1906 White Model F

William Grout and Thomas H. White began a partnership in the 1850s in Massachusetts to manufacture sewing machines. After the Civil War, Thomas White settled in Cleveland, Ohio and Grout settled in Orange, Massachusetts. Interestingly, the sons of both Grout and White would be 'automotivly' inclined and would receive funding from their fathers to enter the automobile business. The Grouts Automobiles were produced in Massachusetts from 1900 to 1912. The White Automobiles of Cleveland, Ohio were produced from 1900 to 1918. Both the Grout and the White were initially powered by Steam.

In the late 1890s, Rollin White invented a semi-flash boiler. Together with the help of brothers Windsor and Walter, four White steam-powered cars were produced by the spring of 1900. A truck followed a year later, with the total production of all 1901 White vehicles reaching 193 units. To prove the capability of the White cars, four examples were entered in the 1901 New York to Buffalo Endurance Run, and each was awarded a first-class certificate.

The early White vehicles were stanhopes with wire wheels, and tiller steering, powered by a two-cylinder engine mounted under the floorboards powering the rear wheels via a chain drive.

In 1902, a condenser was added to recycle exhaust steam and the following year the engine was moved up front, and under a hood. 385 examples were built in 1902 and rose to 502 the following year. Production would continue to climb during the 1900s, surpassing 2,000 vehicles for the first time in 1910, when they built 2,408 vehicles - their best year.

The 1905 models had a hood design that would become known as the 'White curve' and would remain a White automobile distinguishable feature until production ended. Also in 1905, a White racing special named Whistling Billy was driven by Webb Jay to a world record at Morris Park Track, achieving a top speed of 73.75 mph. This boosted White's fame to an international level and their prestige rose even further when it was the only automobile used in the 1905 inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt, who became the first U.S. chief executive to drive an automobile when he drove a White automobile in Puerto Rico in 1906.

The 1906 White Model F steam-powered automobile produced 18 horsepower and had a 114-inch wheelbase. Body styles included a Touring, runabout, 7-passenger limousine, five-passenger Demi-Limousine, Imperial Victoria, Extension Landaulet, and a Landaulet Straight Front. Prices ranged from $2,800 to $3,800, which made them rather expensive for the era. The White automobiles, however, had greater complexity, higher quality, and significantly more advanced features than most other vehicles on the road, and they often performed better. The recycling exhaust system made the White easier to operate and gave it greater range.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2020