The Winton Automobile – an American Beauty
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To Educate… To Preserve… To Support... Generous support from the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation Spring 2019 “The Information Place” Volume 21 # 1 THE WINTON AUTOMOBILE – AN AMERICAN BEAUTY The articles written for the HCFI Once again in the automobile’s his- newsletter almost always highlight his- tory, necessity becomes the mother of torical automakers, but frequently shed invention – and Winton was responsible light simultaneously on their accomplish- for new ideas that would soon become ments as well – most of which I am not the world standard. Beginning like many aware of before doing the research for others manufacturing bicycles, he was the articles I write. The story of a young soon taken by the new-fangled contrap- Scottish immigrant named Alexander tions called ‘motor carriages,’ and began Winton is yet another automaker whose to use the experiences he had recently innovations and impact on the history of gained to begin his tinkering: first as an the automobile are far-reaching, and his engineer on a steamship at the ripe story highlights his genius, but also his young age of nineteen, an iron worker in vision to use the media to do his adver- New York shortly after his arrival in tising for him to further the legend of the America, and also an engine shop that Winton Automobile across the country catered to marine applications. and eventually the world. With his own patented designs, he Alexander Winton opened his first bicycle company in 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio with his brother-in-law Thomas Henderson. It was at this time that he was first infatuated with the horseless carriage, and began to work on Continue on Page 2 Up Coming Events May 25 Saturday American Heritage Car Show, Escondido CA May 26 Sunday Fallbrook Car Show, Pala Mesa Resort June 8-9 San Marino Car Show and Concourse, San Marino, CA August 11 Annual HCCA & Model T Clubs Blood Drive, San Diego Auto Museum and publish another article for the Horse- less Age Magazine – this time touting a vertical two-cylinder engine that was proven on a road test from Cleveland to Elyria at an average speed of twelve mph. The selling points, however, were not it’s speed; although Winton was pleased that his creation still bested the horse and carriage in his opinion. Winton capitalized on public complaints of noise, odors, and difficult maintenance, and boasted a car that was noiseless, odor- less, and did not vibrate. This car was considerably heavier, but had a bigger fuel tank than the first. The ride was much smoother; the body having been rested on springs, and the drive mechanism and brake were operated by a single lever – with some- thing that could be considered the first ‘cruise control,’ which could hold the speed the driver was traveling indefinite- back seats, boasted a five-gallon fuel ly - providing you had enough fuel to do Alexander Winton tank, and pneumatic tires wrapped so. Continued from Page 1 around wooden wheels (the custom tires So confident in this model, Winton were supplied by one B.F. Goodrich). The took his shop superintendent on a trip to engine designs at home in the basement; car could achieve speeds upwards of New York City. It took nine days to com- almost succumbing to carbon monoxide thirty mph. Forgoing the local media, plete the trip, and Horseless Age docu- poisoning on several occasions (having Winton decided to go national, and man- mented the journey. His gamble worked been unaware of the danger). Five years aged to get an article about his new car again, and the following year, Winton later, Winton delivered his first offering – published in The Horseless Age magazine would go on to sell twenty-two cars. His a single-cylinder cycle car. To garner in- in November of 1896. It worked. Two confidence in the vehicle’s performance terest from the public, he debuted his months later, Winton would again write creation to local newspaper reporters – creatively using the media to advertise his product for nothing. It was a genius move, and one that proved effective for him and many others to follow. A Year later, his brother-in-law would become Vice President when young Alexander incorporated the Win- ton Motor Carriage Company. A compli- ment of only sixteen people handmade the first Winton automobiles, and they were built in a section of a manufactur- ing plant that was at the time owned and operated by the Brush Electric Company. Though his first order was for six buses for the city of Cleveland, a trial run of the bus spooked local horses and their own- ers, who promptly threatened legal ac- tion. The stockholders got