The Inter-State was a
Brass Era car
The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such features as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 19 ...
built in
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...
, by Inter-State Automobile Company from 1909 to 1919.
History
Company name
Thomas F. Hart announced in October 1908 the winning name of his new company, chosen via a contest. The Inter-State Automobile Company set up shop at 142 Willard Street. Ads stated "we could get more for this car."
Originally, all Inter-States were mid-market, both in size and price, with four-
cylinder
A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base.
A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...
engines. In 1913, 6-cylinder engines were added.
Receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
followed in the fall of 1913. Thomas Hart cited "internal dissention and his inability to secure working capital because of disagreement among stockholders."
In February 1914,
Frank C. Ball (one of the original Inter-State investors) bought the Inter-State factory and real estate. This resulted in a renaming of the parent company to the Inter-State Motor Company.
General Motors
In 1915, a new Beaver 4-cylinder low-priced car was released. By May 1918, automobile production was suspended in favor of
war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
work. In late February 1919, F. C. Ball announced he would be resuming passenger car production, but by March of the same year, Ball sold the Inter-State factory to
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
for them to produce their new
Sheridan.
Overview of production figures
Advertisements
File:Inter-state 1916-0419 ad.jpg, 1916 Inter-State advertisement
File:The 1911 Inter-state models- Inter-state Automobile Company - DPLA - 398fb3a0379423d1906e1d4ad181f7fe (page 6).jpg, 1911 Inter-State Forty Touring Car Model 39A from brochure
See also
Interstate Motor Cars at ConceptCarz
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inter-State (Automobile)
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Indiana
Defunct companies based in Indiana
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1909
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1919
1909 establishments in Indiana
Cars introduced in 1909
Brass Era vehicles
1910s cars