Rare And Extinct Autos
Duesenberg
1929 Duesenberg
Fred and August Duesenberg began building racing bicycles in the 1890s . In 1906 the brothers started building automobiles . They had financing from a Edward Mason and also Fredric Maytag (of Maytag Appliance) took a large interest percentage of the so the company was named Mason-Maytag Motor Car Company . This company closed prior to 1913 due , likely , to a lack of automotive knowledge of the financial backers , Maytag and Mason .
The Duesenberg Automobile Company was founded by August and Fredrick Duesenberg in 1913 . Their intent was as a sports car of the time . The first Duesenberg s were completely hand built automobiles . Duesenberg won the Indianapolis 500 in 1924 1925 and 1927 as well as a 10th place finish in 1914 . It also won at the French Grande Prix in 1921, the first American to win there . The company went bankrupt in 1922 . Fred Duesenberg and some investment partners aquired the company and it became the Duesenberg Motor Company . Due to the price $13,500.oo to about $25,000.oo , it was strictly a car for wealthy people . Some movie stars bought them for the prestige . Duesenberg was a very powerful auto of the time , with a 265 horsepower dual overhead cam straight eight , naturally aspirated engine . The Duesenberg also had a supercharged version that was even more powerful at 320 HP , and was quicker too . It is said to have an acceleration rate of , 0 to 100 miles pre hour (160 kmh) in 17 seconds and to have easily exceeded 150 mph (245 kmh) . Any Duesenberg is a very valuable collectors item today .
The Duesenberg Motor Company was bought by E L Cord , of Cord Automobile in 1925 and production continued until 1937 when the last Duesenberg was made .
1930 Duesenberg
Cord
The Cord was a model that was built by the Auburn Automobile Company between 1929 and 1932 when it was discontinued . Then It was brought back again in 1936 and 1937. The Auburn Automobile Company was owned by E L Cord .
The Cord was noted for its streamline design . Features that were offered on some models were , hide-away headlights and on one model , front wheel drive . The Cord gained a reputation as being an unreliable Automobile which likely led to it being discontinued by Auburn in 1937. Some of its noted problems was jumping out of gear and fuel vaporization problems .
Chalmers
Chalmers 1922
Chalmers Motors started production about 1908 or 1909 area . From about 1910 to 1920 they sold very well . Their popularity declined , possibly due to their price of about $1500.oo (three time that of a model A Ford ) . In 1920 Chalmers Motors merged with Maxwell . In 1923 the production of the Chambers ended .
1922 Chalmers
Hudson
The Hudson Motor Car Company was opened in 1909 by Roy Chapin (a previous Olds employee) and a group of investors headed by J L Hudson . Hudson was the owner of Hudson’s Department Store . Hudson authorized the use of his name as it already was well known . Hudson automobiles were the first to use a balanced crankshaft , which allowed the engine to operate smoother and at higher RPM. They were also the first to use a dual a brake system . In 1929 Hudson was the third largest US auto maker , making about 300,000 automobiles ,all models combined and from factories in USA , England and Belgium . In 1922 Hudson aquired the Essex as a lower priced model . In 1932 Hudson brought out the Terraplane which replace the Essex . In 1932 and 1933 it was the Essex-Terraplane and in 1934 it became the Terraplane . The terraplane name was dropped in 1938 and it became another model of Hudson . In 1951 the Hudson Hornet was introduced . It had a large six cylinder engine (302)which would out run most cars of that time . NASCAR championships were won in Hornets in from 1951 through 1954 . In 1954 Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors .
Hudson was discontinued in 1957 .
Essex
Essex
Though the Essex Motor Company was always owned by the Hudson Motor Company they produced automobiles from 1918 until 1922 as Essex Motor Company . Essex became a model of Hudson in 1922 and the Essex Motor Company was ended . Hudson Motor Company produced their Essex models from 1922 until 1932 . In 1932 Hudson brought out the Essex-Terraplane and in 1933 the Essex name was dropped and that model was just called Terraplane . In 1936 the Terraplane became the Hudson Terraplane . The production of the Terraplane came to an end in 1938 .
Essex Terraplane
Tucker 
Tucker
The tucker automobile was designed by Preston Tucker in 1948 . Between 1948 and 1949 , he built 51 cars . This is all that were ever built . Tuckers idea was to build a very safe automobile . Features such as the frame was under the very outer edge of the body , to protect against side impact collisions . The steering box was mounted behind the front axle to keep the steering from hitting the driver in a collision . They had three headlights , the center one turned when the steering turned , to see better on turns and curves . Disc brakes were in the designs but never made it onto the cars . The engine that was designed of it was a horizontally apposed overhead valve , 589 cid , 6 cylinder with hemispherical combustion chambers . It also had a fuel injection system that was operated by engine oil pressure . This engine never did work nearly as well as planed . Tucker converter some air cooled helicopter engines from the Franklin Company , to water cooled . These engine worked out so Tucker bought the Franklin Company . When the Franklin engines were used , the Cord transmissions would not handle the power . A new transmission , called the Tuckermatic was designed and built . The Tucker was very aerodynamic for the time . Public appeal to the Tucker was very good and enabled tucker to sell cars and options before the vehicles were built . This brought government investigations and indictment against the company . The charges were dropped but the bad publicity led to the complete failure of the company . Forty-seven of the 51 Tuckers are accounted for today . The value of each is very high today . Possibly the value could be ¾ million dollars .
