1906 Knox Model F-4 Tourist

Harry Knox was a graduate of the Springfield Technical Institute. He worked at the Overman Wheel Company in Chicopee Falls, where he built three experimental cars, then moved back to Springfield, Massachusetts, to form the Knox Automobile Company.

The first Knox automobile had a three-wheel runabout design. Fifty-three of these were built in 1900, followed by four-wheeled cars in 1902. Knox's hallmark 'porcupine' engine was an air-cooled unit that had spike-like pins on the cylinders instead of cooling fins. The engine was placed low in the chassis, with a transverse crankshaft and cylinders extending fore and aft.

The early Knox automobiles had a sloping front dashboard. By 1905, this design was phased out in favor of a dummy hood that had become fashionable in the industry regardless of where it had an engine underneath it.

Harry Knox left the company in 1904 to build the Atlas car. The Knox Company continued to operate, and by 1906, they were building five models, with one- to four-cylinders. Also in 1906, a Knox completed the Glidden Tour without losing a single point.

This particular 1906 Knox F-4 has been upgraded with an electric starter, although the side-mounted crank remains optional. It has a chain drive and a side-mounted carbide generator for gas lighting. It rides on the correct style wheels and tires. It has period-correct brass, a green body, and black patent leather fenders.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2017