Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-23
|AUTOCAR CO. OBSERVES
| 25TH ANNIVERSARY
It is One of Surviving Pioneers
in Manufacture Of Auto
mobiles.


manufacturer of the Autocar motor
truck, will complete its twenty-fifth year
on October 81 The Autocar Co. is one
of the few surviving pioneers. Both
the company and it's product have been
in good times and bad, i'll peace, war and
reconstruction.
Louis s. Clarke, founder of the
Autocar Co. and mt present one OF its
vice presidents, first became interested
in motor vehicles in Pittsburg in Sep
tcmber, 1899. His attention was first
centered on an electric vehicle but about
1895 he turned toward the gasoline en-
gnc. In 1897 MIR. Clarke combined his
interests with those of William Morgan
| who had been carrying on similar expert
mental work in Pittsburg and that com
| bination of interests marked the real
beginning of the Autocar Co. The Auto
car Co. was incorporated under its
present name in 1899 and early in the
! next year moved from Pittsburg to the
present location in Ardmore, Pa.
When the Automobile Club OF Ameri-
ca organized the first endurance run
from New York to Buffalo in 1901. The
Autocar Co. entered two of its Type vi
cars. There was so much trouble with
chains breaking on the sprocket wheel
during that first endurance run that
Mr.. Clarke decided that chains must he
eliminated before the automobile could
lie adequately developed for general use.
As soon as he returned to Ardmorc, he
started designing shaft-driven car
which only two and one-half months
later. was completed and driven by him
TO the Automobile Show in New York.
That was the first shaft-thiven car
built in America and the first Of its kind
ever exhibited here. 1t created great
comment
Work on Autocar commercial trucks
was begun seriously in 1907. The hrst
commercial car was sold In 1908 and
, remained continuously in service ior
three years until it was traded by its
r owner for type 2lUF Autocar. The
type 2lUF Autocar is still in production
, at the Autocar plant and is still in great
demand 1t and the type PUG are both
, equipped with the distinctive Autocar
- 2-cylinder motor. Four different A.
cylinder models, ranging from to {
. tons capacities, now complete the Auto
| car line.
| The Autocar Co. now manufacture;
$ motor trucks exclusively and all Auto
: car trucks are characterized by the
distinctive principles which Louis ;
Clarke has from the first considered tc
be absolutely essential in n commerce.
= vehicle, that is, the placing of the engine
under the seat so as to provide shor
wheclbase, small turning radius anc
evenly balanced load. Time and progress
, in motor truck experience are steadii,
! confirming the soundness OF Mr.. Clarke
l original Judgment and firm adherence
to the short wheelbase design. Not onl,
does this design permit the Autocar trucl
y to occupy less space for a given load II
, congestcd traffic, on ferry boats, on ele
vators, at loading platforms and in al
other places where trucks have to oper
ate, but it enables much greater pro
portion of the total weight to be carrie'
Il on the front wheels. New legislation II
> many States is continually aiming t
limit the proportional weight which ca
: be carried on the rear wheels of truck
Autocar truck owners in many State
have found, after such new laws wen
y into effect that they were able to con
IS tinue normal operations with their Auto
IL car trucks because of the correct loa
= balance, whereas the owners of som
Is other trucks had been obliged to reduc
II their loadings considerably.
p In connection with the distinct Auto
car design, it is fair to point out that th
n Smithsonian Institution in Washington
IS d. c., recently selected the 4-cylindt
le Autocar trucks for permanent exhibitio
J. in their Transportation Section. Tw
is small size, working models of 4-cylinde
re Autocar trucks were made by the Auto
N car Co. and presented to the Smith
. sonian Institution where they al
is now on exhibition and the card whic
:. the Institution has attached to or
S, of them reads: Automobile true
o. 1921, illustrating the latest develol
'e ment of transportation.
re In addition to its manufacturing heaC
quarters at Ardmore, the Autocar G