History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

[jimi'shemi291]

For the sake of anyone coming in on this cold, the Zentmobile 1900-1903), then the Zent (1903-1907) were buggy-based, one-cylinder cars, built in Evansville, Indiana. It's my understanding the operations (perhaps under new ownership) shifted to Bellefontaine, OH, building bigger, four-cylindered cars.

So, yes, there was a business relationship, but practically NO physical similarities between cars manufactured in Indiana versus those built in Ohio.

[swi66]

Schuyler, Zent & Co. manufactured gasoline engines. The Dec. 7, 1900, issue of the Marion Star includes a short note about a new automobile designed by the Zent company for Mr. E. Huber. The Compete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to Present contains entries for Zent Automobile Mfg. Co., Bellefontaine, Ohio, 1902-07, and for Bellefontaine (Ohio) Automobile Co., 1908. So, it seems Marion's Zent and Huber were involved in producing an automobile. It appears, however, that before Zent actually put his automobile into production, the operation was purchased by the Bellefontaine company and the Zent automobile was forever lost to Marion. - James Boblenz

Read more: http://www.farmcollector.com/company...#ixzz23A4C6gzf

[swi66]

Originally Posted by swi66

Could this be the last version of what started as Zent, then the Traveller, later the Bellefontaine?
http://www.american-automobiles.com/Traveler-1.html

Could it be possible the guy behind the wheel is named Blanchard Chamberlain?
And 1910 is just the date of the photo, and the car is something else entirely?

This photo seems to have originated from a geneology site.............

[jimi'shemi291]

Yes, I think there's a good chance. Otherwise, we'd see at least a GLIMMER of a mention on the net, at least AACA or Hemmings. As for 1910, that's only the date, you're right.

Harking back to the possibility of human error I alluded to before, I think I'd lean toward muddled miscommunication on the part of the writer of the photo cutline, and, I think the car is likely a Bellefontaine.

That said, then, EXTINCT? Anybody know of one surviving?

[willbe]

The Manufacturing Industry in Iowa
The Iowa Insurance Story
Gasoline Tractor
The Amazing Monocoupe
The Early Automobile
Automobiles
Mason. Maytag. Colby. Three of nearly 50 brands of cars manufactured in Iowa.

Interior of the Colby Motor Company
Colby Red Devil, ca. 1913
Mason automobile
Interior view of the Mason Motor Car Company
1909 Maytag touring car

View all artifacts »
Investigation Tip:
The story of your pathway is found many ways. Look in several different places - an article, a document or a photo. Find clues. Dig deep.

So what does a Colby car look like? See the Colby Collection of photographs from the University of Oklahoma Library.
Cars designed by Frederick and August Duesenberg were known for speed, style and luxury.
Agricultural transportation has seen dramatic changes from the 17th Century to present.
Experiments, dead-ends, and temporary successes. Iowa isn't the only state to enter and exit the car manufacturing industry.
What is a radiator emblem and how does it represent trends in automobile manufacturing?
View all side trails »

