Thomas Motor Company
Industry | Automobile |
---|---|
Founded | 1900 |
Founder | Edwin Ross Thomas |
Defunct | 1919 |
Fate | receivership and finally shut down between 1918 and 1919. |
Headquarters | Buffalo, New York , USA |
Products |
|
E. R. Thomas Motor Company was a manufacturer of
Motorized bicycles, tricycles, and motorcycles
In 1896, Edwin Ross Thomas (1850–1936) of Buffalo, New York began selling gasoline engine kits for propelling ordinary bicycles. After forming the Thomas Motor Company, he began selling complete motor-assisted bicycles under the name Thomas Auto-Bi. The Auto-Bi is generally considered to be the first production motorized bicycle made in the United States.[1] By 1903, the company was the largest manufacturer of single-cylinder, air-cooled engines.[1] The Thomas Auto-Bi was later joined by the Auto-Tri, a three-wheeled motorcycle, and the Auto-Two Tri, a motorcycle that could hold three riders.
In 1905, the Thomas Auto-Bi established a new record for a transcontinental crossing of the United States in 48 days.[1] By 1912, the demand for motorcycles had dropped significantly, and the Thomas Motor company discontinued all production of two-wheeled machines.[1]
Automobiles
The E.R. Thomas Motor Company built automobiles from 1902 to 1919. The first Models were the 1902 Model 17, which was available in either a detachable rear entrance tonneau or runabout, equipped with a single cylinder 8hp and 2 speed planetary transmission. This was followed in January 1903 by the Model 18 with its sliding selective transmission and non-detachable tonneau with rear entrance or runabout body styles. Both the Model 17 and 18 sold side by side until stocks of the Model 17 were sold out in April-May 1903. The 1904 Thomas was the first Thomas to bear the "Flyer" name a
New York to Paris Race
A 1907 Model 35 with 4 cylinders and 60 horsepower, dubbed Thomas Flyer, won the
The Flyer survived and was restored to the exact condition it entered Paris on that day by William F. Harrah. It is now on exhibit at the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada.
The Germans arrived in Paris on July 26, 1908. The American Flyer arrived at the edge of the city on July 30, and initially was not allowed into Paris by police because it had a broken headlamp. A passerby offered the team a bicycle light. With no tools to remove the light, they simply strapped the bike on the Thomas Flyer so they could enter Paris and finish the race. It was later discovered the Protos took some shortcuts on its path and was penalized, so the American team that actually arrived second was declared the official winner of the epic race.
The 1965 Warner Brothers movie The Great Race is inspired by the 1908 New York to Paris race and the hero's car, the Leslie Special, is documented to be inspired by the Thomas flyer.
See also
- Brass Era car
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
- Charles T. Hinde
References
- ^ a b c d Rafferty, Tod, The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles, Philadelphia, PA: Courage Books (1999), p. 16
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Schuster & Mahoney, The Longest Auto Race, New York, NY: The John Day Company (1966), p. 71
- Rafferty, Tod, The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles, Philadelphia, PA: Courage Books (1999)
- Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January 1904)
- Schuster & Mahoney, The Longest Auto Race, New York, NY: The John Day Company (1966)
- The Great Auto Race of 1908
- E.R. Thomas Motor Company at the Wayback Machine (archived August 29, 2012)
External links
- Media related to Thomas vehicles at Wikimedia Commons
- 1908 New York to Paris Race