Autocar, 1901
Autocar, 1901
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- Description
- The Autocar was designed by Louis S. Clarke, president and engineer of the Autocar Company, in 1901. This automobile is believed to be the first shaft-driven car constructed in the United States. In November 1901, this car was driven from the factory in Ardmore, Pa., to the auto show in New York City's Madison Square Garden in just over six hours. The 1901 Autocar has a water-cooled shaft-driven two-cylinder horizontal-opposed engine with a selective sliding-gear transmission.
- The Autocar Company began life as the Pittsburg Motor Car Company in 1897. In 1899, the company moved to Ardmore, Pa., and changed its name to the Autocar Company. The Autocar Company began to make trucks as well as cars in 1907 and switched over to making trucks exclusively after 1911. In 1953, the White Motor Car Company bought a controlling interest in Autocar and moved the company to Exton, Pennsylvania. In the 1980s, Volvo bought the name, and the company changed hands again in 2001 with the purchase of the brand by the GVW Group. Since 2001 Autocar has produced heavy trucks for severe-service use.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- Automobile
- Other Terms
- Automobile; Road; Autocar
- date made
- 1901
- designer
- Clarke, Louis S.
- contributed
- Firestone, Jr., Harvey S.
- restoration
- Rite-Way Auto Painters
- White Motor Company
- maker
- Autocar Company
- Associated Place
- United States: Pennsylvania
- Physical Description
- steel (overall material)
- rubber (overall material)
- Measurements
- tires: 28 in x 3 in; 71.12 cm x 7.62 cm
- wheelbase: 66 1/2 in; x 168.91 cm
- tread: 56 in; x 142.24 cm
- overall: 61 in x 64 in x 102 1/2 in; 154.94 cm x 162.56 cm x 260.35 cm
- ID Number
- TR.307257
- catalog number
- 307257
- accession number
- 68520
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Autocar Company, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- subject
- Automobiles
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Transportation, Road
- America on the Move
- Automobiles
- Transportation
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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