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
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Haynes Apperson

US, 1898 – 1904

The Haynes Apperson Co, Kokomo, Ind.

Although Elwood Haynes had built his first car in 1894, none Haynes was made for sale until he joined forces with the Apperson brothers. By the end of 1898 Haynes-Apperson cars were being made in two-, four- and six-seater models, all powered by a rear-mounted horizontally-opposed 2-cylinder engine of 3.120cc. The Haynes Apperson car had three forward speeds, spur gear transmission, and tiller steering. For three years this design of the Haynes Apperson car was made without great change, although the straight dash gave way to a sloping version. In November 1901 the Appersons left the Haynes Apperson car firm to make cars under their own name, but the Haynes-Apperson name continued on the cars for nearly three years longer. By 1903 the left-hand tiller steering had been replaced by a wheel, but this was still mounted on the left side, an unusual feature at the time on American cars. On 1904 Haynes Apperson car models the engine was moved to the front under a conventional bonnet, although it was still a horizontally-opposed twin. Prices ranged from $1.450 for a two-seater runabout to $2.550 for a five-seater tonneau. From June 1904 the Haynes Apperson cars began to be referred to as Haynes, and the 1905 cars with vertical 4-cylinder engines were always known under this name. The Haynes Apperson car company name was not changed until September 1905.

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