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Elmore Manufacturing Company

Coordinates: 41°18′29″N 82°58′49″W / 41.3080592°N 82.9801792°W / 41.3080592; -82.9801792
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Elmore Manufacturing Company
Company typeDivision
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1893; 131 years ago (1893)
FounderHarmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James & Burton
Defunct1912; 112 years ago (1912)
FatePurchased by General Motors in 1908, became a division
Headquarters
Clyde, Ohio
,
United States
Area served
United States
ProductsAutomobiles, parts
ParentGeneral Motors

Elmore Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of veteran and brass era automobiles and bicycles (1893–97),[1] headquartered at 504 Amanda Street,[2] Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 until 1912. The company took its name from a small parcel of land in Clyde with the name Elmore associated with it where a stave mill was established originally, then evolved into bicycle production.[3] The village of Elmore, Ohio is located 20 mi (32.2 km) to the east. Founded by Harmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James and Burton, the Elmore used a two-stroke engine design, in straight twin or single-cylinder versions. They later produced a straight-3 followed by a straight-4 beginning in 1906 until production ended in 1912. The company advertising slogan was "The Car That Has No Valves", referring to the two-stroke engine.[3]

History

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1908 Elmore Model 40
1908 Elmore at Crawford museum in Cleveland

The first car was offered in 1900 with two body styles seating either two or four passengers with a single cylinder engine producing 6 hp with a 62" wheelbase. The roadster was listed for US$750 ($27,468 in 2023 dollars [4]) By 1904 the Model 9 was the Elmore Convertible Runabout. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat four passengers and sold for just US$850 ($28,824 in 2023 dollars [4]), making it one of the least-expensive vehicles on the market. The flat-mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 6.5 hp (4.8 kW). A 2-speed transmission was fitted. The car weighed 1050 lb (476 kg).

The Elmore Runabout was next in line. It could seat two passengers and sold for US$800 ($27,129 in 2023 dollars [4]). The vertically mounted Straight-twin engine, also situated at the center of the car, produced 8 hp (6 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 1400 lb (635 kg).

The top model was the Elmore Tonneau. It could seat four passengers and sold for US$1400 ($47,476 in 2023 dollars [4]). The flat-mounted straight-twin was situated at the front of the car, produced 12 hp (8.9 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 1500 lb (680 kg). One 1908 Elmore is on display at the Crawford Museum in Cleveland Ohio.

General Motors

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In 1908, Elmore's three-cylinder two-stroke caught the attention of William C. Durant, founder of General Motors. He purchased the company the following year for US$500,000[3] ($16,955,556 in 2023 dollars [4]), with Elmore becoming one of General Motors' divisions. After Durant was forced out of General Motors in 1910, the Elmore marque was soon cut, along with several other underperforming brands, to help General Motors achieve financial stability. The factory location was then bought from GM and the Clydesdale Motor Truck Company was in operation from 1917 to 1939. The Clydesdale Factory was then the site of Clyde Porcelain Steel Company until the factory burned down November 11, 1945. The factory was rebuilt and the Bendix Corporation operated a factory at this location which made front load washing machines under the Bendix Home Appliances until the business was sold to Avco Manufacturing Corporation in 1951, and combining Bendix Appliances with Crosley Appliances.[5] In 1956, Avco sold Bendix Home Appliances to Philco.[6] The current location is now Whirlpool Corporation where Maytag, Whirlpool, and Amana washing machines are manufactured and is the largest factory in America that manufactures washing machines.

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)
  • Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925. New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elmore vehicles.
  1. ^ "From Bicycles to Automobiles" Archived 2013-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. Sandusky County Scrapbook. Last updated 23 August 2001. Accessed 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.205.
  3. ^ a b c Kimes, Beverly (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942. Krause Publications. pp. 529–531. ISBN 0-87341-478-0.
  4. ^ a b c d e 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Judson S. Sayre". The New York Times. 12 May 1986 – via NYTimes.com.
  6. ^ "Bendix Sale by Avco to Philco Affirmed". New York Times. 1956-11-14. Retrieved 2019-04-16.

41°18′29″N 82°58′49″W / 41.3080592°N 82.9801792°W / 41.3080592; -82.9801792

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