Car-Nation
Encyclopedia
The Car-Nation was a brand of automobile
manufactured in Detroit, Michigan
, by the American Voiturette Company from 1913 to 1914.
The Car-Nation roadster was an 1100 lb (499 kg) cyclecar
costing $495. The vehicle had a four-cylinder Herreshoff
"25" engine and a 3-speed transmission.
Car-Nation also manufactured a larger four-seat Tourer model with a base price of $520. They also advertised a fore-and-aft tandem; it's not known if more than a few protoypes were produced. Two roadsters and five touring cars are known to survive.
In 1912, former Pope-Toledo
manager Forrest Keeton moved his Keeton Towncar Works into a factory in Wyandotte, Michigan
, a town south of Detroit on the shore of the Detroit River
, and formed the Keeton Motor Company. He began construction of his first “French-like” car, the big Renault-influenced, air-cooled Keeton. It sold well enough to allow Keeton in 1913 to launch a second line of continental-influenced, low priced cars under a new name: Car-Nation. All that activity apparently attracted the attention of oil magnate Charles Schaeffer, and shortly after the introduction of the new car, the short-lived Car-Nation Motorette Co. and the existing Keeton Motor Co. unified under his ownership, reincorporating as the American Voiturette Company in Detroit.
Slow acceptance of the Car-Nation's nonstandard 48 inches (1,219.2 mm) gauge and reported problems with the Herreshoff engines in the Car-Nation sent the company into receivership in 1914. At a public auction
in February 1915, Forest Keeton appears to have bought the assets of the company, including 60 Keetons and 350 Car-Nations, along with machine tools and countless thousands of parts. But while he did supply repairs, he never again built a car.
Type
Herreshoff cast-iron L-head straight-four, integral valves, cast-en-bloc
Displacement
134 cubic inch
Bore x stroke
3.375 inches (85.7 mm) x 3.75 inches (95.3 mm)
Horsepower
18 (25 A.L.A.M.)
Main bearings
2 nickel babbitt
Fuel system
Gravity, Zenith updraft carburetor, alloy intake manifold
Ignition system
6-volt, Splitdorf fixed-spark magneto
Lubrication system
Splash; plunger pump (note: Car-Nation advertised pressure lubrication, but it does not appear on any of the known cars)
Exhaust system
Single, iron
TRANSMISSION
Type
Three-speed Detroit Gear & Machine sliding gear, cone clutch (note: early cars appear to have used an alloy clutch plate. Prone to cracking, later versions have a cast-iron clutch plate)
DIFFERENTIAL
Type
Weston-Mott semi-floating
STEERING
Type
Adjustable worm gear
BRAKES
Type
Rod-actuated manual
Front
None
Rear
1¼ x 10 inches (254 mm) internal expanding emergency; external contracting service on transmission shaft
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction
Full-frame riveted 1/8-inch channel steel, 1x3 ash sills, composite body
Body style
One door, two-passenger roadster
Layout
Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front
Quarter-elliptic leaf springs
Rear
Quarter-elliptic leaf springs
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels
Detachable Detroit Stanweld wire
Front/rear
30 x 3 inches
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase
105 inches (2,667 mm)
Overall length
141 inches (3,581.4 mm)
Overall width
57 inches (1,447.8 mm)
Overall height
64 inches (1,625.6 mm); 73 inches (1,854.2 mm) with top
Front track
48 inches (1,219.2 mm)
Rear track
48 inches (1,219.2 mm)
Shipping weight
1180 pounds (535.2 kg)
CAPACITIES
Crankcase
3 quarts
Cooling system
8 quarts
Fuel tank
10 US gal (38 l; 8 imp gal)
Transmission
8 pints
Rear axle
4 pints
CALCULATED DATA
bhp per c.i.d.
7.44
Weight per bhp
65.55 pounds (29.7 kg)
Weight per c.i.d.
8.81 pounds (4 kg)
PERFORMANCE
Top speed
50 mi/h
Fuel mileage
25 miles per US gallon
PRODUCTION
Car-Nation, total est.
2,000
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufactured in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, by the American Voiturette Company from 1913 to 1914.
The Car-Nation roadster was an 1100 lb (499 kg) cyclecar
Cyclecar
Cyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
costing $495. The vehicle had a four-cylinder Herreshoff
Herreshoff
-People:* Lewis Francis Herreshoff , American boat designer* Nathanael Greene Herreshoff , American boat designer* Frederick Herreshoff , American golfer...