Automobile Manufacturing in Iowa
After it had been proven that a gasoline engine could replace a horse to power a buggy down a road, mechanics and designers in almost every state began building automobiles. Many of these people formed companies that lasted about a year or so, sometimes building only one car. Others were more successful. It's estimated that there were over 2000 car manufacturing companies in the United States, and nearly 50 brands of cars were made in Iowa.
Starting Young
A young German immigrant named Frederick Duesenberg came to the United States in 1885 when he was seven years old. His widowed mother immigrated to Iowa bringing her family of seven children with her. Frederick grew up on the family farm. When he was seventeen, he worked in Rockford repairing farm machinery. Three years later he opened his own bicycle business. He liked bicycle racing and became a champion cyclist. He enjoyed racing so much that he would compete against horses as well as other cyclists. About this time he and his brother August "Augie" designed and built a gasoline motor. By 1902 Fred had his own business in Des Moines running an automobile supply company.
Edward Mason of Des Moines discovered the Duesenberg brothers' skills and employed them to design a car. Soon the Mason Motor Car Company was producing and selling automobiles. The automobile was advertised with great flair. To prove the car's uphill performance, the company planned a stunt that was sure to attract attention. George Mason and Fred Duesenberg drove a shiny new Mason car up the Capitol hill and up the State House steps! The car was thereafter advertised as the "hill-climber."
The Maytag
Frederick L. Maytag, who had been a washing machine manufacturer since 1900, was impressed with the Mason car. He bought the Mason Company, and the Duesenbergs moved to Waterloo. They continued to work on the Mason-Maytag automobile until 1915 when the company stopped producing autos.
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the Duesenberg brothers moved to New Jersey where they built motors for the war effort. After the war, they made expensive, custom-made racing and passenger cars. Based in Indianapolis, the Duesenberg cars and motors gained fame on the race track and the highway.
Colby Motor Company
Mason City entrepreneur, William Colby, founded the Colby Motor Company in 1910. The first Colby, a five-passenger touring car, took to Mason City's streets on November 12, 1910. It performed to all expectations and was fast enough to earn a speeding ticket for its test driver.
Colby equipped his cars with premium materials and an engine designed to withstand Iowa's winters. Colby automobiles were put through endurance tests over the state's rutted, muddy dirt roads. The cars passed the tests with flying colors, including a 658-mile run from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Helena, Montana.
Colby also participated in the newly developing dirt-track car races being held throughout the Midwest. Billy Pearce, a Colby driver on the racing circuit, broke many track records and won trophies for the company. He died in 1911 while racing the Colby Red Devil in Sioux City. The car was repaired but never raced again.
The Colby Motor Company was short-lived. A competitive auto market, company mergers and later reorganizations put the company out of business in 1914. Nine hundred Colby cars were manufactured, but only a few have survived. One has been carefully restored and is displayed at the Kinney Pioneer Museum in Mason City, Iowa.
****************A little off topic but thought it might be interesting***********

[Vintageride]

I believe I have found a car worthy of this thread. I hope.

It is called a "MAJA", pronounced "may-a", from about 1908. It is a "sister" car in more ways than one to a well known car. It appears that it was produced for the American market. It was lighter than it's sibling by quite a bit owing to vanadium steel. There was mention of a race car and some passenger versions at the Solons of the day.

The Maja was a car from the Benz stable, a German company. I found very little on this car.

Are there any survivors and what else can we find out about this car.

Vintageride

[HJmaniac]

Originally Posted by swi66

Could it be possible the guy behind the wheel is named Blanchard Chamberlain?
And 1910 is just the date of the photo, and the car is something else entirely?

This photo seems to have originated from a geneology site.............

Here is Blanchard Chamberlain:

Blanchard Gail Chamberlain

Birth: Jul. 5, 1891 Bellefontaine Logan County Ohio, USA Death: Jul. 1, 1955 Bellefontaine Logan County Ohio, USA Married Helen Stokes abt 1918. Father of Charles, Helen and William. Burial: Bellefontaine City Cemetery Bellefontaine Logan County Ohio, USA Created by: Robert "Rob" Weller Record added: Aug 25, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 21145244

Added by: Deb Allison Cemetery Photo

[jimi'shemi291]

Sounds like CASE CLOSED. Good sleuthing there, HJ!

[swi66]

The Conrad Motor Carriage Company of Buffalo, NY was incorporated in April 1900 with a woefully inadequate capital stock of $25,000. During Christmas 1901, a "large Conrad delivery wagon ran for a week making deliveries for a large Buffalo department Store. It did the work of three horse-drawn vehicles without trouble. A similar wagon carried mail from the main post office in Buffalo to the Pas American Exposition."^[2]
In 1902, the Conrad Motor Carriage Company began manufacturing gasoline cars. The company failed in July 1903 and declared bankruptcy in August 1903.^[3]
Bently describes the technical details of the Conrad. The "1903 Steam Model 65 Special [was] powered by a two-cylinder, six hp engine located amidships under the frame and enclosed in a special hood. "A 20 in. boiler (at rear) produced super-heated steam from 650 copper tubes at 160 psi, water being stored in a 35 gallon tank. Eight gallons of gasoline fed the burner which had a patented pilot light to keep up a head of steam. Weight of this buggy was 1,004 pounds with a two-passenger panel back seat body and full tanks. One of four models (two of them commercial vehicles) with a price of $800 - $2,500."^[4]
The 1903 Steam Model 65 Special was priced at $850.





I know I mentioned this one before, but was pretty sure I didn't have a picture.
Not Extinct, but pretty rare as there is only one I know of in England.

[onlyonthurs62]

amazing thread! i can;t stop reading this

[jimi'shemi291]

Good hunting, Gary, on the ultra-rare Conrad! Many of the very early ones are HARD to find any info on, for sure. I'm reminded of the steam-powered Lutz of 1898, with the ONLY example kept in the original carriage house where it was built in Logan, Ohio. I think I finally located a photo of the car. I'll dig for it.

