Winton Motor Carriage Company
Encyclopedia
The Winton Motor Carriage Company was a pioneer United States
automobile
manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio
. Winton was one of the first American
companies to sell a motor car.
The company was incorporated on March 15, 1897. Their first automobiles were built by hand. Each vehicle had fancy painted sides, padded seats, a leather
roof, and gas lamps. B.F. Goodrich
made the tire
s for Winton.
By this time, Winton had already produced two fully operational prototype automobiles. In May of that year, the 10 hp (7.5 kW) model achieved the astonishing speed of 33.64 mph (54.14 km/h) on a test around a Cleveland horse
track. However, the new invention was still subject to much skepticism, so to prove his automobile's durability and usefulness, Alexander Winton had his car undergo an 800 miles (1,287.5 km) endurance run from Cleveland to New York City
.
became one of the first persons to buy an American-built automobile when he bought a Winton after seeing an advertisement in Scientific American
. Later that year the Winton Motor Carriage Company sold twenty-one more vehicles, including one to James Ward Packard
, who later founded the Packard
automobile company after Winton challenged a very dissatisfied Packard to do better. Winton sold 22 cars that year.
. To deliver the vehicles, in 1899, Winton built the first auto hauler in America.
One of these 1899 Wintons was purchased by Larz Anderson
and his new wife, Isabel Weld Perkins
. It is still on display at Larz Anderson Auto Museum
in Brookline, Massachusetts
.
to Henry Ford
.
Models
of 70 mph (113 km/h) in Cleveland that year. The Bullet was defeated in another Ford by famed driver, Barney Oldfield
, but two more Bullet race cars were built.
made the first successful automobile drive across the United States. He purchased a slightly used Winton touring car and hired a mechanic to accompany him. The trip took 64 days, including breakdowns, delays while waiting for parts to arrive(especially in Cleveland), and hoisting the Winton up and over rocky terrain and mudholes. Jackson's Winton is now part of the collections at the National Museum of American History
.
The 1904 Winton was a five-passenger tonneau
-equipped tourer which sold for US$2,500. By contrast, the Enger 40 was US$2,000, the FAL US$1,750, an Oakland 40 US$1,600, the Cole 30 and Colt Runabout US$1,500, while the (1913) Lozier
Light Six Metropolian started at US$3,250, American
's lowest-priced model was US$4,250, and Lozier's Big Six were US$5,000 and up.
Models(1904)
Winton's flat-mounted water-cooled straight-2, situated amidships of the car, produced 20 hp (14.9 kW). The channel and angle steel
-framed car weighed 2300 lb (1043 kg).
Models(1914)
Winton continued to successfully market automobiles to upscale consumers through the 1910s. As dozens of new automobile companies started up, rapid innovation and intense competition led to falling sales in the early 1920s.
and diesel engine business, an industry he entered in 1912 with the Winton Engine Company.
s in the 400 to 1,200 hp (300 to 900 kW) range, which powered early Electro-Motive Corporation (of GM
) diesel locomotive
s and U.S. Navy submarine
s. That part of Winton devoted to the manufacturing of diesel locomotive
s in 1935 became part of the Electro-Motive Corporation (later a division of General Motors
), and is still in business today.
's Pulitzer Prize
-winning 1962 novel The Reivers
; in fact, the 1969 film version
of the novel starring Steve McQueen
was known as The Yellow Winton Flyer in the UK.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automobile
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 based in Cleveland, Ohio
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...
. Winton was one of the first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
companies to sell a motor car.
1896
Scottish immigrant Alexander Winton, owner of the Winton Bicycle Company, turned from bicycle production to an experimental single-cylinder automobile before starting his car company.1897
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
roof, and gas lamps. B.F. Goodrich
Goodrich Corporation
The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, is an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F...
made the tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s for Winton.
By this time, Winton had already produced two fully operational prototype automobiles. In May of that year, the 10 hp (7.5 kW) model achieved the astonishing speed of 33.64 mph (54.14 km/h) on a test around a Cleveland horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
track. However, the new invention was still subject to much skepticism, so to prove his automobile's durability and usefulness, Alexander Winton had his car undergo an 800 miles (1,287.5 km) endurance run from Cleveland to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
1898
On March 24, 1898 Robert Allison of Port Carbon, PennsylvaniaPort Carbon, Pennsylvania
Port Carbon is a borough of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, two miles northeast of Pottsville, Pa. It is in a coal-mining area; in the past, ironworks had been a feature of the borough. In 1900, 2,168 people lived here; in 1910, 2,678 people were inhabitants of Port Carbon...
became one of the first persons to buy an American-built automobile when he bought a Winton after seeing an advertisement in Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
. Later that year the Winton Motor Carriage Company sold twenty-one more vehicles, including one to James Ward Packard
James Ward Packard
James Ward Packard was an American automobile manufacturer who founded the Packard Motor Car Company and Packard Electric Company with his brother William Doud Packard.-Life and career:...
, who later founded the Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
automobile company after Winton challenged a very dissatisfied Packard to do better. Winton sold 22 cars that year.