"25" engine and a 3-speed transmission.
Car-Nation also manufactured a larger four-seat Tourer model with a base price of $520. They also advertised a fore-and-aft tandem; it's not known if more than a few protoypes were produced. Two roadsters and five touring cars are known to survive.
In 1912, former Pope-Toledo
Pope-Toledo
The Pope-Toledo was one of the makes of the Pope Motor Car Company founded by Colonel AA Pope, and was a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in Toledo, Ohio between 1903 and 1909. The Pope-Toledo was the most expensive of the Pope range and was the successor to the Toledo of the International...
manager Forrest Keeton moved his Keeton Towncar Works into a factory in Wyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,883 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 7.6% from 2000. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and is part of the collection of communities known as...
, a town south of Detroit on the shore of the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
, and formed the Keeton Motor Company. He began construction of his first “French-like” car, the big Renault-influenced, air-cooled Keeton. It sold well enough to allow Keeton in 1913 to launch a second line of continental-influenced, low priced cars under a new name: Car-Nation. All that activity apparently attracted the attention of oil magnate Charles Schaeffer, and shortly after the introduction of the new car, the short-lived Car-Nation Motorette Co. and the existing Keeton Motor Co. unified under his ownership, reincorporating as the American Voiturette Company in Detroit.
Slow acceptance of the Car-Nation's nonstandard 48 inches (1,219.2 mm) gauge and reported problems with the Herreshoff engines in the Car-Nation sent the company into receivership in 1914. At a public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
in February 1915, Forest Keeton appears to have bought the assets of the company, including 60 Keetons and 350 Car-Nations, along with machine tools and countless thousands of parts. But while he did supply repairs, he never again built a car.
Specifications (1913 Car-Nation roadster)
ENGINEType
Herreshoff cast-iron L-head straight-four, integral valves, cast-en-bloc
Displacement
134 cubic inch
Bore x stroke
3.375 inches (85.7 mm) x 3.75 inches (95.3 mm)
Horsepower
18 (25 A.L.A.M.)
Main bearings
2 nickel babbitt
Fuel system
Gravity, Zenith updraft carburetor, alloy intake manifold
Ignition system
6-volt, Splitdorf fixed-spark magneto
Lubrication system
Splash; plunger pump (note: Car-Nation advertised pressure lubrication, but it does not appear on any of the known cars)
Exhaust system
Single, iron
TRANSMISSION
Type
Three-speed Detroit Gear & Machine sliding gear, cone clutch (note: early cars appear to have used an alloy clutch plate. Prone to cracking, later versions have a cast-iron clutch plate)
DIFFERENTIAL
Type
Weston-Mott semi-floating
STEERING
Type
Adjustable worm gear
BRAKES
Type
Rod-actuated manual
Front
None
Rear
1¼ x 10 inches (254 mm) internal expanding emergency; external contracting service on transmission shaft
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction
Full-frame riveted 1/8-inch channel steel, 1x3 ash sills, composite body
Body style
One door, two-passenger roadster
Layout
Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front
Quarter-elliptic leaf springs
Rear
Quarter-elliptic leaf springs
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels
Detachable Detroit Stanweld wire
Front/rear
30 x 3 inches
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase
105 inches (2,667 mm)
Overall length
141 inches (3,581.4 mm)
Overall width
57 inches (1,447.8 mm)
Overall height
64 inches (1,625.6 mm); 73 inches (1,854.2 mm) with top
Front track
48 inches (1,219.2 mm)
Rear track
48 inches (1,219.2 mm)
Shipping weight
1180 pounds (535.2 kg)
CAPACITIES
Crankcase
3 quarts
Cooling system
8 quarts
Fuel tank
10 US gal (38 l; 8 imp gal)
Transmission
8 pints
Rear axle
4 pints
CALCULATED DATA
bhp per c.i.d.
7.44
Weight per bhp
65.55 pounds (29.7 kg)
Weight per c.i.d.
8.81 pounds (4 kg)
PERFORMANCE
Top speed
50 mi/h
Fuel mileage
25 miles per US gallon
PRODUCTION
Car-Nation, total est.
2,000
External links
- ConceptCars.com, photos of a 1913 Car-Nation roadster
- photos of 1913 Car-Nation Tourer with description in French
- http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2008/06/01/hmn_feature11.html NOBODY'S DUST: Cyclecars like the Car-Nation are almost forgotten now—but Henry Ford once worried they'd kill the Model T