Locomobile

US, 1899 – 1929

(1) Locomobile Company of America, Westboro, Mass., 1899 – 1900

(2) Locomobile Company of America, Bridgeport, Conn., 1900 – 1929

Locomobile cars was one of the two companies which resulted from the purchase of the Stanley brothers’ steam-car design rights in 1899 by A.L. Barber and J.B. Walker. Walker separated from Barber and formed the Mobile concern, while his former partner did good business with the little Locomobile steam runabout. This Locomobile car (or actually the Locomobile steamcar) consisted of a welded ‘bicycle’ framework, a carriage body, a twin-cylinder simple engine and a 14in boiler under the driver’s seat. The Locomobile steamcar was tiller-steered and chain-driven and at $600 it looked a better bargain than the Locomobile car was, suffering from the crudest of lubrication arrangements and an astronomical water consumption: the boiler of the Locomobile steamcar had to be refilled every 20 miles. In spite of this W.M. Letts managed to sell 400 Locomobile steamcars in England in 1900 and 1901, at which time the four-storey Locomobile car until 1903, with bigger boilers, culminating in a 10hp wheel-steered dos-à-dos which sold for $1.600.

Locomobile cars eventually sold their Locomobile steamcar rights back to the Stanleys, but in the meantime A.L. Riker had designed a petrol Locomobile car on Panhard lines, with a 4-cylinder engine, automatic inlet valves and pressed-steel frame. Radiators of this Locomobile car were of the Mercédès honeycomb type in 1905, in which year Joe Tracy competed in the last Gordon Bennett Cup Race with a very Mercédès-like T-headed chain-driven racer Locomobile car. More successful was Locomobile cars ioe ‘Old 16’, built in 1906. George Robretson drove this Locomobile car to victory in the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup, while another Locomobile car victory was first place in the touring-car category of the 1913 Glidden Tour, this achieved with a 1909 Locomobile car that had already covered 100.000 miles. In the meantime the Locomobile car company had settled down to a long line of expensive and beautifully-made T-headed touring cars, the early Locomobile cars being chain-driven fours. In 1907 $3.800 was asked for the 3¾-litre Locomobile Model E and $4.500 for the 5¾-litre Locomobile Model H. By 1909, the bigger four had grown up to 7.7-litres, and 1911 brought the debut of the famous T-headed Locomobile 48, originally with ‘square’ engine dimensions of 114x114mm, but later Locomobile cars growing up to 8½-litres. This Locomobile cars developed 90bhp, had dual magneto ignition (later coil) and was still being listed in 1929; the price for this Locomobile car was $4.800 in 1912, increased to $9.600 towards the end of its production run. Body styles were attractive, especially the open Locomobile Sportifs and Locomobile Gunboat Roadsters introduced during World War I. There was also a smaller Locomobile 38 to the same specifications.

Locomobile cars encountered financial difficulties in 1920, and after a short spell with Crane-Simplex and Mercer in the Hare’s Motors group, Locomobile cars was acquired by W.C. Durant’s last empire in 1922. Durant continued the Locomobile 48 and added another luxury Locomobile car, the Locomobile 90 with L-head Monobloc engine, but the Locomobile car factories were utilized for the production of the inexpensive Flint. In 1925 came the Locomobile Junior 8, a competitor for the Chrysler with a 3¼-litre ohv engine, selling at $1.785. In 1929, the last year of Locomobile car production, the 48 and 90 were still available, but the staple Locomobile car was a 4.9-litre Lycoming-engined straight-9 at $2.850, a sad end for a firm which had been advertising eleven years before that ‘no stock parts or ready-made units are permitted’.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Rauch & Lang

US, 1905 – 1928

(1) Rauch & Lang Carriage Co, Cleveland, Ohio, 1905 – 1916

(2) Baker, Rauch & Lang Co, Cleveland, Ohio, 1916 – 1922

(3) Rauch & Lang Electric Car Manufacturing Co, Chicopee Falls, Mass., 1922 – 1928

Rauch & Lang were an old-established carriage building firm (founded 1853) when they began to make electric Rauch & Lang cars in 1905. These Rauch & Lang cars followed the usual pattern for such electric vehicles, being mainly closed town cars, although a few open phaeton Rauch & Lang cars were also made. The biggest Rauch & Lang cars were heavier vehicles and included a six-seater limousine with separate outside seat for the chauffeur. Some Rauch & Lang cars had 4-doors, a very unusual feature in electric cars. In 1916 the Rauch & Lang cars became part of the Baker, Rauch & Lane group and production declined. From 1919 onwards the Rauch & Lang cars were sometimes listed as Raulangs, and from 1922 this became the official name of the Rauch & Lang cars.

By this time production of Rauch & Lang cars had been transferred to the Stevens-Duryea factory at Chicopee Falls where the number of private cars made was very small. The factory, which was still turning out a few Stevens-Duryeas, also made petrol and electric taxi-cabs under the name Rauch & Lang cars, and bodies for Stanley Steamers.

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