Brass Era car
The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of
Elsewhere in the world, this period would be considered by antique car enthusiasts to consist of the veteran (pre-1904), and Edwardian eras, although these terms are really not meaningful outside the former British Empire.
Overview
Early automakers turned to brass for their vehicles for both its looks and function. It held up well against tarnishing and bad weather, but required regular polishing to maintain its appearance.[1]
Though the automobile was invented a few years before the start of the Brass Era, the 20 years that make up this era represent the beginning of the automotive industry. It was a period of small-scale manufacturing, experimental designs, and alternative power systems. The middle of this period saw the introduction of
Through this period, electric, gasoline, and steam propulsion power were the powertrains of choice, though gas-powered internal combustion engines were dominant by the end of this period. Various body styles were also in vogue at the time, including the high-wheel motor buggy (resembling the horse buggy of before 1900), runabouts, tonneaus, and other more expensive closed bodies.[3]
The vehicles most closely associated with the Brass Era were larger, more expensive luxury vehicles, such as those built by Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Cadillac, and other premium manufacturers.
1915, the agreed-upon cutoff of the Brass Era, was the final year the Ford Model T was available with brass fitments. At this point the style had also begun to be considered outdated, and by the 1920s few if any vehicles continued to employ brass in their designs.
Technology
In the early part of this period, steam-car development had advanced, making steam cars some of the fastest road vehicles of their day.[4] Electric cars also held a market share throughout the era.
Development of
Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted, allowing a variety of cruising speeds, though vehicles generally still had discrete speed settings, rather than the infinitely variable system familiar in cars of later eras.
Lists of North American manufacturers of this era
Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly 1904 list
In January, 1904, Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly magazine catalogued the entire range of automobiles available to the mass market in the United States. This list included:
- New York, New York)
- Apperson Brothers Automobile Company (Kokomo, Indiana)
- Auburn Automobile Company (Auburn, Indiana)
- Autocar Company (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
- Automobile Exchange and Storage Company (New York, New York)
- Cleveland, Ohio)
- Berg Automobile Company (New York, New York)
- Buffalo Electric Carriage Company (Buffalo, New York)
- Cadillac Automobile Company (Detroit, Michigan)
- Central Automobile Company (New York, New York)
- Clodio and Widmayer (New York, New York)
- Columbus Motor Vehicle Company (Columbus, Ohio)
- Lockport, New York)
- Crest Manufacturing Company (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- Long Island City, New York)
- Duryea Power Company (Reading, Pennsylvania)
- Electric Vehicle Company (Hartford, Connecticut)
- Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Company (Middletown, Connecticut)
- Elmore Manufacturing Company (Clyde, Ohio)
- Ford Motor Company (Detroit, Michigan)
- Societe Franco-Americaine d'Automobiles (New York, New York)
- Franklin Automobile Company (Syracuse, New York)
- Fredonia Manufacturing Company (Youngstown, Ohio)
- Grout Brothers (Orange, Massachusetts)
- Haynes-Apperson Company (Kokomo, Indiana)
- Holley Motor Car Company (Bradford, Pennsylvania)
- Thos. B. Jeffery Company (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
- Kirk Manufacturing Company (Toledo, Ohio)
- Knox Automobile Company (Springfield, Massachusetts)
- Locomobile Company of America (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
- Indianapolis, Indiana)
- National Sewing Machine Company (Belvidere, Illinois)
- Northern Manufacturing Company (Detroit, Michigan)
- Olds Motor Works (Detroit, Michigan)
- Packard Motor Car Company (Detroit, Michigan)
- Paris, France)
