The Model Automobile Company was a

brass era 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 things as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 1915 ...

American

automobile 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 ...

manufacturer located in

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located along the Wabash Riv ...

from 1902 to 1909.

History

Edward. A. Myers established the Model Gas and Gas Engine Company in 1901 in

Auburn, Indiana Auburn is a city in DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,820 at the 2020 census. Founded in 1836 by Wesley Park (1811–1868), the city is the county seat of DeKalb County. Auburn is also known as Home of the Classics. H ...

. Manufacturing gasoline engines, in 1902 Model added a 2-cylinder 12- hp automobile to its products. This was joined by a 16-hp version in 1904, but a financial crisis in Auburn forced Myers to reorganize his company.

Model

By 1906 Myers had sold over 300 automobiles and reorganized into two companies, one dedicated to automobile production. The Model Gas Engine Works and Model Automobile Company relocated to

in 1906. The 1905 Model 2-cylinder engine had been increased to 20-hp. Model automobiles had

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving ex ...

coachwork A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...

which allowed the body to be tilted upward from the rear for access to the engine, and permitting the rear seats to be removed as a unit. In 1906 Model prices ranged from $900 for a runabout to $1,250 () for a

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 ...

. In 1907 Model introduced a

4-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 categoriz ...

automobile. This was a 45-hp touring car, with the engine moved under the hood and priced at $2,000, .

Star

Model's main business was selling engines and transmissions to other automobile,

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 constructi ...

and

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most comm ...

manufacturers and decided it would seem less of a conflict to sell completed automobiles under a different

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

. For 1908 and 1909 Model Automobile Company products were known as Star. The Star was continued as 2-cylinder or 4-cylinder cars, with the 4-cylinder models increased to 50-hp. In 1909 E. A. Myers decided to spin-off the automobile manufacturing completely and organized the Great Western Automobile Company and all cars from 1910 to 1916 would be Great Westerns. In 1911 Myers would work with a Dr. H. H. Bissell of

Watseka, Illinois Watseka is a city in and the county seat of Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on U.S. Route 24. The population of Watseka was 5,255 according to the 2010 census, which ...

who commissioned a car Bisell called the Izzer. The first example pleased Myers so much, that two more examples were produced. Myers retained one of the cars and gave the second to the Model office manager, James Littlejohn. Bissell's Izzer is still extant. Model Gas Engine Works was sold to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

investors in 1912 and the factory and E. A .Myers moved to Pittsburgh. In 1914 he returned to Peru to run Great Western. In 1916

Standard Steel Car Company The Standard Steel Car Company (SSC) was a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock in the United States that existed between 1902 and 1934. Established in 1902 in Butler, Pennsylvania by John M. Hansen and "Diamond Jim" Brady, the company quic ...

purchased the Model Gas Engine Company factory and assets to expand Standard automobile production.

Gallery

File:1905 Model 12 HP ad GracesGuide Im19050125HA-Model.jpg, alt=, 1905 Model - three styles advertisement File:1906 Model Gas Engine Works ad.jpg, alt=, 1906 Model finished cars advertisement File:1907 Model Automobile ad.jpg, alt=, 1907 Model Automobile Co. advertisement

External links

1911 Izzer Roadster at ConceptCarz

References

{{reflist Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Defunct companies based in Indiana Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Indiana Cars introduced in 1902 Veteran vehicles Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1902 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1909