[jimi'shemi291]

The one and only extant steam-powered car to bear the name, the Lutz
steam car is one of the centerpiece attractions of the Hocking County
Historical Society and Museum, Logan, Ohio. The car was built by Logan
native Henry Lutz, a self-trained engineer, machinist and inventor, in 1898.

For anyone on vacation this summer or fall in the Hocking Hills, Seven
Caves region, and wishing to see this ultra-rare car, the Hocking County
Historical Society consists of some six buildings (including the original
machine shop that houses the Lutz). The old Lutz family homeplace is the
main building and is located at 64 N. Culver Street at Market Street, right
where Zanesville Avenue enters the city of Logan, Hocking County, Ohio.
I don't have an email address, but the phone number is 740/385-6026.

[HJmaniac]

1903 Conrad
Conrad Motor Carriage Co. Buffalo, NY
1900-1903

[HJmaniac]

Lacakwanna Motor Co.

Buffalo, NY

1904

The Conrad Company made mainly steam cars, light 2-cylinder vehicles with side-tiller steering and single chain drive. In 1903 they introduced two gasoline engined cars of 8 hp and 12 hp, both with 2-cylinder engines, three speeds, and single chain drive. They [sic] were out of business by the end of 1903, but one of their gasoline engined models was exhibited by the Lackawanna Motor Co. at the 1904 New York Show. However, this latter company concentrated mainly on engines.^[7]

[HJmaniac]

1903 Conrad Tonneau



One of the only known examples of a Conrad 12HP Touring car.
Manufactured in 1903 by the Conrad Motor Carriage Company in Buffalo, New York State.
Located at 1417 Niagara St. Buffalo N.Y. founded by Frank Philip Conrad


Currently located near Sevenoaks, Kent, England.

[HJmaniac]

Conrad Conrad (US) 1900 - 1903 Conrad Motor Carriage Co. Buffalo, New York. This company began by making light steam cars with tiller steering and single chain drive. In 1902 no fewer than seven styles were offered, at prices from $750 to $1200. For 1903 a reduced range of steamers was joined by a line of petrol cars with 8, 9 and 12hp 2 cylinder engines, also with single chain drive but wheel steering. The company was wound up at the end of 1903, but one model was revived the following year as the Lackawanna.

Date: 02/11/09 Size: 2 items

1903 Conrad Photo taken on the 2009 London to Brighton run Date: 02/11/09 Views: 181

1903 Conrad Photo taken on the 2010 London to Brighton run Date: 17/01/11 Views: 159

[HJmaniac]

Originally Posted by Vintageride

I believe I have found a car worthy of this thread. I hope.

It is called a "MAJA", pronounced "may-a", from about 1908. It is a "sister" car in more ways than one to a well known car. It appears that it was produced for the American market. It was lighter than it's sibling by quite a bit owing to vanadium steel. There was mention of a race car and some passenger versions at the Solons of the day.

The Maja was a car from the Benz stable, a German company. I found very little on this car.

Are there any survivors and what else can we find out about this car.

Vintageride

[HJmaniac]

1909 September 19 son Ferdinand Anton Ernst (“Ferry”) was born. The same day Ferdinand Porsche was busy racing at Semmering (40 km from home) in an Austro-Daimler Maja engineered by him. The news about the birth of his son he got by telegram.

Austro-Daimler Maja© Porsche AG

[HJmaniac]

From: http://ranwhenparked.net/2011/12/15/...s-early-works/

Porsche left Lohner and went to Austro-Daimler and was appointed as technical director. With this move, Porsche was able to thrive and had greater freedom over his creations. Perhaps one of the first examples in which Porsche’s designs showed an interest in the outward appearance of a vehicle was in the Austro Daimler “Maja” of 1910. This car sported aluminum bodywork in the interest of reducing weight for competition, but furthermore was styled in what was called the “Tulpenform” or tulip shape. Though aerodynamics was a fairly new and unknown concept to automotive engineers at this time, Porsche was able to create a form that allowed for a greater degree of wind resistance. This, along with weight-saving aluminum material, resulted in a car capable of 87 miles-per-hour and therefore, easily out-performed its competitors.

[Drives old rigs]

A friend of mine recently bought an Apperson Jackrabbit emblem. It is a jackrabbit and has "1912" scratched on the back. It mounted on the radiator grill and is in great shape. He's curious as to it's value.