1916 Winton Six-33

Sold for $27,500 at 2007 Vintage Motor Cars at Hershey.
The Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland Ohio was one of the first American companies to sell a motor car with their product listed as a 'horseless carriage.' The company was created by a Scottish immigrant named Alexander Winton, owner of the Winton Bicycle Company, on March 15th of 1897. Each of these early vehicles were hand built and painstakingly assembled piece-by-piece. The cars were rather elegant and stately for the era, being given padded seats, a leather roof, gas lamps, painted sides, and rubber tires made by the B.F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio.

In the late 1890s, Winton created two operational prototype automobiles which he subjected to extensive testing and trials. He achieved a top speed of 33.64 mph on a test around a Cleveland horse track and later drove 800 miles from Cleveland to New York City to determine the vehicle's capabilities, durability, feasibility, and stamina.

His first customer was Robert Allison of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania who purchased a horseless carriage from Winton on March 24th of 1898. Twenty-one vehicles were sold throughout the year, including one to James Ward Packard. Packard was unhappy with his purchase and created the Packard Automobile Company to create a 'proper' auto car.

During the early years of Winton production, popularity was generated by racing accomplishments, endurance runs, and publicity. As the years progressed, the engine size and power increased. By 1908 they had cemented their business in the six-cylinder range and would power each of their Wintons for the next 16 years with the six-cylinder engine. Changes throughout the years were few, mostly in reaction to the rest of the industry. They switched to left-hand drive in 1914 and offered an electric starter as optional equipment in 1915. The decision was a difficult one for Winton, as he was very fond of his compressed-air starter. It took a contingent of dealers to finally convince him to offer the electric starter as optional equipment.

During the early 1910s, Winton began experimenting in other industries, such as marine engines and diesel fuel. As World War I broke out, Winton levitated towards producing engines with diesel fuel and soon it was accounting for the majority of their production.

As the War came to a close, sales were slow for the automobiles but strong for the engines. Automobile production ceased in 1924 but they continued in the marine and stationary gasoline and diesel engine business. In 1930 the engine operations were purchased by General Motors.

Post-War Production
With the War at an end, Winton saw an opportunity for a lightweight car, the company introduced the Six-33, cataloged as the Model 22-A. The Model 22, Six-48, was given a larger wheelbase, now measuring 138 inches but retaining its 48 horsepower engine which displaced 525 cubic inches. The wheelbase of the Six-33 decreased by ten inches and was powered by a smaller 348 cubic-inch six which produced 33 horsepower. It had a sticker price two-thirds that of the larger model.

By the very early 1920s, Winton had consolidated his model line down to one, which was an evolution of the Six-33. Sales were slow and only a few hundred examples were sold in 1922 and 1923, forcing the company to close in February 1924.

1916 Winton Six-33 Model 22-A 5-Passenger Touring Car
This vehicle is powered by a 347.9 cubic-inch L-head six-cylinder engine capable of producing 33 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes. The wheelbase measures 128 inches and rests on a solid front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and a live rear axle with 3/4-elliptic leaf springs and shaft drive.

This car was offered for sale at the Vintage Motor Cars sale at Hershey, PA presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $20,000 - $30,000 and offered without reserve. The estimates proved accurate as the lot was sold for a high bid of $27,500 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007

Sold for $93,500 at 2007 Gooding & Company.
Alexander Winton went into the automotive industry in 1897 and by the end of 1898, he had delivered 22 cars. In 1899, he sold 100 Wintons. The Winton Company was one of the pioneer automakers in America and set long-distance endurance records as well as land speed records. In 1904, Barney Oldfield drove a Winton to a top speed of 83.7 mph at Daytona Beach and earned a land speed record. The car had two four-cylinder engines bolted together which essentially made it the first straight-eight engine in the United States.

In the endurance category, the Winton automobile was the first to successfully cross the continent, from San Francisco to New York in 1903. The car was driven by Dr. H. Nelson Jackson of Vermont.

Winton produced a variety of engines during the early 1900s, in one, two, four, and eight-cylinder capacities. By 1908 they focused solely on their six-cylinder engine which they would continue until their untimely demise in 1924.

This 1916 Winton Model 33 Touring Car has seating for seven and has been driven 29,000 miles since new. It was involved in a minor accident and subsequently treated to a restoration. It was then put into storage for many years. The interior features pebble-grain leather and the exterior is a recent professional repaint job finishing in an attractive dark blue with black fenders and accents.

The six-cylinder engine has cylinders cast-in-pairs, has a 348 cubic-inch capacity, and produces 33.75 horsepower. There is a four-speed selective sliding gearbox and bright nickel trim.

In 2007 this 1916 Winton Model 33 was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California where it was estimated to sell for $70,000 - $90,000 and offered without reserve. The final sale price was slightly higher than the estimates, settling at $93,500 including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2008

One of the first US companies to call the new form of transport a 'horseless carriage' in its advertisements, the Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland, Ohio, created the Winton Six-33 Model 22-A Five Passenger Touring vehicle, powered by a 347.9 cubic-inch L-head six-cylinder engine, capable of producing 33 horsepower.

Sold for $74,250 at 2015 RM Sotheby's Hershey Auction.
The Winton Company introduced six-cylinder cars in 1908, and for its remaining sixteen years, remained consistent with very few changes. In 1914, they switched to a left-hand drive and finally offered an electric starter as an option the following year. Alexander Winton was reluctant to change and was firmly committed to his compressed-air starter. He agreed to the change only after a contingent of dealers implored him to embrace the simpler and then-proven electric type.

In 1915, the automotive entity was reorganized as Winton Motor Car Company. Winton's interest had begun to diversify as early as 1912. He had been interested in marine engines for some years and in 1912 established a subsidiary business called Winton Gas Engine & Manufacturing Company to build marine and stationary engines. The following year, it branched into diesel, and soon that industry dominated Winton's business.

In 1916, Winton made one further addition to the automotive production line. It was a lighter car dubbed the Six-33, and catalogued as the Model 22-A. The Six-48, Model 22, had grown to a 138-inch wheelbase and kept the 48-horsepower engine, now displacing 525 cubic inches. The Six-33 was ten inches shorter, had a smaller 33-horsepower, 348-cubic inch six, and sold for two-thirds the big car's price.

Mr. Coker had the remains sent to Stan Francis in California, who created a new body for the car. The work was completed in 2007 and shown at the Amelia Island Concours in 2008. It received a National First AACA award in Cleveland, Tennessee in 2008. It achieved Senior status in Louisville in July 2015.

This Winton is painted in two shades of gray and has very little bright work. Much of the windshield frame and headlights are painted. The interior is pleated black leather and there is a new black canvas top. The instrumentation includes a Warner Autometer, an ammeter, and a Waltham clock. The odometer reads 25,395 miles. The car rides on 36x5 Universal blackwall tires mounted to black wire wheels. The engine is an L-head six-cylinder unit displacing 347.9 cubic inches and offering nearly 34 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2015