Stearns (automobile)
Encyclopedia
F. B. Stearns and Company (later F.B. Stearns Company) was a manufacturer of luxury cars in Cleveland, Ohio
marketed under the brand names Stearns and Stearns-Knight
.
The first production model evolved in 1898; it was a gasoline-fuel buggy-style
automobile with a one-cylinder engine (horizontal under the floor), tiller
steering, wire wheels, planetary
transmission
, and chain drive
. In the same year, F. B. Stearns & Company was organized with his partners, brothers Raymond M. and Ralph L. Owen
.
As early as 1901, he introduced a steering wheel instead of the tiller, and advanced to a gasoline runabout with a 4083cc (101ci) one-cylinder engine under the seat bench, and single chain drive. Until then, about 50 cars had been built.
For 1902, Stearns offered a variety of models, including a touring car
model. Equipped with a front-mounted, 24 hp (17.9 kW) water-cooled flat twin and tonneau
, and three-speed transmission was fitted. Notably, all vehicle controls were situated on the steering wheel
. The armored wood-framed car weighed 2800 lb (1270 kg), seated six passengers, and sold for $3,000.
In 1904, Stearns had a very European four-cylinder of 36 hp, with pressed steel chassis, wheelbase of 111 inches (282 cm), and four-speed gearbox, but a distinctly American (i.e., backward) coil and battery, rather than the magneto
typical in Europe. This changed in 1905, when the 32/40 made magneto
standard, as wheelbase grew to 118 in (300 cm). Stearns used the slogan Runs like A Deer in this year.
1905 brought a new car that was again bigger and which provided the only offering from the small Cleveland manufacturer. It was a huge automobile with a four-cylinder L-head engine
with a block cast in pairs and mechanical operated side valve
s delivering 40 HP. Wheelbase of 118 inches (300 cm). It was called the model 32/40 and was available as a very expensive 7-passenger Touring that set a buyer back a hefty $4,150.
Stearns introduced a 40/45 four in 1906, with aluminum body panels, tonneau, and windshield
, with "no less than 17 coats of paint", at a cost of $5,200. This car shared the wheelbase of previous year's 32/40, though the touring body now seated five passengers.
1907 was the last year in which the company offered but one single model. Again, it was a new one, and again, it was the largest and most powerful yet. The 30/60 rode on a 120-inch (3048 mm). It had a massive T-head four-cylinder engine with the cylinder block cast in pairs, displacing 536 c.i. (8783 cc) and delivering 60 HP. There were two body styles available: a Touring with either 5 or 7 seats for $4,500 each, and a 7-passenger Pullman at $4,759.
Believed to be the fastest stock automobile of its period, Barney Oldfield
won the Mount Wilson hillclimb
in a Stearns Six (which was a 45/90 of 12913cc/788ci). In 1910 at Brighton Beach
, Al Poole and Cyrus Patschke won a 24-hour race, covering 1253 mi (2016 km) at an average 52.2 mph (84.0 km/h).
This is 1911 Stearns Model 15/30 Toy Tonneau, Chassis #4683. It has a 4-cylinder, T-head poppet valve engine with T-head configuration with a displacement of 294.2 c.i. (4821 cc), delivering 32 HP. It features a Stearns carburetor and Bosch ignition. Wheelbase is 116 in. (2946 mm). Price when new was US$ 3,200 or 3,500, depending on source, which put in easily in the luxury class although this was the least expensive of 4 model line for Stearns and Stearns-Knight
that year. A Toy Tonneau is a open, light body for 4 or 5 passengers.
This car was part of the Harrah automobile collection in Reno, NV, in the 1970s.
Soon, however, Stearns turned away from performance. In 1911, the firm began installing Knight
sleeve valve
engines, marketed under the Stearns-Knight
brand name. By 1914, they had a 5.1 liter four and a 6.8 liter six, electric lighting, and electric starter. This was followed by a V8, one of the first companies to offer one, in 1917.
