1913 White Model 40

Thomas H White of Cleveland, Ohio was an engineer and manufacturer of sewing machines. His sons, Rollin, Windsor and Walter, were also blessed with engineering talents which they applied to the new-fangled motor car industry. Rollin had visited Europe in the 1890s to study the motor industry, and when he returned home in 1898, he developed a monotube boiler that raised steam very quickly. This led to building steam cars in the sewing-machine factory in 1900.

Beyond just engineering talent, the brothers understood the importance of marketing and the need to demonstrate their product. Several years of successful demonstrations were rewarded with a profitable business.

The two brothers used steam power to propel their first vehicle in 1900. The following year, four White steam cars were entered in the New York to Buffalo Endurance Run and each received First Class Certificates. In 1902, they won four Gold Medals in the New York-Boston-New York event; in 1903, a White Steamer won the Gold Medal in the New York to Pittsburgh Endurance Run. In 1905, Webb Jay drove 'Whistling Billy' to a new World Mile Speed Record at the Morris Park Track with a speed of 73.75 mph.

Successful endurance demonstrations helped boost business, and the White Company of Cleveland actually built more steamers in a shorter period of time than their Massachusetts rival, the 'Stanley.' They were more advanced, performed better, and were of higher quality. The early White car was more sophisticated than the Locomobile (which left the steam business in 1904), which had also been designed by the Stanley brothers. Even though the White automobiles were significantly higher price than the Stanley, its advanced features made it competitive. Their clientele included John D. Rockefeller, the U.S. Presidential Fleet (William H. Taft), and Buffalo Bill Cody. A White was the only automobile present in the 1905 inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt.

The steam-powered White automobiles had a fast-heating boiler and a condenser for recycling exhaust steam, which resulted in easier operation and greater range. The complex, 'Compound' two-cylinder steam system flash-heated water in a boiler, then compressed in one cylinder, and then injected into a second cylinder at high pressure. Additionally, the White automobiles used a rear transaxle that incorporated two forward speeds plus neutral; the neutral allowed an operator to warm up the car at rest.

The early White horseless carriages had Stanhope designs which were popular with horse-drawn buggy. By 1903, the White body designs evolved, adopting a conventional front-engine design, a more substantial chassis, and a rear-entrance tonneau and tourer body style with an available canopy top. Larger limousine and touring body styles followed, growing in height and length as its clientele continued to demand the pinnacle of luxury conveyance.

In 1910, White entered the manufacture of gasoline-powered vehicles, selling nearly as many of those as it had of steam cars. 1911 would be the final year of the steam-powered White automobiles, and during that year, production of internal combustion and steam powered (White) automobiles remained fairly even once again. Production of White automobiles ceased in 1918 as the company concentrated solely on commercial trucks.

1913 White
The 1913 White automobile was offered as a Model Thirty, a Model Forty, and a Model Sixty, with each model named after the power output of its engine. The Model Thirty rested on a 110-inch wheelbase platform and was priced at $2,500 for the roadster and five-passenger touring, and $3,250 for the coupe. The Model Sixty was the largest and most powerful model in the company's lineup, resting on a 132-inch wheelbase platform and powered by a six-cylinder engine. The roadster was priced at $4,800, the tourer (5- and 7-passenger options) listed at $5,000, the coupe at $5,400, and the Berline Limousine (7-passenger) at $6,300.

The Model Forty was the mid-level model and was equipped with a four-cylinder engine and used a 120-inch wheelbase. The roadster and five-passenger tourer at $3,300, the 7-passenger tourer at $3,500, the coupe at $4,100, and the Berline Limousine at $5,000.

White produced approximately 1,615 vehicles in 1913, a slight decrease from the 1,839 units it produced in 1912, but slightly more than the 1,318 they built in 1914.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024