
The O-We-Go was an American
Cyclecar
A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive motorized car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the c ...
manufactured in 1914 in
Owego, New York
Owego is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Tioga County, New York, Tioga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 18,728 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Iroquoian languages, Iro ...
.
History
Designed by Charles B. Hatfield, Jr. of the
Hatfield Auto Truck Company in
Elmira, New York
Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...
, the O-We-Go prototype cyclecar was tested for 3 months before production in Owego, New York began in 1914.
The O-We-Go had a 12-
hp twin-cylinder Ives motorcycle engine with a
friction transmission on a 104-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 ...
. The
tandem-seat automobile sold for $385, . The "cyclecar craze" faded as quickly as it started, and the company entered into voluntary bankruptcy in January 1915.
In 1916, C.B. Hatfield, Jr. reconfigured the O-We-Go and sold it in
kit form which could be purchased complete, or piece-by-piece under the name Tribune. The only known surviving O-We-Go is currently on display at the
Northeast Classic Car Museum.
See also
O-We-Go By Jim Donnelly from the March 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Car{{Commons category, O-We-Go vehicles
References
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1914
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1915
1914 establishments in New York (state)
1915 disestablishments in New York (state)
Tioga County, New York
American companies established in 1914
American companies disestablished in 1915
Cyclecars
Brass Era vehicles
1910s cars
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New York (state)
Cars introduced in 1914