1913 Car-Nation Cyclecar

The Car-Nation Company of Detroit, Michigan, was in production from 1912 through 1915. Their vehicles consisted of a roadster, a four-passenger tourer, and a small Tandem vehicle. The wheelbase measured 104 inches and power was supplied by a four-cylinder 18 horsepower engine. The air-cooled engine was mated to a three-speed manual transmission. Pricing was similar and around the $500 range.

In 1913, Car-Nation president Charles S. Shaffer purchased Keeton Motor Car Company of Detroit, MI, to expand the catalog from Voiturette to full-size vehicles. The small Car-Nation vehicles struggled to find buyers and by September of 1914, was in receivership. In total, six hundred examples of the Car-Nations were built along with 100 Keetons scheduled to be assembled under receivership control. In 1915, the Car-Nation-Motor Car Company was formed, however, due to World War I, financial instability, and economic conditions of the time, nothing materialized. What was left of Car-Nation was later purchased by Sam Winternitz for $100,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2018