Stearns retired in 1919 and sold his automotive company to J. N. Willys in 1925; Willys operated Stearns-Knight as a non-integrated affiliate of WillysOverland
until 1929 when the F.B. Stearns Company was liquidated.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
marketed under the brand names Stearns and Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight was a luxury automobile produced in Cleveland, Ohio first by the F.B. Stearns Company from 1900 to 1925, and then under ownership by WillysOverland Company of Toledo, Ohio until 1929....
.
History
Frank Ballou Stearns (1879–1955) was an early automotive pioneer who, in 1896, built his first experimental car as a student, aged seventeen, in the basement of the family home. He built a four-cylinder car as early as 1897, but as it did not work properly he instead switched to single-cylinder engines. His father allowed him to proceed and supported him with money and a barn they converted to a machine shop.The first production model evolved in 1898; it was a gasoline-fuel buggy-style
Horse and buggy
A horse and buggy or horse and carriage refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two horses...
automobile with a one-cylinder engine (horizontal under the floor), tiller
Tiller
A tiller or till is a lever attached to a rudder post or rudder stock of a boat that provides leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder...
steering, wire wheels, planetary
Planetary
Planetary means relating to a planet or planets. It can also refer to:* Planetary , a comic book series by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday* Planetary habitability, the measure of an astronomical body's potential to develop and sustain life...
transmission
Transmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
, and chain drive
Chain drive
Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...
. In the same year, F. B. Stearns & Company was organized with his partners, brothers Raymond M. and Ralph L. Owen
Owen Magnetic
The Owen Magnetic was a brand of hybrid electric luxury automobiles manufactured between 1915 and 1922. Car models of the brand were notable for their use of an electromagnetic transmission and were early examples of a electric series hybrid drivetrain. The manufacture of the car was sponsored by...
.
As early as 1901, he introduced a steering wheel instead of the tiller, and advanced to a gasoline runabout with a 4083cc (101ci) one-cylinder engine under the seat bench, and single chain drive. Until then, about 50 cars had been built.
For 1902, Stearns offered a variety of models, including a 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...
model. Equipped with a front-mounted, 24 hp (17.9 kW) water-cooled flat twin and tonneau
Tonneau
right|thumb|260px|1903 [[Ford Model A |Ford Model A]] rear-door TonneauTonneau cover , describes a hard or soft cover used to protect unoccupied passenger seats in a convertible, roadster, or for a pickup truck bed. Hard tonneau covers open by a hinging or folding mechanism while soft covers open...
, and three-speed transmission was fitted. Notably, all vehicle controls were situated on the steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
. The armored wood-framed car weighed 2800 lb (1270 kg), seated six passengers, and sold for $3,000.
In 1904, Stearns had a very European four-cylinder of 36 hp, with pressed steel chassis, wheelbase of 111 inches (282 cm), and four-speed gearbox, but a distinctly American (i.e., backward) coil and battery, rather than the magneto
Magneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
typical in Europe. This changed in 1905, when the 32/40 made magneto
Magneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
standard, as wheelbase grew to 118 in (300 cm). Stearns used the slogan Runs like A Deer in this year.
1905 brought a new car that was again bigger and which provided the only offering from the small Cleveland manufacturer. It was a huge automobile with a four-cylinder L-head engine
Flathead engine
A flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
with a block cast in pairs and mechanical operated side valve
Valve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
s delivering 40 HP. Wheelbase of 118 inches (300 cm). It was called the model 32/40 and was available as a very expensive 7-passenger Touring that set a buyer back a hefty $4,150.
Stearns introduced a 40/45 four in 1906, with aluminum body panels, tonneau, and windshield
Windshield
The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike or tram is the front window. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are glued...
, with "no less than 17 coats of paint", at a cost of $5,200. This car shared the wheelbase of previous year's 32/40, though the touring body now seated five passengers.
