- Detroit Automobile Company
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Detroit Automobile Company Fate Reorganized Successor Henry Ford Company Founded August 5, 1899 Defunct November 20, 1901 Headquarters Detroit, Michigan The Detroit Automobile Company (DAC) was an early American automobile manufacturer founded on August 5, 1899, in Detroit, Michigan.[1] It was the first venture of its kind in Detroit.[2] Automotive mechanic Henry Ford attracted the financial backing of three investors; Detroit Mayor William Maybury, William H. Murphy, and Senator Thomas W. Palmer. As with many early car ventures, the company floundered and was dissolved in January 1901.[1] Twenty vehicles were built and $86,000 ($2.11 million in 2007) of investment was lost.[3][4]
Contents
History
The company's first product was a delivery truck, completed in January 1900.
Foundation
The company was founded with a paid-up capital of $15,000 ($369,205 in 2007).[2] Henry Ford managed the manufacturing plant at 1343 Cass Avenue, Amsterdam in Detroit; initially with no pay until he left his job at the Detroit Edison Company, after which he was given a monthly salary of $150 ($3,692 in 2007).[2][5] He refused to put a car into production until he had perfected it to his satisfaction,[6] infuriating investors who quickly began to lose confidence in Ford's ability to bring a product to market.[6] The company's primary objective was to make a profit for its investors, who had seen the Oldsmobile plant, where the Curved Dash Oldsmobile was built which was profitable for its owner Samuel Smith.[4]
The company's first product was a gasoline-powered delivery truck engineered by Ford and completed in January 1900.[1] It received favorable coverage in a local newspaper, but was not without its flaws; it was slow, heavy, unreliable and complicated to manufacture.[7] Later in life, Ford recalled this period as one that was driven by profit rather than innovation.[8]
Catalog
A catalog produced by Detroit Automobile Company in 1900 showed, with a cost analysis, that the automobile was cheaper to maintain and operate than a horse and vehicle.[4] Little is known about the company's designs.[9]
Table 1. Detroit Automobile Car Costs[4]AutomobileOriginal cost $1,000 Cost of operating, ¼ cents per mile, 25 miles per day $114 New tires $100 Repairs $50 Painting vehicle four times $100 $1,364 Horse and VehicleOriginal cost, horse, harness and vehicle $500 Cost of keeping horse five years $1,200 Shoeing the horse $180 Repairs on vehicle, including rubber tires $150 Repairs on harness, $10 per year $50 Painting vehicle four times $100 $2,180 Demise
The Detroit Automobile Company was reorganized into the Henry Ford Company on November 20, 1901, after Ford gained further backing from investors because of his racing success.[9] It later became the Cadillac Company under ownership of Henry Leland, who came in subsequently after Ford had left.[8]
References
- ^ a b c Bryan, Ford R., The Birth of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford Heritage Association, http://www.hfha.org/ford_story/birth_of_the_ford_motor_company.html, retrieved May 23, 2008
- ^ a b c "Months past (an account of Henry Ford's first automobile factory)", History Today 49 (8): 50, August 1999
- ^ Cabadas, Joe (2004), River Rouge: Ford's Industrial Colossus, MotorBooks/MBI Publishing, p. 17, ISBN 0760317089
- ^ a b c d Weiss, H. Eugene (2003), Chrysler, Ford, Durant, and Sloan: Founding Giants of the American Automotive Industry, McFarland, pp. 7–9, ISBN 0786416114
- ^ Peterson, Chester; Beemer, Rod (1997), Ford N Series Tractors, MBI Publishing, p. 10, ISBN 0760302898
- ^ a b Black, Edwin (2007), Internal Combustion, Macmillan, p. 99, ISBN 031235908X
- ^ Bryan, Ford Richardson; Evans, Sarah (1995), Henry's Attic: Some Fascinating Gifts to Henry Ford and His Museum, Wayne State University Press, p. 107, ISBN 0814326420
- ^ a b Ford, Henry; Crowther, Samuel (1922), My Life and Work, Garden City, New York, USA: Garden City Publishing Company, Inc, http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/7213. Various republications, including ISBN 9781406500189. Original is public domain in U.S. Also available at Google Books., p. 37.
- ^ a b Weiss, H. Eugene (2003), pp. 9–10
Categories:- Ford Motor Company
- Car manufacturers of the United States
- Companies established in 1899
- Companies disestablished in 1901
- Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
- Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan
- Truck manufacturers
- Veteran vehicles
- Defunct companies based in Michigan
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