1911 Winton Model 17B

Alexander Winton was born in Scotland and emigrated to the United States in 1884, later founding the Winton Bicycle Company in 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio. Five years later, he built his first single-cylinder automobile and was one of the earliest and most influential proponents of the motorcar. He organized the Winton Motor Carriage Company in March of 1897 and soon had completed his second automobile, this time a twin-cylinder motorcar with ten horsepower. He drove it around Cleveland's Glenville horse-racing Track on Memorial Day to speeds exceeding 30 mph. Along with his shop superintendent William A. Hatcher, he drove a two-cylinder Winton from Cleveland to New York City. Another long-distance trip to New York was attempted by Mr. Winton in the spring of 1899, this time with Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Charles Shanks to document the trek. This promoted the Winton product and popularized the word automobile. Mr. Winton would use many different methods to promote and test his products, including motorsports, land speed record attempts, and endurance trials. In 1900 he became the first American to compete in a European Race, The Gordon Bennett race in France. In 1903, Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and his chauffeur Sewell H. Croker drove from San Francisco to New York. The first successful transcontinental journey by automobile, it was safely completed after an arduous 63 days on the road.

Robert Allison became Mr. Winton's first customer, purchasing one of his motorcars in March of 1898. By the close of 1898, a total of twenty-two cars had been sold, followed by one hundred motorcars the following year. Car number twelve was sold to Mr. James Ward Packard, which would later become the catalyst for the Packard Automobile Company.

Winton's famous Bullet racers of the early 1900s help secure motorsport notoriety for the company, with the Bullet No. 2 driven by Barney Oldfield achieving 83.7 mph at Daytona Beach for a mile record in January of 1904. The engine used two horizontal four-cylinder engines mated together making America's first eight-cylinder car.

The popularity of Winton automobiles escalated as the years progressed, with 700 vehicles sold in 1901, 850 in 1903, and around 1,100 units in 1907. Sliding gear transmission with three and four speeds became available by 1907, and the following year, Winton had moved exclusively to six-cylinder cars. By 1909, Wintons were offered with compressed air starter, which could also be used to inflate tires. By 1915, Wintons were offered with electric starters as optional equipment.

The 1911 Winton Model 17-B was a six-cylinder vehicle resting on a 124-inch wheelbase platform. The 457 cubic-inch L-head engine used a single updraft Stromberg/Winton carburetor to produce 48 horsepower. It was backed by a four-speed transmission and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes provided the stopping power. The suspension used solid axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs. Body styles included a five-passenger tourer, torpedo, toy tonneau, and roadster. Seven-passenger body styles included a tourer, limousine, and landaulet.

The Winton Company survived until February 11th of 124. The company was experiencing financial difficulty in the early 1920s, as were many other manufacturers. Even the newly formed Lincoln automobile company entered receivership and was ultimately acquired by Ford. Winton tried to consolidate with Haynes and Dorris, but the venture was not fruitful. Instead, Mr. Winton was forced to liquidate.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2021