rutenber engine to the Smithsonian Institution.
Edwin Rutenber
Edwin A. Rutenber was an inventor and businessman. He achieved distinction in the design and manufacture of the first four-cylinder gasoline engine produced in America. He later was an electric appliance manufacturer and inventor.Born at Sadorus, Illinois, the youngest of five children, Rutenber...
.
Rutenber studied the trade of mechanics and, about 1892, built a single-cylinder engine. By 1898, he produced the first four-cylinder engine to be manufactured in the United States. A six-horsepower, single-cylinder engine was used by Frank Eckhart in his 1900 prototype car that was the seed for the Auburn
Auburn Automobile
Auburn was a brand name of American automobiles produced from 1900 through 1936.-Corporate history:The Auburn Automobile Company grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1875 by Charles Eckhart...
which used Rutenber engines until about 1923.
In 1902, Rutenber relocated his company, renamed the Western Motor Co., to Logansport, Indiana
Logansport, Indiana
Logansport is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Indiana, United States. The population was 18,396 at the 2010 census. Logansport is located in northern Indiana, at the junction of the Wabash and Eel rivers, northeast of Lafayette.-History:...
. There, the company designed and manufactured 4- and 6-cylinder engines for the emerging automobile and truck industry. Rutenber himself briefly entered the auto business, creating the Rutenber auto and producing as few as 10 automobiles. He quickly exited the business to focus on engines. By 1907 the company employed three to four hundred men and shipped engines all over the United States.
Rutenber engines were used from 1905 in 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...
autos, which became well known for their speed and power, winning the Indianapolis race in 1909. In 1905, the Moon
Moon Motor Car
Moon Motor Car was a United States automobile company that was based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company had a venerable reputation among the buying public, as it was known for fully assembled, easily affordable mid-level cars using high-quality parts...
made its debut in Detroit with a 35 hp four-cylinder engine. In 1913, the Moon was equipped with a six-cylinder Rutenber engine. In 1907, a 60 hp Rutenber engine powered the Meteor that went from Chicago to St. Louis (400 miles (643.7 km)) in 23 hours. Rutenber engines were also used in a long list of early automobiles: American
American (1916 automobile)
The American was an American automobile, built in Plainfield, New Jersey, manufactured from 1917 to 1924. The company also used names American Balanced Six or American Six, "Balanced" referred to its chassis, not the engine...
, Burg, Glide, Halladay
Halladay (automobile)
The Halladay Motor Car company was founded in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Ohio in 1917.- Origins :The company originally began in Anderson, Indiana with the Erie Motor Carriage & Manufacturing Company. It was bought-out in 1902 by Lou P. Halladay...
, Jewel, the Lexington and Westcott
Westcott automobile
The Westcott was an automobile produced in Richmond, Indiana and Springfield, Ohio in the United States between 1912 and 1925. The car company was named for its founder, Burton J. Westcott....
and were exported for use in the Australian Six
Australian Six
The Australian Six was an Australian automobile manufactured from 1919 to 1925. It was a grandiose attempt to compete against imported cars from the United States, and was produced from a mixture of local and imported parts. Vehicles featured a conventional chassis layout and a choice of five...
. They were also found in early Indiana trucks, De Berry airplanes, Wetmore tractors, Howe fire pumpers, marine applications, and many were used to power carnival carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
s.
In 1912, Edwin Rutenber sold his interest in the company and the rights to the name and severed further connection to it. The company was renamed The Rutenber Motor Company. Edwin Rutenber then turned his attention to the manufacture of electric appliances to exploit the rapid electrification of the nation.
In 1973, a Rutenber descendant donated a Rutenber engine to the Smithsonian Institution.