1898 Winton Automobile

1898 Winton Automobile

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Description
This is the first production car that Alexander Winton sold. One of America’s earliest automobile manufacturers, Winton had repaired and sold bicycles in the 1890s, then began producing gasoline cars in Cleveland for affluent Americans who wanted to try the new thrill of driving. Robert Allison, a retired machinist in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, purchased this car. Winton vehicles became known for their quality and rugged durability; Alexander Winton fielded several race cars in the early 1900s, and H. Nelson Jackson made the first transcontinental automobile trip in a 1903 Winton touring car. The Winton Motor Carriage Company made cars until 1924. The Winton Engine Company, a successor company, donated the 1898 car to the Smithsonian Institution in 1929.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
automobile
date made
1898
maker
Winton Engine Company
place made
United States: Ohio, Cleveland
Physical Description
metal (overall material)
rubber (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 90 in x 60 in x 104 in; 228.6 cm x 152.4 cm x 264.16 cm
overall: 96 in x 87 in x 120 in; 243.84 cm x 220.98 cm x 304.8 cm
ID Number
TR.309601
accession number
105119
catalog number
309601
Credit Line
Gift of The Winton Engine Co.
See more items in
Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
Automobiles
America on the Move
Transportation
Road Transportation
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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Comments

I am related to Robert Allison of Port Carbon, PA through my Grandmother Beatrice L. Allison Davis. Interesting to read that our family played a pioneering role in the American automobile industry. My family will enjoy reading this article about our family history. Thank you.

Chad D.

Tue, 2021-11-16 07:38

I am a huge early automobile enthusiast. Growing up in Pittsburgh, it was easy for me to connect with the Winton Motor Company and the more I searched, the more I wanted to know. I have tracked down the 3 early Wintons that are still in existence and on display. One being in the Smithsonian (not currently on display), one at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline Massachusetts (in very poor original condition), and the last one at Western Reserve Historical Society 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio. The one in Cleveland is exceptional and an outstanding display of early automobiles. If you are as much a Winton fan as myself, there is a must have book. "Famous but forgotten": The story of Alexander Winton, automotive pioneer and industrialist by Thomas F Saal.

George Richardson

Wed, 2019-03-20 08:50

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