Midland Motor Company was a pioneering American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 brass era automobile

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...

 manufacturer in Moline, Illinois

Moline, Illinois

Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...

. The company formed from the remnants of the Deere-Clark

Deere (automobile)

The Deere-Clark Motor Car Company was a manufacturer of automobiles in Moline, Illinois from 1906 to 1907.-History:The Deere was an American Automobile built by The Deere-Clark Motor Car Co. in 1906 and 1907. Charles Deere was president of the The Deere-Clark Motor co. and W. E...

 automobile company after the John Deere

John Deere

John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...

 company pulled out of the venture.

In 1910, Midland produced two models. The Model L was four-seater with a 318in³ (5213cc) (4½×5-inch, 114×127 mm) four of 40 hp (30 kW). It had a wheelbase

Wheelbase

In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...

 of 115 in (2921 mm), 34×4-inch (86×10-cm) spoke wheels, and the choice of partial tonneau

Tonneau

right|thumb|260px|1903 [[Ford Model A |Ford Model A]] rear-door TonneauTonneau cover , describes a hard or soft cover used to protect unoccupied passenger seats in a convertible, roadster, or for a pickup truck bed. Hard tonneau covers open by a hinging or folding mechanism while soft covers open...

 or roadster with trunk

Trunk (automobile)

The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...

.

The Model K was four-seater with a 390in³ (6389cc) (4¾×5½-inch, 120×140 mm) four of 50 hp (37 kW). It had a wheelbase of 118 in (2997 mm), 36×4-inch (91×10-cm) spoke wheels, and the choice of touring

Touring car

A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...

 or demi-tonneau bodies.

Sources

• Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950).

See also

• List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
• Velie
  Velie
  Velie was a brass era American automobile brand produced by the Velie Motors Corporation in Moline, Illinois from 1908 to 1928. The company was founded by and named for Willard Velie, a maternal grandson of John Deere....
  
  , another early automobile manufacturer from Moline, Illinois