Little (automobile)
Industry | Automobile |
---|---|
Founded | 1911 ( |
Little Motor Car Company was an automobile manufacturing company founded primarily by William H. Little and
Company
After the
The first Little was a four-cylinder released in 1911, and was considered a better auto than Chevrolet. Durant ordered another model, the Little Six, to be produced by the company. The company purchased engines from Sterling, another Durant company.[3]
In 1912, Durant set up Republic Motors to distribute and market both Little and Chevrolet autos. To help Republic, Durant had Littles rebadged as Chevrolets, which increased sales for the vehicle.[5] In July 1912, Republic was incorporated and became the holding corporation for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason companies.[6]
Little also worked at Chevrolet and recommended that Chevrolet construction be moved to Flint to solve pricing issues with the first Chevrolet and keep quality high. The Little plant thus started to build Chevrolets in 1913. However, this made the Little somewhat a duplicate of Chevrolet with a less marketable name. Chevrolet bought the Little Company at the end of 1913.[3]
Automobiles
The Little first was available as a two-seater with a four-cylinder 20-hp engine, and had a wheelbase of 7 ft 7 in (2,310 mm).
Engines for the two automobiles were built by Sterling Motor Company, a Durant-owned company.[3]
William H. Little
William H. "Big Bill" Little was an early automotive manager and namesake of the company and automobiles. He was born in 1876 in
With Durant's ousting in 1911, Little joined Durant in his new auto businesses, Chevrolet Motor Company and Little Motor Car Company.[3] Little was an incorporator of both companies and was appointed president of Chevrolet.[4] Later, Little managed Sterling Motor Company, another Durant-owned company, and Scripps-Booth, a major Sterling customer.[3]
By 1920, Little's health was failing, and he died in 1922 at age 46.[3]
References
- Georgano, G.N.(1968). The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to Present.
- Chevrolet the First 50 Years
- ^ Origins of Chevrolet Motor Company
- ^ a b Lassa, Todd (November 3, 2011). "The Secret History of Chevrolet". Motor Trend. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Donnelly, Jim. "William H. Little". Hemmings Classic Car. No. December 2011. American City Business Journals. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9781770677821. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ISBN 9780880993333. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ Arculus 2011, p. 152.
External links
- 1912-24 Vintage Chevrolet section of the Whiting, Scripps-Booth, Monroe, and Pre 1925 Vintage Chevrolet Web Site that includes Little model production information
- 1912 Little Roadster at Conceptcarz.com
- The Little Automobile & The Little Motor Car Co. at american-automobiles.com