Luverne was the marque of the Luverne Automobile Company, which produced

automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

from 1904 to 1917 in Luverne, Minnesota.

History

Carriage makers Fenton and Edward Leicher, began in 1904 to build automobiles to order, in their coach-building factory. In 1903, they experimented with an automobile kit from A. L. Dyke in St. Louis. The first production automobile was a high-wheeler with a

two-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

engine. Rutenber and Beaver engines would be used in future production. In 1906 the Luverne Automobile Company was formally established.

Models

In 1905 Luverne high-wheelers were joined by a conventional 20- hp

touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

which lasted until 1909. A

four-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

40-hp model began production that year, and Luvernes entered the upscale automobile market. The 4-cylinder Model Fifty became the Montana Special in 1912, when Luverne introduced their first six-cylinder car, the Model Sixty. In 1913, the six-cylinder became the Big Brown Luverne model. This 60-hp Rutenber engine touring car on a 130-inch

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

, was painted "Luverne Brown" and had a solid German silver

radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

. It was

upholstered Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

with "Old Spanish brown leather with all hair filling". In 1914 the Big Brown Luverne model was priced at $2,500, (). File:1905 16hp Luverne Surrey Factory Photo.jpg, alt=, 1905 20-hp Luverne High-wheeler Surrey File:1911 Luverne Montana Special.jpg, alt=, 1911 Luverne Fifty - Montana Special

Fate

Luverne production averaged 25 cars per year to 1908 followed by 50 cars per year to 1916. 25 Big Brown Luvernes were produce in 1917, and just 1 in 1918. Luverne built coachwork for professional cars on a limited basis and in 1912 entered

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

production. Automobiles were discontinued in 1917 and the company was reorganized as the Luverne Truck Company. This company became Luverne Fire Apparatus, producing

fire trucks A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...

and equipment into the 1970's.McConnell, Curt (1995). ''Great Cars of the Great Plains''. University of Nebraska Press.

Advertising

Luverne advertising emphasized their strong construction and attractive wood coachwork. Advertising slogans included; * Cars That Are Worth The Money * The Best Investment in the Long Run * They Look Good, They Are Good, and They Stay Good * Strictly High Grade and Moderate in Price * The Big Brown Luverne/Eventually You Will Want One * Good for a Lifetime * Cars With the Doubt Left Out * They are Big and Long and Brown and Strong * The Car for the Mountains

History

Models

Fate

Advertising

See also