Mors 1898 6HP Dogcart on London to Brighton VCR 2010

The Mors

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

factory was an early French car manufacturer. It was one of the first to take part in

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

, beginning in 1897, due to the belief of the company founder, Émile Mors, in racing's technical and promotional benefits. By the turn of the century, automobile racing had become largely a contest between Mors and Panhard et Levassor.

Technical achievements

Mors was one of the first automobiles to use the

V engine A V engine, sometimes called a Vee engine, is a common configuration for internal combustion engines. It consists of two cylinder banks—usually with the same number of cylinders in each bank—connected to a common crankshaft. These cylinder ...

configuration. The Mors 60 horsepower Grand Prix car was powered by a 9.2-litre V4 side valve engine, with magneto ignition and dry sump lubrication, which could reach 950 rpm. The car had a steel chassis and a four-speed transmission that drove the rear wheels via

chain drive Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles. ...

, and rear-wheel brakes. In 1902, Mors added pneumatic

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulics, hydraulic device designed to absorb and Damping ratio, damp shock (mechanics), shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typic ...

s to their cars, which represented a great leap forward given the quality of the roads and racetracks at the time. With this car, Henri Fournier was able to win the highly significant Paris-Berlin race, with the drive chain breaking immediately afterwards. Mors ended racing in 1908. Plans to return to auto racing were cancelled due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Citroën

André Citroën André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is also remembered for his application of double helical gears. Life and career Born in Paris in 1878, A ...

became chairman of Mors in 1908 and restored the company's viability. In 1925, Citroën bought Mors outright and closed it down, using its factory for the production of his

Citroën Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...

automobiles.

Range

The company produced a number of models which were sold widely in Europe and in the USA. In 1905 these ranged from 2.3 litres to the 8.1 litre 40/52 HP and by 1914

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

-built Knight sleeve valve engines replaced side-valve units in the larger cars. Post-1918 only sleeve valve engines were used. Citroën's chevron gears were used for the bevel drive rear axles from 1914 and a unique feature was the Mors patented clutch, which had a contracting band system which replaced the cone clutch used until 1903. The marque was resurrected briefly when a few small

electric car An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger car, passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric motor, electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a p ...

s were made during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

electrical company of Émile Mors. File:Mors 1901 10HP Tonneau on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Mors 10HP tonneau from 1901 owner The Royal Automobile Club File:Mors 1902 16HP Limousine on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Mors 16HP limousine from 1902 File:Henri Fournier on the Mors machine.jpg, Henri Fournier on the "Mors Machine", 1902 File:Mors 1904 32 HP Roi-des-Belges on London to Brighton VCR 2013.jpg, Mors32 HP Roi-des-Belges 1904 File:Mors Tonneau Ferme Typ N.JPG, Mors tonneau fermé Type N, 4 cylinder, 1809 cc, 1910. 60 km/h,

Cité de l'Automobile Cité may refer to: Places * Cité (Paris Métro), the metro station on the ''Île de la Cité'' * Cité (Quebec), type of municipality in Quebec * Citadel, the historical centre of an old city, originally fortified * Housing estate A ho ...

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

File:Mors 1925.jpg, Last Mors model: 1925 12/16HP sport

Central Automobile Company

Central Automobile Company was the US importer of Mors automobiles in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

in the very early part of the 20th century. The 1904 Mors 18 HP was 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. The ...

. Equipped with a

tonneau A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car, truck, or boat open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo. When applied to trucks it refers to their ''bed'' (American English) or ''tray'' (British English). Origin of term A tonneau was orig ...

, it could seat 4 to 6 passengers and sold for a high

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

8000. The vertically mounted water-cooled

straight-4 A straight-four engine (also referred to as an inline-four engine) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout ( ...

, situated at the front of the car, produced 18 HP (13.4 kW). A 4-speed transmission was fitted. The pressed steel-framed car was quite modern, with a cellular radiator (with fan) and a throttle control. The Mors 11 HP sold for US$5000.

American Mors

The St. Louis Car Company also manufactured the American Mors. After manufacturing the St. Louis and Kobusch cars, the latter of which looked like a Mors, in 1906 the St. Louis Car Company acquired an official

license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

, blueprints, and plans from the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

ian factory to manufacture Mors cars in the U.S.Kimes, Beverly Rae. ''Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942'' (Iola, WI: Krause, 1996), p.43. After making the American Mors for three years, the company turned to the manufacture of a car of their own design, the Standard Six.

References

Sources

* ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (January, 1904) * Georgano, Nick (Ed.). ''The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile'' (Volume 2). Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000. * Kimes, Beverley Rae, & Clark Jr, Henry Austin. ''Standard Catalog of American cars: 1805-1942'' (Third Edition). Iola, WI: Krause, 1996. {{StLouisCars Car manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Cars powered by Knight engines Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1895 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1925 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1906 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1908 French companies established in 1895 1925 disestablishments in France French brands Brass Era vehicles Veteran vehicles Vintage vehicles 1890s cars 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Missouri