1907 was the last year in which the company offered but one single model. Again, it was a new one, and again, it was the largest and most powerful yet. The 30/60 rode on a 120-inch (3048 mm). It had a massive T-head four-cylinder engine with the cylinder block cast in pairs, displacing 536 c.i. (8783 cc) and delivering 60 HP. There were two body styles available: a Touring with either 5 or 7 seats for $4,500 each, and a 7-passenger Pullman at $4,759.
Believed to be the fastest stock automobile of its period, Barney Oldfield
Barney Oldfield
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield was an automobile racer and pioneer. He was born on a farm on the outskirts of Wauseon, Ohio. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour on an oval...
won the Mount Wilson hillclimb
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
in a Stearns Six (which was a 45/90 of 12913cc/788ci). In 1910 at Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
, Al Poole and Cyrus Patschke won a 24-hour race, covering 1253 mi (2016 km) at an average 52.2 mph (84.0 km/h).
This is 1911 Stearns Model 15/30 Toy Tonneau, Chassis #4683. It has a 4-cylinder, T-head poppet valve engine with T-head configuration with a displacement of 294.2 c.i. (4821 cc), delivering 32 HP. It features a Stearns carburetor and Bosch ignition. Wheelbase is 116 in. (2946 mm). Price when new was US$ 3,200 or 3,500, depending on source, which put in easily in the luxury class although this was the least expensive of 4 model line for Stearns and Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight was a luxury automobile produced in Cleveland, Ohio first by the F.B. Stearns Company from 1900 to 1925, and then under ownership by WillysOverland Company of Toledo, Ohio until 1929....
that year. A Toy Tonneau is a open, light body for 4 or 5 passengers.
This car was part of the Harrah automobile collection in Reno, NV, in the 1970s.
Soon, however, Stearns turned away from performance. In 1911, the firm began installing Knight
Knight Engine
The Knight Engine was an internal combustion engine, designed by American Charles Yale Knight , that used sleeve valves instead of the more common poppet valve construction.- History :...
sleeve valve
Sleeve valve
The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve-valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in USA in the Willys-Knight car and light truck...
engines, marketed under the Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight
Stearns-Knight was a luxury automobile produced in Cleveland, Ohio first by the F.B. Stearns Company from 1900 to 1925, and then under ownership by WillysOverland Company of Toledo, Ohio until 1929....
brand name. By 1914, they had a 5.1 liter four and a 6.8 liter six, electric lighting, and electric starter. This was followed by a V8, one of the first companies to offer one, in 1917.
Stearns retired in 1919 and sold his automotive company to J. N. Willys in 1925; Willys operated Stearns-Knight as a non-integrated affiliate of WillysOverland
Willys
Willys was the brand name used by Willys-Overland Motors, an American automobile company best known for its design and production of military Jeeps and civilian versions during the 20th century.-Early History:In 1908, John Willys bought the Overland Automotive Division of Standard Wheel Company...
until 1929 when the F.B. Stearns Company was liquidated.
- "Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 1805-1942", Beverly Rae Kimes (editor) and Henry Austin Clark, jr., 2nd edition (1985); Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, ISBN 0-87341-111-0
See also
- Stearns-KnightStearns-KnightStearns-Knight was a luxury automobile produced in Cleveland, Ohio first by the F.B. Stearns Company from 1900 to 1925, and then under ownership by WillysOverland Company of Toledo, Ohio until 1929....
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
- T-head engineT-head engineA T-head engine is an early type of internal combustion engine that became obsolete after World War I.It is a sidevalve engine that is distinguished from the much more common L-head by its placement of the valves. The intake valves are on one side of the engine block and the exhaust valves on the...
- L-head engineFlathead engineA flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
- Knight EngineKnight EngineThe Knight Engine was an internal combustion engine, designed by American Charles Yale Knight , that used sleeve valves instead of the more common poppet valve construction.- History :...
- Sleeve-valve engine