Sampson (automobile)
Trucks | |
Production output | unknown (1904-1912) |
|---|---|
| Brands | Alden Sampson, Sampson |
The Sampson and Alden Sampson was a
History
The 1904 Alden Sampson also called the Sampson in some contemporary articles, had a 4-cylinder 16 hp engine with a 4-speed sliding-gear transmission with two chains to drive the rear wheels. It boasted a transaxle. It was based on the 1903 Moyea automobile for which the Alden Sampson Manufacturing Company had built the chassis. The Alden Sampson was introduced as a touring car, luxury priced at $3,750, equivalent to $127,167 in 2023. The chassis only could be purchased for $3,250 for owners to add their own choice of coachwork.[1]
Alden Sampson purchased the bankrupt Crest Manufacturing to secure an A.L.A.M. license to manufacture motor cars.[3] In 1905 Alden Sampson decided to build trucks instead of cars.[1]
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1904 Alden Sampson advertisement in The Automobile magazine -
1904 Alden Sampson from an article in the Automobile Review
Sampson trucks became widely known. In 1909 Alden Sampson II died and his widow sold the company for a reported $200,000 (equivalent to $6,540,000 in 2023) to the United States Motor Company in 1911. A new factory was constructed in 1911 in Detroit, Michigan and U S Motors decided to add cars to the Sampson truck production.[1]
The 1911 Sampson, called the Sampson 35, had a 4-cylinder 35 hp engine. This model was a four-door, five-seat touring car that was advertised as having 17 coats of paint. It actually had only 3 doors; the fourth was just an outline, and blocked by the gear shift and brake. Aluminum was used for the transaxle and crankcase. The car was sold for $1,250, equivalent to $40,875 in 2023.[2][1]
The Sampson was manufactured in Detroit on Oakland Blvd, in a brand new city-block-long factory. There are only three survivors known to exist, and maybe a fourth in Australia. Five were registered in 1919 in the Australian state of Queensland.[4]
In 1912, the United States Motor Company collapsed into bankruptcy and Sampson production ended.[2][1]
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1911 Sampson 35 from Alden Sampson catalog -
1912 Sampson 35 from Alden Sampson catalog
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
- ^ ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
- ^ The Motor World. Motor World Publishing Company. 1904.
- ^ "Restored Cars Australia". Restored Cars Australia - Number 169. April 2005.
External links