spooked as well, and the buses were never used. Winton therefore decided to focus on the automobile. The result was Winton’s first two-cylinder car that made 10hp. The car was lightweight, had back to 1989 Single-Cylinder Winton Continue on Page 3 Alexander Winton Continued from Page 2 was tempered by the trip, however – and fearing he couldn’t stand the return trip, shipped the car back as freight and took a train back home to Ohio. Also advertising in Scientific Ameri- can Magazine, Winton’s verbiage caught the attention of one particular buyer, who literally showed up with cash in hand to buy Winton’s latest offering. It became the first American-made, gaso- line-powered, mass-produced car sold to stantly. Fed up with diplomacy, Winton force in the industry for another four a private buyer. He had a choice of the finally tired of Packard’s incessant com- years. four vehicles that Winton had on hand at plaints, challenged him to build a better Despite that rather large oversight, the time of his arrival, and the car he car if he could. Packard responded by 1899 was a watershed year for Winton, chose now resides in the Smithsonian’s stealing away one of Winton’s primary who produced the first U.S. mail truck for automobile collection. The buyer’s name financiers’ as well as his shop superinten- the Cleveland Postmaster, and it man- was Robert Allison Cole. dent, and began manufacturing Packard aged to cut a horse-drawn route that Motor Cars in 1899. It could be said that Out of the twenty-two cars sold that once took six hours to a mere two and a Winton was directly responsible for the year, that one surely was one for the half hours in the middle of a snowstorm. Packard Automobile existing. history books, but lacked the notoriety The Horseless Age once again chronicled that came with the sale of number Having lost his previous shop super the feat, and the U.S. Postmaster General twelve, which was purchased by one to Packard, Winton hired a new one, who took note. Within a couple of years, Win- James Ward Packard. Number twelve did promptly went hunting for new talent to ton Mail delivery trucks were being wide- not perform up to standard, however, add to the Winton manufacturing compa- ly used in the U.S. and ceased to run on the way home from ny. One of the promising young mechan- Interested in capitalizing on the suc- the Winton factory to Packard’s home in ics approached went by the name of Hen- cess of mail distribution, Winton decided Warren – sixty miles away. ry Ford, who upon interviewing with Win- to apply the same principle to delivering ton was quickly dispatched, due to what It had to be pulled by horses to make vehicles. He developed the first auto- Winton perceived as a lack of knowledge it home, and Packard was furious. He hauler (also known as a ‘semi’) truck to and skill. Unbeknown to Winton, the would return the car for servicing repeat- accomplish this – a principle that is still young Ford had already produced his edly, writing angry letters to Winton con- being used to this day. own carriage, but would not become a Another innovation to get people into Winton automobiles was the inven- tion of the auto dealership, the first of its kind featuring only Winton vehicles de- buted in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1899. This allowed potential customers to come in and be shown Winton cars, edu- cated about their features and test- driven. As a result, more than 100 cars Continue on Page 4 The Library has scanned over 5,000,000 Pages so far... Alexander Winton ‘s first car, a “dos-a-dos” Alexander Winton Continued from Page 3 were delivered that year, making Winton the largest automaker in the U.S. In 1900, Winton automobiles were also the first to The Winton driven by Horatio Nelson Jackson who drove, on a bet of $50 that an sport a steering wheel in place of the tra- automobile from San Francisco to New York. On May 23, 1903 Started his trip. He ditional tiller. arrived in New Your July 26, 1903. Winton’s proclivities to using the press would sometimes backfire on him when he made statements like the one he wheel. tentious for their purposes. They contin- gave to the magazine “The Wheel” that Winton noticed the experimental ued to sell well until after WWI. By this same year. He stated that any speed over units that were being utilized in Ireland by time, having weathered the financial 25mph was excessive and dangerous, and Napier, and decided to follow suit upon storm of the Kaiser War, Winton had been anyone wishing to reach or exceed those returning home. In 1908, using three newly infatuated with the diesel engine, kinds of speeds might just as well “take banks of two cylinders, the car that would and shareholders were dubious.