Crane-Simplex

Crane-Simplex

Not to be confused with American Simplex

Crane-Simplex is a defunct car manufacturer, operating in New York City, USA at the beginning of the 20th century.

Contents

History

The Smith and Mabley Manufacturing Co. of New York City was founded by Carleton Raymond Mabley (1878-1963) and his brother-in-law Albert Proctor Smith to import European cars for sale in America. They built their first car in 1904, which was called the S&M Simplex, largely from imported Mercedes parts. The company went bankrupt in 1906 and in 1907 the firm's assets were absorbed into the Simplex Automobile Co. Herman Broesel, passionate about racing, purchased the company and redesigned the "Simplex" so it could reach speeds of 90 mph (140 km/h). The firm became Crane-Simplex after purchase of the Crane Motor Car Company of Bayonne, New Jersey, which had been founded by Henry Middleton Crane, in 1915. The Crane-Simplex Company was purchased in 1920 by the Mercer Automobile Company but by 1922 ownership had passed to Henry Crane, who then failed to realise an ambition to revive the marque.

Cars

The 1904 Smith and Mabley was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$5500. The vertically-mounted water-cooled straight-4, at the front of the car, produced 18 hp (13.4 kW). A 4-speed transmission was fitted. The wood and angle iron-framed car weighed 1200 lb (544 kg). The car used a honeycomb radiator with a fan.

The Crane-Simplex, built in New York, was among the most expensive, largest, most powerful, and well-built luxury cars of the early twentieth century. They were owned by only the wealthiest socialites and entrepreneurs of the time and built by the best coachbuilders in the U.S. Only 121 examples were made.

Notable models

  • 1909 90 HP Tourabout - large 11 liter straight four engine, with 90 horsepower (67 kW) and 3 valves per cylinder
  • 1915 Roadster - believed to be the only Simplex roadster ever made, with 110 horsepower (82 kW)
  • 1915 Sport Berline Brewster - personal car of Henry Crane and built for 1915 New York Auto Show, sold new for $13,800
  • 1916 Model 5 Holbrook Skiff - built for 1916 New York Auto Show with yacht-inspired design, (including doors in the middle rather than beside passengers and a propeller in back) soon purchased at the San Francisco Auto Show, now owned by Jay Leno
  • 1918 Crane-Simplex - owned by John D. Rockefeller, had two Brewster bodies, for summer and winter seasons, now one of the last surviving Rockefeller family cars

Notable owners

Boats

Simplex engines powered the Dixie series motor boats which won the Harmsworth Trophy four times between 1907 and 1911.

References

  • Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Simplex (disambiguation) — Simplex may refer to:*Simplex, a term in geometry *Simplex, a one way communications channel * Simplex was a trade name used by British railway locomotive manufacturers, The Motor Rail Tramcar Co Ltd *SimplexGrinnell, a brand of fire protection… …   Wikipedia

  • crane fly — crane fly, adj. any of numerous nonbiting insects constituting the family Tipulidae, inhabiting damp areas and resembling a large mosquito with extremely long legs. [1650 60] * * * Harmless, slow flying dipteran (family Tipulidae) usually found… …   Universalium

  • range crane fly — noun : a grayish brown crane fly (Tipula simplex) with a wingless female and a pale brown burrowing larva that emerges from the ground at night or on dull days to feed on green vegetation and is sometimes very destructive to grasslands grain… …   Useful english dictionary

  • List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers — Below is a list of defunct United States automobile manufacturers from the 1800s to the present.A *ABC (1906 1910) *ABC (1922) *Abbott Detroit (1909 1916; Abbott 1917 1918) [Abbotts were built in Cleveland. Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early… …   Wikipedia

  • Список ликвидированных автопроизводителей США — Это список ликвидированных автопроизводителей Соединенных Штатов. Они были ликвидированы по различным причинам, таким как банкротство материнской компании, слияние или другая причина. Содержание: Top  0–9 А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С… …   Википедия

  • List of U.S. cars — This page tries to show every U.S. car ever made by manufacturer.There were over 1800 automobile manufacturers in the United States from 1896 to 1930. Very few survived and only a few new ones were started after that period. Major current US… …   Wikipedia

  • Список автопроизводителей США — Это список функционирующих и ликвидированных автомобильных производителей США. Существовало более 1800 производителей автомобилей в Соединенных Штатах с 1896 по 1930 год. Содержание 1 Фунционирующие 1.1 Основные автопроизводите …   Википедия

  • Brewster & Co. — Brewster Company was an American coachbuilder, active from 1810 1937. Their first known bodywork on an automobile was in 1896, on an electric car, and a gasoline powered car in 1905, on a Delaunay Belleville chassis. Eventually they would use… …   Wikipedia

  • Heritage Museums and Gardens — The Heritage Museums and Gardens (76 acres), formerly the Heritage Plantation of Sandwich, is a collection of museums and gardens located at 67 Grove Street, Sandwich, Massachusetts. It includes museums of art, American history, and automobiles,… …   Wikipedia

  • Mercer (car) — Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer before World War II.Early historyThere was considerable talent backing for the Mercer Automobile Company; Ferdinand Roebling, son of John A Roebling, was the president, and his nephew Washington… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”