The Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company was one of the

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

's most important auto parts

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

and the last automobile parts factories in Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

to survive from the first decades of the 20th century. The Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company Building was the company's original building at the Barth Avenue site. ''Note:'' This includes It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2004.

History

In 1904, Harry C. Stutz, who was involved in the design and manufacture of

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...

s, introduced George Schebler to Frank W. Wheeler. In the resulting partnership, Wheeler provided the money, while Schebler provided the engineering skills. Stutz worked temporarily as Sales Manager. By 1907, they had achieved enough success to move to Indianapolis into a state-of-the-art factory, reportedly one of the most advanced in the United States at the time. It produced

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

s for over 15 makes of autos from 1911 up to 1951. Frank Wheeler and three other local men opened the

Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United Sta ...

in 1909. Prior to the inauguration of the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

in 1911, the Wheeler-Schebler company sponsored the

Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race The Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race was an automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in each of the two years prior to the first Indianapolis 500. The trophy was sponsored by the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company. Frank Wheeler, one ...

at the track. George Schebler sold his interests in the company in 1912, but it continued to operate under the Wheeler-Schebler name until 1928, when it evolved into the Marvel-Schebler Carburetor Company, one of five companies that played a role in the development of what became Borg-Warner Corporation. The Marvel-Schebler company did some of the early work on

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All com ...

systems in the late 1950s and early 60s, eventually merging with the Tillotson Carburetor Company in 1971. In 1985, the name was revised to "Control Systems" by the parent company, Borg-Warner. When Borg-Warner went through a leveraged buyout in 1987, Borg Warner Automotive Inc. was spun off as an independent company that is still in operation, developing fuel efficient engine and drive train technology. To this day, the trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Indianapolis 500 is known as the

Borg-Warner Trophy The Borg-Warner Trophy is the trophy presented to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. It is named for and was commissioned by automotive supplier BorgWarner. It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Speedway, Indiana. ...

. The original Wheeler-Schebler building still survives. It used to house the "Wheeler Arts Community" and the "Community Arts and Education Center" in the Fountain Square district of Indianapolis at 1035 East Sanders Street until it was closed in 2018. The building is now being converted into market-rate housing units.

References

External links

Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company Building at National Park Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company BorgWarner National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Industrial buildings completed in 1902 Carburetor manufacturers Arts centers in Indiana American artist groups and collectives University of Indianapolis Motor vehicle manufacturing plants on the National Register of Historic Places Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Transportation buildings and structures in Marion County, Indiana Fountain Square, Indianapolis Defunct automotive companies of the United States Defunct manufacturing companies based in Indiana