- Peerless Motor Car Company (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Phelps Motor Vehicle Company (Stoneham, Massachusetts)
- George N. Pierce Company(Buffalo, New York)
- Hyde Park, Massachusetts)
- Pope-Toledo Company (Toledo, Ohio)
- Pope-Waverly Company (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Premier Motor Manufacturing Company(Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Renault (New York, New York)
- Rochet-Schneider (New York, New York)
- Royal Motor Car Company(Cleveland, Ohio)
- Sandusky Automobile Company (Sandusky, Ohio)
- Boston, Massachusetts)
- Smith and Mabley (New York, New York)
- St. Louis, Missouri)
- Standard Automobile Company of New York (New York, New York)
- Stanley Motor Carriage Company (Newton, Massachusetts)
- F. B. Stearns Company(Cleveland, Ohio)
- Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts)
- Studebaker Brothers Company (South Bend, Indiana)
- E. R. Thomas Motor Company (Buffalo, New York)
- Waltham Manufacturing Company (Waltham, Massachusetts)
- White Sewing Machine Company(Cleveland, Ohio)
- Wilson Automobile Manufacturing Company (Wilson, New York)
- Winton Motor Carriage Company(Cleveland, Ohio)
- Chicago, Illinois)
Fred H. Colvin's list as of 1917
Fred H. Colvin, who covered the American automotive industry for many years as a journalist and editor of trade journals, wrote in his memoir (1947) about his experiences:[9]
I have already indicated how the early "craze" for horseless carriages caused automobile plants to spring up like mushroom growths all over the country, just as hundreds of locomotive plants had sprung up in the early days of railroading. In both instances, however, the great majority faded out of the picture once the industry had become firmly established. As late as 1917, there were 127 different makes of American automobiles on the market, as compared with little more than a dozen in 1947 [i.e. at the time of this writing]. For the sake of the completeness of the present record, and in order to aid future scholars and research workers, I should like to give the list of American automobiles current thirty years ago [i.e., 1917]:
- .
A great many more names, including Brush, Duryea, Alco, Speedwell, and Waverly, had already disappeared from the scene by 1917.
Other North American makes
- Alter (Plymouth, Michigan)
- American Locomotive Company (Schenectady, New York)
- Arrow (Dayton, Ohio)
- Brockville-Atlas (Brockville, Ontario)
- Cino (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Denver, Colorado)
- Hamilton Motors Company (Plymouth, Michigan)
- James Cunningham, Son & Company (Rochester, New York)
- Detroit, Michigan)
- Lambert (Anderson, Indiana)
- Marathon (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Maritime Six (Saint John, New Brunswick)
- Oshawa, Ontario)
- Model (Peru, Indiana)
- Overland (Toledo, Ohio)
- Stoddard-Dayton (Dayton, Ohio)
- Tincher (Chicago, Illinois)
- Union (Union City, Indiana)
See also
- Antique car
- Steam car
- Classic car
- Cyclecar
- History of the automobile
- Most expensive cars sold in auction
- Vintage car
References
- ^ Beaulieu, Jenna (2019-07-03). "What is the Brass Era?". Seal Cove Auto Museum. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ Patrick, Sean (2015-03-24). "Theme : Benchmarks – Le Système Panhard". Driven To Write. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ Georgano 1985, p. 65
- ^ "Stanley steamers amongst fastest road vehicles around 1906–1911". Docstoc.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- ^ a b Csere 1988, p. 61.
- ^ Georgano 1985, p. 27.
- ^ a b c Csere 1988, p. 62.
- ^ Csere 1988, p. 63.
- ^ Colvin 1947, pp. 124–125.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-917914-86-7). Foreword by Ralph Flanders.
- Csere, Csaba (January 1988), "10 Best Engineering Breakthroughs", Car and Driver, vol. 33, no. 7.
- ISBN 0-517-48073-5.
External links
- Brassauto.com
- Cars of Canada
- Devil-Wagon Days, by Dorothy V. Walters, the Wisconsin Magazine of History Vol. 30, September 1946, pp. 69–77 Archived 2006-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Frontenac Motors (mostly Model T)
- Hispano-Suiza photos
- Horseless Carriage Gazette
- Vintage Auto Parts (has a brass section)