Tucker rear view
Auburn
The Eckhart Carriage Company was founded in Auburn Indiana in 1875 by Charles Eckhart . Experimental automobiles were made by his sons in 1900 .
In 1909 serious production of the Auburn began . In 1919 the company was sold to Ralph A Bard (and partners) . As they were unable to make a profit from the Auburn the company was sold to Errett L Cord in 1925 . E L Cord who also aquired Duesenberg brought out a Cord automobile as a model of Auburn . In 1937 Auburn was discontinued as well a the Cord and Duesenberg models .
Graham 
Graham Supercharge 1939
Prior to 1927 the three Graham brothers had a company that made glass bottles . Their first venture into the automotive business was to make conversion kits to make a truck from model T Fords . They then manufactured their own trucks , using engines and power train parts from other auto makers . They made a deal with Dodge and made strictly Dodge powered trucks which were sold at Dodge dealers . In 1925 Dodge bought the Graham Brothers truck company and the three Graham brothers were hired as executives of Dodge . In 1927 the Graham brothers bought the Paige-Detroit Motor Company and started manufacture of their own vehicles . The company made Graham-Paige autos . In 1934 Graham-Paige offered a supercharged 8 cylinder model . They stopped making 8 cylinder engines in 1936 and a supercharged 6 cylinder model was introduced . The Graham-Paige company was assumed by the Kaiser-Frazer automobile company in 1947 . Kaiser-Frazer would eventually become part of American Motors .
American Motors is now part of the Chrysler Corporation .
Willys
Willy’s 1941
In 1908 , Overland Automotive was purchased by John N Willys . He produced automobiles until 1912 when it became the Willys-Overland Motor Company . The company was second in sales to Ford from 1912 to 1918 . In 1913 Willys started using a Knight engine , a model which was called the Willys-Knight . In 1917 the Willys corporation was formed after the acquisitions of the Electric Auto-Lite company in 1914 and the Russell Motor Car Company (of Toronto) in 1915. The Duesenberg Motor Car Company was aquired in 1919 . Walter P Chrysler was hired by the Willys company and the result was the first model named Chrysler . This vehicle designs and prototype were sold to William Durant (of Buick , GM , and Chevrolet) . That became the Durant Star . In 1920s the Stearns Company was aquired and produced the Stearns-knight . In 1926 the Overland models were discontinued and a small model called the Whippet introduced . The Stearns-Knight was discontinued in 1929 and the Whippet ended in 1931 . Willys-Knight production came to an end in 1933. In 1938 Joseph Frazer (formerly of Chrysler) took over a CEO of Willys-Overland . He was instrumental in the birth of the Jeep which began production in 1941. Over 350,000 Jeeps were produced during WW2 , most for the military . After WW2 Willys did not resume manufacture of their cars . They made strickly Jeep type vehicles . They were the first factory four wheel drive vehicles ever offered to the public . Naturally they were very popular for people who drove off-road or through rough terain such as hunters , ranchers , and farmers etc . Jeep was also offered as a replacement for the farm tractor (the Agri-Jeep) but with little success . In 1946 the Jeep Utility Wagon was introduced . Willys Jeep was the start of the vehicles that eventually led up to the Sport Utility Vehicles of today . Willys was bought by Kaiser Motors in 1953 . In 1963 Willys-Overland’s division in Brazil was sold to Ford Motor Company . Also in 1963 Willys became Kaiser-Jeep . Jeep was bought by American Motors and Kaiser got out of the auto business , in 1970 and it now part of the Chrysler Corporation .
1941 Jeep
Kaiser Darrin 1954
The Kaiser-Frazer corporation was formed by Henry J Kaiser and Joseph W Frazer in 1945 . (Joseph Frazer had been CEO of the Graham-Paige Corporation). Joseph Frazer stepped down as CEO of the company in 1951 and in 1953 the company became Kaiser Motors . In 1953 Willys-Overland corporation was aquired by Kaiser . One model they produced was named the “Henry J.” after Henry J Kaiser . Another model was called the “Allstate”.
The “Allstate” model was advertised in a Sears catalog but could not be ordered by mail from Sears ! The Kaiser Darrin was the first Fiberglass body automobile . The Darrin was a two seater with the doors designed to slide ahead under the front fenders , to open . Kaiser Motors became Kaiser-Jeep in 1963 . In 1970 Kaiser-Jeep was sold to American Motors . American Motors eventually turned , what was Kaiser into AM General which manufactured the first Hummers .
