Early Automobiles

By Gabrielle Meyer

The first vehicle known to move under its own power (in recorded history) was 1769 in Paris. The first patented internal combustion engine was created in Paris in 1860. Several variations of motorized vehicles were built and driven in the following thirty years, but it wasn't until 1891 that motorized vehicles were being built in the United States, in Connecticut.

While the internal combustion engine was being perfected, people were also experimenting with steam powered automobiles in the United States as early as the pre-Civil War era. These tended to be heavy and cumbersome.

Duryea's First Car

The Duryea sold for $1,250
in 1898

Things started to really heat up in 1893 when brothers Charles and Frank Duryea built the first gasoline powered car in America. The first time it ran on a public road was September 21, 1893 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Using an old horse drawn buggy, which they had purchased for $70, they installed a 4 HP, single cylinder gasoline engine.

In 1896, the Duryea brothers built thirteen motorized wagons, creating the first automobile manufacturing company in the world.

Ford's First Car

1893 marked the year Henry Ford had an engine running, but it was 1896 before he built his first car. At the end of 1896, Ford sold that car for $200 and used the money to build another one. In 1899, he formed the Detroit Automobile Company with the financial backing of the Mayor of Detroit and other wealthy Detroiters. The company was dissolved in January 1901 and it wasn't until 1903 that Ford would offer another car for sale.

Ransom E. Olds at the tiller

The engraving to the left shows Ransom Eli Olds at the tiller of his first powered car. This automobile was built in 1896, but the Olds Motor Vehicle Company of Detroit was not in production until 1899.

In 1899, the Curved Dash Oldsmobile sold for $650. By 1901, the company had sold 600 vehicles. In 1902 they sold 2,500, 1903 it was 4,000 and in 1904 they sold 5,000. Though Duryea was the first manufacturer with his 13 cars, Ransom E. Olds was the first mass producer in the United States.



Charles Duryea in the winning auto

The public was fascinated (and skeptical) with the idea of a horseless carriage. A notable event happened in November 1895 that helped to improve public opinion. The Chicago Times-Herald held the first automobile race in the United States and they awarded $5,000 to the winning team. Six vehicles participated, but only two finished the 54-mile trek from Chicago to Evanston and back. It was only 38 degree outside and it had just snowed. Charles Duryea took first place with an average of 7 mph, and made his name common among automobile enthusiasts of the day.

After 1899, automobiles became a more common sight in America, but there was still much progress to be made. Ford's assembly line began operation on December 1, 1913 to create the Model T, and the rest is history.

Your Turn: Are you surprised that self-propelled automobiles have been around for so long? Did any of this history surprise you? I was surprised to discover there were earlier producers than Ford, were you?

Gabrielle Meyer
Find me on Facebook
Find me on Pinterest
Find me on Twitter
Find me on Amazon
Find me on Goodreads
Find me on My Website
Sign up for My Newsletter

A Very Merry Oldsmobile (& Giveaway)

Curved Dash Runnabout Oldsmobile
1904

 If you entered a trivia contest to match these names with the product they're associated with, I’m sure you’d have no problem: Walter P. Chrysler, Louis Chevrolet, David Dunbar Buick, Kiichiro Toyoda, Louis Renault, or Ransom Eli Olds. You might also guess Henry M. Leland by the process of elimination, although his last name wasn’t Cadillac.

As you can see, Henry Ford wasn’t the only innovator of the manufacture of cars in the early 19th Century. He just happened to be one of the most well-known and touted.

Ransom Eli Olds

I got a bit acquainted with Ransom Eli Olds (1864-1950), American inventor

Ransom Eli Olds

and automobile manufacturer, through fiction research. Mr. Olds claimed to build his first steam car in 1894 and first gasoline-powered car in 1896. He later designed the three-horsepower, curved-dash Oldsmobile.

This car was the first commercially successful American-made automobile. It was also the first to use a progressive assembly system and foreshadowed modern mass-production methods.

The original Oldsmobiles appeared in 1901 in Lansing, Michigan and the early models reached their peak of sales in 1904 with 5,000 owners. Later, he also developed the REO brand of cars.

When his cars steadily lost ground to competitors, after 1915 Mr. Olds turned most of his attention from the automobile business to activities such as marketing a lawn mower he invented and land speculation in Florida. An all-around talented man, as are most inventors and innovators.

My Merry Oldsmobile

"Come away with me, Lucille,
in my merry Oldsmobile"

“Come away with me, Lucille, in my merry Oldsmobile,” were lyrics to a popular waltz song (1905) with music by Gus Edwards and lyrics by Vincent Bryan. Wikipedia states the song’s chorus “is one of the most enduring automobile-oriented songs.”

The song was often used in older cartoons, especially in a car scene. The song has been played on Main Street USA at Disneyland. Bill Murray revived the old song for a "follow the bouncing ball" cartoon in the 1930s. 

Some of the verses were slightly suggestive by standards at the time. General Motors altered the lyrics and used the song as a marketing jingle for several decades. I'm sure R.E. Olds appreciated all of these marketing ploys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What was the oldest Oldsmobile you’ve ever ridden or driven? Was there a particular memory attached to this event? What did you like most or dislike about this car brand? Did you figure out how Mr. Olds came up with the naming of the REO models?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Author & Giveaway Offer…

Wind in the Wires
A Trails of Reba Cahill Novel
Book 1

Janet Chester Bly has written and co-written 32 books with her late husband, award-winning western author Stephen Bly. She and her three sons completed Stephen’s last historical novel for him, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot. Read about the story here: http://www.blybooks.com/category/finishing-dads-novel/.

New release Wind in the Wires, Book 1, Trails of Reba Cahill, is her first solo adult novel. It’s a contemporary (set in 1991) western mystery. It’s a road adventure with a touch of romance. It’s Cowgirl Lit. Comment on this post to enter drawing for free paperback (U.S. only) or PDF file copy for anyone.
Or download now: http://amzn.to/1tnpHpr
Sign up for Almost Monthly Newsletter here: http://www.blybooks.com/contact/stephen-bly-books-newsletter/