Orient

US, 1898 – 1908

Waltham Mfg Co, Waltham, Mass.

The Orient car company made an experimental electric runabout in 1898, but did not put this Orient car into production. Their first petrol-engined Orient cars were motor cycles, tricycles and light runabouts powered by De Dion engines. In 1902 they introduced the Orient Buckboard, a very simple Orient car consisting of two seats on a wooden platform, with a 4hp air-cooled engine geared to the rear axle, and, originally, only one speed. There were no springs on this Orient car, as the wooden platform was said to have enough resilience. The weight was 350lb and the price $375.

Although the simple Buckboard was continued, more sophisticated Orient cars were gradually introduced, including a four-seater version Orient car which in turn became a side-entrance tonneau. Wheel steering and small bonnets to cover the driver’s feet appeared in 1904, although the engine of the Orient car was still at the back, and the Buckboard ancestry remained obvious.

In 1905 a completely new Orient car appeared, known as the Waltham Orient. This Orient car had a 4-cylinder air-cooled 18/20hp engine mounted in front in the conventional manner, friction transmission and shaft drive. A slightly smaller 16hp Orient car model was also made. In 1908 Waltham merged with the C.H. Metz Company, and for the following year the cars were known as Metz.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; GNG

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Premier

US, 1903 – 1925

(1) Premier Motor Mfg Co, Indianapolis, Ind.

(2) Premier Motor Corp, Indianapolis, Ind.

The Premier car started life as a conventional machine made on modern lines, with a pressed-steel frame, mechanically-operated inlet valves, and shaft drive. A four-cylinder air-cooled Premier car was made in 1905. The designer of the Premier car was G.A. Weidely, who made his name with proprietary engines. A line of conventional water-cooled big fours and six-cylinder Premier cars followed, starting with a 24/28hp Premier car in 1907. From 1913, sixes alone were built, the ‘Premier 48’ at $3.250 having a capacity of over 8 litres. The special racing Premier cars of 1916 had a twin ohc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine reminiscent of the Peugeot. The touring Premier car of 1919 – 1920 was notable mainly for its use of the Cutler-Hammer Magnetic Gear Shift, an electric transmission system controlled by a lever mounted on the steering wheel. The ohv 4.8-litre engine of the Premier car was an unusually advanced six, with aluminium block, crankcase and pistons, and iron liners.

GB, 1906 – 1907; 1912 – 1913

Premier Motor Co Ltd, Birmingham

The Premier car company were concessionaires for the Italian Marchand car, and the 1906 4-cylinder Premier car was, in fact, a Marchand. Towards the end of 1906 Premier cars launced a short-lived two-seater of their own design powered by a 10/12hp Aster engine, but no further Premier cars appeared until the cyclecar boom of 1912. This brought two distinct designs of Premier cars: the PMC Motorette 3-wheeler with a rear-mounted 6hp single-cylinder engine driving the rear wheel by chains; and the more conventional Premier car, a 4-wheeler using an 8hp 2-cylinder engine, and chain drive.

D, 1913 – 1914

Justus Christian Braun Premier – Werke AG, Nuremberg

After producing the Kaiser cars this firm offered a new model in 1913 under the name of Premier. This Premier car was a two-seater sports car with a 1.030cc 4/12PS engine. This Premier car was also built in the company’s Austrian factory at Eger and was marketed as the Omega.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN, GNG, HON

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