The Rayfield was an 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 ...

marque manufactured from 1911 until 1915 by the Rayfield Motor Car Company, first in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

and then in

Chrisman, Illinois Chrisman is a city in Ross Township, Edgar County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,312 at the 2020 census. Geography Chrisman is located at (39.804038, -87.675669). It is on U.S. Route 150 less than a mile north of its intersec ...

History

The Rayfield name was well-known on carburetors invented by Charles Rayfield. His sons William (Bill) and John, began their automotive venture with the purchase of the Springfield Motor Car Company in 1910. Organized as the Rayfield Motor Car Company,

Dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business). A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the driv ...

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 ...

ed 18-hp

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 ...

and 22-hp

six-cylinder The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...

touring cars Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move ...

and

roadsters __NOTOC__ Roadster may refer to: Transportation * Roadster (automobile), an open, two-seat, often sporty car ** Roadster utility, an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed * Roadster (bicycle), a utilitarian bicycle, ty ...

were built in Springfield. In 1912 the Rayfield brothers moved their company to a new factory in Chrisman, Illinois. Manufacturing was concentrated on the six-cylinder models. 218 cars were built in 1913. A special-built Rayfield entered in the Indianapolis 500 of 1914 was to be driven by

Hughie Hughes Hughie Hughes (c. 1885 – 2 December 1916) was a British racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500 and the 1912 Indianapolis 500 The 1912 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, or International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, th ...

who also helped build it. It reached 95 mph during time trials, but mechanical problems eliminated it from participating in the race. In 1914 the Rayfields added a

cyclecar A cyclecar was a microcar, type of small, lightweight and inexpensive Automobile, 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 ...

to their line, but it was really a

light car The term light car is used in Great Britain since the early part of the 20th century for an automobile less than 1.5 litres engine capacity. In modern car classification this term would be roughly equivalent to a subcompact car. There are numero ...

as it had a standard 56-inch tread, a four-cylinder

water-cooled engine Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non ...

, selective sliding gear

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission ** ...

rack-and-pinion steering A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the ''pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven i ...

and a steel body. The small car was priced at $375 () and in 1915, 613 were made. In 1915, the Rayfields contracted with the Great Western company of

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 ...

to build their light car. Great Western was in receivership and ultimately could not fulfill its contract. Bill Rayfield sued, but could not collect. The company had no cash to operate, and the Rayfield assets were sold at public auction in February 1916 for $14,000.

References

{{Reflist Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Illinois Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1911 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1916 Brass Era vehicles 1910s cars Cars introduced in 1911

History

See also

References