Studebaker
Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing made mining wagons starting in 1852 . In 1902 Studebaker manufactured electric car . In 1904 they began the manufacture of gasoline powered automobiles as partners with Garford automobile . Studebaker bodies were put on Garford chassis and the autos were sold under the name Studebaker-Garford . The partnership with Garford ended in 1911 . Garford was aquired by Willys in 1913 . Studebaker also had a partnership with Everett-Mitzer-Flanders which was to sell E-M-F made automobiles through the Studebaker Mine Wagon dealers . E-M-F made a poor guality automobile . In 1910 Studebaker took over E-M-F and to help their reputation , Studebaker sent mechanics to the owners of E-M-F automobiles to replace defective parts . In 1911 the Studebaker Corporation was formed . They manufactured cars in what was the old E-M-F facility . The Studebaker truck came on the market to replace their horse drawn wagons . In the early 1950s Studebaker merged with Packard Motor Car company . In the 50s Studebakers were noted for their very quick acceleration and very good fuel mileage . The last Studebaker was made in March of 1966.
Packard
Packard automobiles were manufactured from 1899 to 1958 .
In 1954 Packard aquired Studebaker .
For more see “Big Three Auto History” , in this website .
1929 Packard
Maxwell
Maxwell 1913
The Maxwell-Briscoe Company was founded by Jonathan D Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe in 1904. In 1913 the company was sold to Walter Flanders who changed the name of the company to the Maxwell Motor Company . In 1914 Maxwells sales were very good , about 60,000 autos were sold .
In 1921 Maxwell merged with Chalmers Automobile Company and Walter P Chrysler took control of Maxwell . The Chalmers models were discontinued in 1923. In 1925 Walter Chrysler opened the Chrysler Corporation and what was Maxwell became Chrysler .
Reo
1919 Reo
The Reo Motor Car Company was founded in 1904 by Ransom E Olds . They manufactured cars and the Reo speed wagon which was a type of delivery vehicle . The 1927 Reo Flying Cloud was the first automobile to use (internal expanding) hydraulic brakes .
In 1910 Reo opened a truck manufacturing plant in ST.Catherines Ontario . In 1936 Reo stopped making cars and built strictly trucks . Reo Truck was aquired by White Truck in 1957 . White Truck merged Reo Truck with Diamond T Trucks to become , Diamond-Reo Trucks . The company went bankrupt in 1975 .
Hupmobile
The Hupp Motor Company was founded by Robert C Hupp (a former employee of Ford and of Olds) and Louis Hupp (his brother) in 1908 . They began building their Hupmobile in 1909 . Hupmobile was a very good selling auto and by 1928 sales exceeded 65,000 vehicles . Hupp Motor Co. bought the Chandler Motor Car company . In 1930 sales were on the decrease and though the company tried many things to regain popularity ,sales did not improve . In 1934 the ‘Aerodynamic” model and a lower priced model (which used a modified Ford body) were introduced , but sales continued their decline . In 1938 Hupmobile aquired designs from the closed down Cord Automobile Company and used the designs to manufacture a model called the Skylark . A deal was made with Graham-Paige Motor Company to manufacture the Skylark . Graham-Paige would also make a model of their own from the same designs and call it the Hollywood . The time delay for the manufacture of the skylark , killed Hupmobile popularity and the company ended production in 1939 .
Lexington
Lexington Motor Company opened by K Stone in 1909 in Kensington Kentucky . The company moved to Cornerville Indiana in 1910 to a larger facility . Lexington introduced dual exhaust which is said to have increased the power and fuel mileage by over 25 % . Lexington also ran in the Indianapolis 500 in 1912 . In 1913 Kensington was taken over by E W Ansted and was contracted to build the 6 cylinder Howard . The name was changed to Lexington-Howard but in 1915 the name Lexington Motor Company was restored . In 1920 two Lexington built cars were entered in the Pikes peak race . They finished 1st and 2nd and in 1924 Lexington won it again .
In 1921 William Durant (previously of GM) ordered 30,000 engines from Lexington , for use in the Durant automobiles . In 1927 Auburn Automobile bought Lexington and phased out the Lexington models . Lexington ended production in 1926 .
Brush
1912 Brush Runabout
Brush Motor Company began manufacture of the Runabout in 1910 . The company was founded by Alanson P Brush who had previously been a designer for Oakland Motor Car and designed the first Oakland . Some of the rare features of the Brush were wooden frame rails , tension style coil spring suspension (it hung from the springs) most cars use compression of coil springs (they site on the springs) . The engine turned counter-clockwise (clock-wise is normal) . The idea of counter-clockwise was safer to hand crank to start .
Kick back of the crank handle while the engine was being hand cranked to start , was the cause of many injuries to people , special the right handed majority of people . The counter-clockwise engine would kick the crank handle away from those right handed owners . The Brush automobile went out of business in 1913 .
1930 Graham
1922 Overland
Kaiser Darrin
1926 Auburn
1929 Ruxton
1929 Cord
1931Nash Ambassador
1920 Roamer
1923 Jewett
1925 Pierce-Arrow
1939 Bantam