The Lambert automobile and Lambert truck were vehicles built from 1905 through 1916 by the Lambert Automobile Company in

Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson ...

, United States. The Lambert automobile was an outgrowth from the

Union automobile The Union automobile was a vehicle manufactured by the Union Automobile Company from 1902 until 1905. It was designed by John William Lambert, who had developed the three-wheel Buckeye gasoline buggy in 1891. Over the next decade, Lambert substan ...

made by the Union Automobile Company, a previous vehicle that was being manufactured by John William Lambert. The factory manufactured about 3,000 automobiles and trucks per year by 1915 and had several models ranging in price from $1,200 to $3,000 at the time. The vehicles came with a gearless friction drive transmission. The demise of the manufacture of automobiles and trucks came about because of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Background history

The Lambert automobile is a 1905 outgrowth from the

that was being constructed by the Union Automobile Company in

Union City, Indiana Union City is a city in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. , the city had a population of 3,584. Union City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Rai ...

. The Union automobile changed its name to the Lambert automobile and all production was moved to

. The new automobile models were then manufactured by the Lambert Automobile Company, which was a subsidiary of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company. The new factory was in size. The first Lambert car from the automobile plant was sold on June 1, 1905. By 1906 the new automobile had a wide range of models and the company was one of the most successful car manufacturers in the United States at the time. Production reached 3,000 automobiles per year by 1915; trucks and tractors were also made. The Lambert automobile was the main product of the Lambert Automobile Company from 1905 through 1916, although in the 11 years of production the company also produced trucks, fire engines, and agricultural tractors. The company made its own body parts and designed its car motors. The upholstery used in the manufacture of the automobile was of the best quality available and the finish of the body had 15 layers of paint. When the United States entered into

in 1917 the Lambert automobile manufacturing plant was converted into national defense and manufactured war products. The Lambert automobile ended production of the car when the war ended.

Chassis and suspension

All Lambert chassis integrated a high end three-point suspension to save driving power. It decreased the lift required of the automobile body because variations in the road surface. It saved wearing away of the automobile body parts. Most other automobiles of the time used ordinary

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Mos ...

s. On some models a shaft drive was provided, however most Lambert automobile models were built with a chain drive directly to the rear

axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, beari ...

Powertrain

The Lambert automobile chassis with the gearless friction drive speed change transmission was the basis for all the Lambert vehicles built from 1906 to 1917 including their trucks. The friction system was used for the transmission of motor power to the axle to drive the wheels that propelled the automobile. The flywheel of the motor had a disc that had metals characterized for their special friction qualities. A friction wheel is applied direct to the face of this motor flywheel disc plate by a foot control. The friction wheel was moved in either direction on the shaft across the face of the motor flywheel friction plate by means of a controller lever. When the friction wheel was in contact with the extreme outer circumference of the motor flywheel friction disc the vehicle was at its highest speed. When the friction wheel was moved towards the center of the car motor flywheel disc the speed would decrease and come to a complete standstill in the center. If carried beyond the center of the flywheel the direction of its rotation would be opposite and the vehicle would be in reverse. This method of transmission of motor power to the driving axle that propelled the vehicle was smooth. This was in contrast to the ordinary toothed gear transmission of other cars that then had a "start with a jerk" motion that was noticeable.

Motor

The Lambert automobile motor in the early part of manufacturing moved around on the chassis. It was on the back of the chassis, then in the center, then to the front, and back again to the rear of the automobile. The early motors were built at the Lambert factories of the Buckeye Manufacturing Company and later they were outsourced to other proprietary manufactures. The valve action of the motors were hardened steel cams that worked off the cam shaft. The cam faces were convex and worked on hardened rollers. They were carried in swinging forks which bore against square ended sliders. The valves were aluminum heads driven to shoulder on riveted steel stems and were direct with no side action. The compression was 50 to 55 pounds of pressure. The Lambert opposed cylinder motor had features not common in the gas engine of that time period. For one thing, the oiler was of the type in which a ratchet actuated worm drive drove a spring successively over the oil leads to be supplied. The plunge spring was compressed by a circle of wedges and the rise from each compression being regulated by a screw. Oil leads dropped oil on the crank wrist rod ends appropriately.

Racing success

Lambert participated in an automobile race in 1905 from

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to St. Paul and came in second place. There were a total of 53 automobiles entered into the race and Lambert's was the only gasoline powered automobile to finish. The success of Lambert's automobile against others of was attributed to the Lambert friction gearing disk drive transmission.

Lambert automobiles

Some of the models of the Lambert automobiles and trucks are described below.

Lambert trucks

Model A

The Model A truck came with a wheelbase of and a gauge of . It was a 2-passenger truck. The rear Firestone wheels were in diameter by wide. The front Firestone wheels were in diameter by wide. The motor was a pair of opposed cylinders 5.5X6 set in rear of driver's seat of the vehicle. It came with the standard friction disk drive transmission put on all Lambert vehicles. It weighed and had a pay load capacity of . It cost $2000 . A truck platform and a driver's hood was an extra option.

Model B

The Model B truck weighed and had a payload capacity. It cost $1500 . The motor was a pair of opposed cylinders 6X4.5 set in rear of driver's seat of the vehicle. It also came with the standard truck friction disk drive transmission. Model B Truck came with a wheelbase of and a gauge of . It was a 2-passenger truck. The rear Firestone wheels were in diameter by wide. The front Firestone wheels were in diameter by wide. A truck platform and a driver's hood was an extra option.

References

Sources

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