I'm building information about how the Ford Six (K) for 1907 compared with competitors.
The first group I'll compare are cars in the same to slightly higher price range with the K. since almost all the autos in the $3,000 price range also received votes in the Motor Magazine 1907 Contest to win a $3,000 or less car, I'll include their rank in the voting too.
The list is by Rank, Name, Cost, horsepower, wheelbase and number of cylinders (all close competitors of the Model K had four cylinder engines). Following this information is the weight divided by horsepower ratio.
Following the data, I'll provide photos of the cars in roughly the same order, so you may scroll down to view the car after reading the specs. Hope you find this interesting (I do) and informative.
I'll also list the "rank" the car was selected in the "Contest" where 6500 voters selected the auto $3,000 or less they would choose if given one.
Thomas Flyer - I'll start with the most "famous" big car of the era. The survey was conducted prior to the New York to Paris race, however the Thomas is still the hands on favorite among the survey contestants.
Survey...Name/.......$........Horse....wheel..weight....No....HP/
Rank......Make......Cost.....Power.....base...(lbs.).....Cyl..weight
..1....Thomas........$2750...35-40......112......2450.....4...66lbs
..2....Franklin........$2800......20...*....XXX.....1900.....4...95lbs
..4....Locomobile..$2800......20..........96.......xxxx......4...XXX
..5.......Ford..........$2800......40.........120......2600....6...65lbs
..6....Oldsmobile...$2750.....35-40.....106......2600.....4...70lbs
..9......Maxwell.....$3000.......40..........104.....2700.....4...96lbs
.12.Pope-Hartfrd..$2750......25-30......102....2400......4...86lbs
.13.....National.....$3000........40.........104....2800.....4...70lbs
.14.....Aerocar......$2750........40....*....115....2500....4...63lbs
(Alexander Malcomsen's new company)
Other $3000 autos on the market and their Contest rank:
.16.....Autocar.......$3000.......30.........112....2600....4...87lbs
.23.....Crawford....$3,000......50...**.....118....2800....4...56lbs
.24.....Am.Mors....$3000......14-18.......103....2600....4..163lbs
.28....Triumph......$3000.........30..........113....2600....4..87lbs
* Air Cooled
** Chain Drive
What have I learned?
The Model is near the top in it's class in horsepower to weight ratio.
The Ford "six" is the only six cylinder offered in this class.
Only one car offers more horsepower.
Ford also has the longest wheelbase in the class.
I'll follow up with photos of all the cars listed. Hope you enjoy,
Rob
OK, pics and specs of the cars listed above. Some interesting cars "back in the day".......
OK, now on to comparing the Ford Six to the other sixes of 1907.
Looking back over these cars, it's no wonder the K came in 5th in the Motor magazine survey contest. I think the appearance along with Ford name recognition and reasonable priced six cylinder on the market make the Model K an appealing choice for the high end market.
Rob