The

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 features as lights and radiator (engine cooling), radiators. It is generally considered to ...

Robie

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 ...

was manufactured by the Robie Motor Car Company in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1914.

History

The Robie used 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 engine, Wankel engines are o ...

Perkins engine of 1.6 liters. It was a side-by-side two-seater. It had a rounded radiator with a streamline body and disc wheels. The Robie was priced at $450, . The car was guaranteed to go 45 mph and 45 mpg of gasoline. Fred G. Robie had been in the automobile accessories business before building his cyclecar. The Robie was built by Massnick-Phipps Manufacturing company in

Detroit Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 census, making it the 26th-most populous city ...

. Robie planned to have a second generation of his cyclecar built by Pullman in

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

, but his money ran out.

References

{{reflist Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Illinois Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1914 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1915 Cyclecars Brass Era vehicles 1910s cars Cars introduced in 1914