A.B.C.

US, 1906 – 1910

(1) Autobuggy Manufacturing Co, St Louis, Mo. 1906 – 1908

(2) A.B.C Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Co, St. Louis, Mo. 1908 - 1910

Originally known as the Autobuggy, this car was a typical high-wheel motor buggy whose excellent ground clearance made it popular in rural America. Powered by a 10/12hp 2-cylinder engine, it used a system of friction transmission by cone and two bevel wheels, one for forward movement, one for reverse. This gave a maximum speed of 30mph in either direction. Later models included more conventional roadsters with 2-or 4-cylinder air- or water-cooled engines. The company name was derived from the initials of the designer, A.B. Cole.

GB, 1920 – 1926

A.B.C. Motor Ltd, Hersham, Surrey

A.B.C engines for cyclecars (and also complete motorcycles) had been made before the war. The first production cars employed castings, stampings and forgings supplied by Harper Bean Ltd, and were fitted with a 24bhp air-cooled, flat-twin overhead-valve engine of 1.203cc designed by Granville Branshaw. Unfortunately this unit, built down to a cost, was noisy, hard to start, inefficiently lubricated and liable to breakages, especially of the very long, exposed push-rods. However, in conjunction with the car’s low weight, it made the A.B.C. exceptionally fast for its size, being capable of over 60mph with very good acceleration. The A.B.C. handled well, too. By 1925 the engine was quieter and more reliable, having been given more positive lubrication, and stronger valve gear and castings. One drawback remained; because the fuel tank filler was on top of the ‘radiator’, the tank was liable to be topped up with water by garage hands who did not recognize an air-cooled car. About 1500 A.B.C.’s were made. To the end, both electric starters and four wheel brakes were extra.

Source: Georgano Autoencyclopedie, GNG, TRN

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Chalmers / Chalmers-Detroit

US, 1908 – 1924

Chalmers Motor Car Co, Detroit, Mich.

The Chalmers was one of the most popular automobiles made in the United States for more than a decade. The Chalmers was the successor to the Thomas-Detroit which was built by a company which had been founded in 1906 by E.R. Thomas (builder of the Thomas car in Buffalo, N.Y.), Roy D. Chapin and Howard Earle Coffin; the two latter had previously served at Oldsmobile. The Thomas-Detroit of which some 500 were sold during the first year of production, was marketed through the parent firm in Buffalo which manufactured a larger line of cars under the Thomas emblem. The Thomas-Detroit was a medium priced four-cylinder car which had been designed by Coffin. In 1907, Hugh Chalmers, vice president of the National Cash Register Co and a noted salesman, entered the firm. Shortly after, he bought a half of E.R. Thomas’ stock and became president of the company which became the Chalmers-Detroit Motor Company. The Thomas-Detroit became the Chalmers-Detroit in 1908 and in 1910, the Chalmers. Open and closed Chalmers models in two lines comprised the Chalmers four-cylinder cars, with self-starters appearing in 1912. Chalmers (as Chalmers-Detroit) had distinguished itself in road races as early as 1908 when W.R. Burns won the Motor Parkway Sweekstakes at Jericho, N.Y., averaging 48.7mph in the six-lap 140.76 mile run.

In 1913, the Chalmers brought out its first 6-cylinder model, as well as the four and apart from small mechanical and design changes, continued both until 1914. The Chalmers four was dropped from the 1915 line, however, and sixes were to be used exclusively in Chalmers until the ending of manufacture. By 1915, some 20.000 Chalmers cars per year were coming off the Chalmers production line and would even exceed that figure before the advent of World War 1. In 1917, an L-head motor replaced the earlier overhead-valve type and on August 4th, Chalmers again headed racing news when Joe Dawson won the 24-hour stock Car Endurance Run at Sheepshead Bay, N.Y. Sales flagged following the end of the war and Hugh Chalmers, always the salesman, and with the realization that a competitor, Maxwell, wasn’t faring well either, arranged to lease his Chalmers plants to Maxwell, using his salesmanship to promote the two concerns and getting the benefit of Maxwell tooling and manufacturing equipment. By the early 1920s, however, many makes of cars were in financial difficulties due to over-expansion and recession, and Walter P. Chrysler was called in to try and reorganize Maxwell. Chrysler was at this time planning his own corporation and in 1922 Chalmers was taken over by Maxwell which had become a Chrysler subsidiary. The last Chalmer cars for sale were equipped with Lockheed hydraulic brakes but 1923 was the last year of Chalmers production with some 9000 units leaving the factories. The Maxwell survived until 1925 when it became the Chrysler Four.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; KM
The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com