Clarkmobile
Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clarkmobile was an automobile first built in 1902 by Frank Clark of Clark & Company in Lansing, Michigan. The first model became available in 1903. A newspaper article referred to the automobile as the 'Unbreakable Clarkmobile' and showed it surviving an accident.
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1902 |
| Founder | Frank Clark |
| Defunct | 1905 |
| Fate | Reorganized into the New Way Motor Company; automotive assets sold to Deere-Clark |
| Successor | New Way Motor Company, Deere-Clark |
| Headquarters | Lansing, Michigan |
| Products | Automobiles |
Before the Clarkmobile, Clark & Company Carriage Works built the body for the first test car produced by Ransom E. Olds.[1]
Production ceased in 1904. The Deere-Clark company purchased the company's tools and machinery.[2] Frank Clark went on to make the Clark car in Shelbyville, Indiana.[3]
History
The Clarkmobile Co. was founded in April of 1902 in Lansing Michigan. The car was the brainchild of F. G. Clark who has been working on a prototype for two years. The company was incorporated with a capital of $50,000. The president would be A.C Stebbins, H.E. Thomas as vice president and F.G. Clark as secretary, treasurer and general manager.[4]
In 1905 the Clarkmobile company would reorganize and be titled the New Way Motor Company. The new firm would be captialized at $100,000 and would now produce air cooled gasoline engines. Stebbins would remain as president[5] Clark would leave the firm to work for another successor company called Deere-Clark.[6]
The Clarkmobile
The Clarkmobile included a number of innovative features such as wheel steering, shaft drive, a front end with hood, and a new engine design.
The first model was exhibited around April of 1903. The car weighed 1,100 pounds. Powering the car was a 1 cylinder four stroke water cooled engine making 7 horsepower. The transmission was a Upton 2 speed planetary type with a reverse.[7] The wheels were wood with Dunlop tires. A steering wheel was used instead of a tiller which was still fairly novel at the time. The wheelbase was 72 inches. The listed price for 1903 was $750[8] The front of the car like many early runabouts does not contain an engine, so that the front serves as a trunk.[9]