1899-1900
In 1899, more than one hundred Winton vehicles were sold, making the company the largest manufacturer of gas-powered automobiles in the United States. This success led to the opening of the first automobile dealership by Mr. H.W. Koler in Reading, PennsylvaniaReading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
. To deliver the vehicles, in 1899, Winton built the first auto hauler in America.
One of these 1899 Wintons was purchased by Larz Anderson
Larz Anderson
Larz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan ....
and his new wife, Isabel Weld Perkins
Isabel Weld Perkins
Isabel Weld Perkins , mostly known as Isabel Anderson or Mrs. Larz Anderson after her marriage, was a Boston-area heiress and author who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. She is interred in the St...
. It is still on display at Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Larz Anderson Auto Museum is located on the grounds of Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, Massachusetts and is the oldest collection of motorcars in the United States....
in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
.
1901
Publicity generated sales and in 1901 the news that both Reginald Vanderbilt and Alfred Vanderbilt had purchased Winton automobiles boosted the company's image substantially. That same year, a Winton lost a race at Grosse PointeGrosse Pointe
Grosse Pointe refers to a coastal area in Metro Detroit, Michigan, United States that comprises five adjacent individual communities. From southwest to northeast, they are:*Grosse Pointe Park, city*Grosse Pointe, city*Grosse Pointe Farms, city...
to Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
.
Models
| Type | Engine(Horsepower) | Wheelbase |
|---|---|---|
| Runabout 2-passenger | 1-cylinder(8hp) | N/A |
| Touring 4-passenger and Mail Delivery Van | 1-Cylinder(9hp) | N/A |
1902
Winton vowed to come back and win, producing the 1902 Winton Bullet, which set an unofficial land speed recordLand speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
of 70 mph (113 km/h) in Cleveland that year. The Bullet was defeated in another Ford by famed driver, 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...
, but two more Bullet race cars were built.
1903
In 1903, Dr Horatio Nelson JacksonHoratio Nelson Jackson
Horatio Nelson Jackson was a physician and automobile pioneer. In 1903, he and driving partner Sewall K. Crocker became the first people to drive an automobile across the United States.-Early life and medical career:...
made the first successful automobile drive across the United States. He purchased a slightly used Winton touring car and hired a mechanic to accompany him. The trip took 64 days, including breakdowns, delays while waiting for parts to arrive(especially in Cleveland), and hoisting the Winton up and over rocky terrain and mudholes. Jackson's Winton is now part of the collections at the National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
.
1904-1924
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...
-equipped tourer which sold for US$2,500. By contrast, the Enger 40 was US$2,000, the FAL US$1,750, an Oakland 40 US$1,600, the Cole 30 and Colt Runabout US$1,500, while the (1913) Lozier
Lozier
The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of automobiles in the United States of America. The company produced luxury automobiles from 1900 to 1915, with a factory at 3703 Mack Avenue, Detroit, Michigan....
Light Six Metropolian started at US$3,250, American
American Motor Car Company
The American Motor Car Company was a short-lived company in the automotive industry founded in 1906, lasting until 1913. It was based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The American Motor Car Company pioneered the "underslung" design.-History:...
's lowest-priced model was US$4,250, and Lozier's Big Six were US$5,000 and up.
Models(1904)
| Type | Engine | HP | Wheelbase | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touring-5p. | Two-Cylinder | 20 | 94.5" | 2-speed sliding-gear |
| Touring-5p. | Four-Cylinder | 24 | 104" | 2-speed sliding-gear |
Winton's flat-mounted water-cooled straight-2, situated amidships of the car, produced 20 hp (14.9 kW). The channel and angle steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
-framed car weighed 2300 lb (1043 kg).
Models(1914)
| Model | Engine | HP | Wheelbase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model 20 | Six-cylinder | 48.6 | 130" |
End of production
Winton Motor Carriage Company ceased automobile production in 1924. However, Winton continued in the marine and stationary gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and diesel engine business, an industry he entered in 1912 with the Winton Engine Company.
Sale to General Motors
Winton Engine Company became the Winton Engine Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors, on June 20, 1930. It produced the first practical two-stroke-cycle diesel engineDiesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s in the 400 to 1,200 hp (300 to 900 kW) range, which powered early Electro-Motive Corporation (of GM
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
) diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s and U.S. Navy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. That part of Winton devoted to the manufacturing of diesel locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s in 1935 became part of the Electro-Motive Corporation (later a division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
), and is still in business today.
1936 and beyond
By 1936 Winton was producing engines only for marine, Navy, and stationary applications. GM reorganized the company in 1937 as the Cleveland Diesel Engine Division of General Motors. This division closed in 1962.In popular culture
A "Winton Flyer" features prominently in William FaulknerWilliam Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
's Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. It originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947.-1910s:...
-winning 1962 novel The Reivers
The Reivers
The Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previously won this award for his book A Fable, making him one of only three authors to be awarded it more than once...
; in fact, the 1969 film version
The Reivers (film)
The Reivers is a 1969 film directed by Mark Rydell based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name...
of the novel starring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
was known as The Yellow Winton Flyer in the UK.