The Trumbull was a short-lived make of

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

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

by the Trumbull Motorcar Company. About 2000 Trumbull cars were produced between 1913 and 1915. After the death of Isaac Trumbull on the

RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' was a United Kingdom, British ocean liner launched by the Cunard Line in 1906. The Royal Mail Ship, the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of her sister three months later, in 1907 regained for Britain the ...

, the company ceased production.

Company history

The origins of the Trumbull Motor Company lie in a car designed in 1912 by Harry Stoops and intended to be produced by the Americal Cyclecar Company, but the design was acquired in 1913 by Alexander and Isaac Trumbull before any cars had been manufactured. The Trumbull Motorcar Company was thus founded and in 1914 produced and sold a selection vehicles with a top speed of . Trumbulls were powered by a four-cylinder water-cooled engine producing in the range of to , and were available in a variety of bodies including roadster, coupe and delivery truck. In 1915 the chain-drive system was replaced by a more familiar direct drive through a gearbox. A total of approximately 2000 Trumbull cars were produced, of which three quarters were exported, mainly to Europe and Australia. The sole importer in England was A.I. Greenwood of

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and in 1914 the roadster retailed at £105 in England and $425 in the US. The New York Police Department were also early users of Trumbulls, with upwards of 20 vehicles.

Rapid collapse

With production ramped up to 300 cars per month, on 1 May 1915 company president Isaac Trumbull boarded the

for a visit to Europe. Also on board were 20 Trumbull cars and expectations were buoyant with sales of up to 300 cars being anticipated as a result of the trip. On 7 May the Lusitania was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland, with Issac Trumbull being one of more than 1000 lives lost. Almost immediately Trumbull's brothers vowed to convert manufacturing effort to munitions for use against

World War 1 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 ...

Germany, and in November of that year the Trumbull Motor Company was wound up.

References

{{Automotive industry in the United States Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States 1910s cars Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1914 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1915 1914 establishments in Connecticut 1915 disestablishments in Connecticut Defunct manufacturing companies based in Connecticut