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1906 Autocar Type 10 news, pictures, and information

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This automobile was manufactured by the Autocar Company of Ardmore, PA which started production in 1897. The Autocar had a two-cylinder opposed air-cooled engine with sliding-gear transmission and cone-clutch in the flywheel. There was no cover for the timing gears and the engine had automatic intake valves. By 1906 the Autocar had been improved and acetylene headlights and kerosene side lamps were available. Autocar, like almost all other manufacturers with the exception of Henry Ford, was licensed under the Selden Patent and paid royalties to the Selden interests. This automobile sold for $1,700.00. They produced 1000 units in 1906. In mid-year 1906 the steering tillar was replaced by the steering wheel.
The Autocar Company was founded in Ardmore, Pa in 1901 by the Clark brothers, Lewis, John and James. They were given financial backing from their father Charles and William Morgan. This was not their first automobile company; they had created the Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company in 1897 which stayed in production for only a short time, ending in 1900. The Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Company created three and four-wheeled vehicles and was one of the earliest producers of automobiles in the country. The brothers moved to Ardmore, PA and in 1901, had created 27 Autocars. The following year, a two-cylinder unit was introduced which featured shaft drive in place of the unreliable chain drive.

The company fostered a reputation for producing reliable automobiles that were easy to drive. Improvements were made every year and by 1906, the Autocar Company was producing a line of vehicles powered by a four-cylinder engine. Their line-up broadened even further in the 1907 with their introduction of commercial vehicles and taxicabs. This movement into the commercial vehicle segment was a move that Autocar felt comfortable with, and by 1912 they were no longer producing automobiles and focused on motor trucks.

In 1954 the company was purchased by the White Motor Co. In 1980 Volvo purchased White with Autocar continuing as a division. The Grand Vehicle Works Holdings purchased the brand name in 2001 and continued it on their line of trucks.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2007
Auctions America By RM's Spring Carlisle Auction Kicks off 2012 Northeastern U.S. Collector Car Season
Auctions America by RM will return to the Carlisle Expo Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on April 26-27, 2012, to kick off the collector car season for the Northeastern U.S. with its Spring Carlisle auction. Featuring nearly 300 American hot rods, muscle cars, classics and memorabilia during its two-day sale, the Spring Carlisle auction is held in conjunction with the Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet & Corral (April 25-29), hosted each year by Carlisle Events. The auction is one of se...[Read more...]
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