Blame this one on Wayne S.
He sent this to me PM. The only thing I'm able to "translate" are the cylinder dimensions. Interestingly, the cylinders are the same size as the 1904 Ford air cooled car description to follow. The air cooled Ford is at the 1904 Detroit Auto show (and "Coup'e").
following that a 1905 Ford Agency ad for Model "H" and the entry for experimental costs (Ford Fiscal Year 1905) for Models "G" and "H".
Thank you Wayne.
I'll let the experts tell us it didn't happen, I'm just copying old pieces of paper.
Article covering 1904 Detroit Auto Show:
Model "H" ad, "The New York Sun", June 9, 1905
Ford audit page, Oct 1905:
Another note, I've suspected this was Henry Ford's first attempt at a light, inexpensive "modern" touring car. At $850, it would have been comparable to the NRS models in chassis features, with a side entrance touring body. The prelude to the Model T?
Unfortunately I haven't seen any comments in Ford directors minutes about it.
Rob
Rob,
Interesting reading.
I am curious about the separate listing for "Sprinkler System - Fire Protection." I always thought the sprinkler system at the Piquette Plant was installed during construction. Does your information tell whether this is an add-on to the Piquette Plant or perhaps a re-fit to the Mack Avenue factory?
Thomas, in a mtng, I'll check later. I thought the magneto entry interesting (some Model K development?).
Larry Porter told me the early design for the model B was for an air cooled car, and that some had been built. I recall him telling me the flywheel was to the front of the motor, with blades to assist cooling the motor, ALA model N. He is no longer here to ask further.
Remember,in 1905 Malcomson started building his own car, the Aerocar,(air cooled design ) which survived for 4 years. He didn't sell his stock in FoMoCo until 1906. \
Perhaps a coincidence, or perhaps the aerocar design was the abandoned air-cooled B.
Tim, I thought the Malcomson/Aerocar car (first model) seemed too similar to the aircooled B to be just coincidence. The Aerocar air cooled car was 24 hp, same as the Model B hp. Malcomson financed Aerocar and took the president position in December 1905, and the Ford B sold about 440 B s in calendar year 05, so I felt he (Malcomson) thought this sized motor a good fit for Aerocar's first model.
Rob
Rob I'm trying to dust off my college German from 45 years ago. The article is really low resolution, do you have a better copy of the file?
Title:
For 20 Years...
Sub titles:
The first cyclecar
The four cylinder Ford-car with air cooling
I can't make out the illustration subtitles, but the second one claims the chassis is a 1904.
Terry,
Thank you,
Rob
The Four cylinder Ford car with air cooling
(From "the Horseless Age" #8) At the car show in Detroit the Ford-Motor-Company has issued a new 14 horsepower car with air-cooling. We present it's description and two drawings here.
What follows is a detailed description of what is seen in the drawings.
Interesting to me is the four wheel semi elliptics, cast en-block four cylinder aluminum crankcase with five bearings, over head valves and push rods.
The engine-transmission seems to be suspended from 5 points... nose and rear sides of the engine and both sides of the transmission frame. The car frame has three cross members. All of this was changed by the time the T came along.
From Wikipedia:
Ford Model B was an upscale touring car (with polished wood and brass trim) introduced in 1904. It was Ford's first car to use the front-engine layout, with a large 24 hp 4-cylinder engine positioned at the front behind a conventional radiator. The smaller Model A-derived Model C positioned its flat 2-cylinder motor under the seat.
Priced at $2000[5] (equivalent to $51000 today), the Model B was a high end car. Produced for three years, sales were predictably slower than the Model C which was priced at 1/3 the cost. The Model B was replaced by the derivative Model K in 1906.
Rob, what was this car, a model B prototype with air-cooled engine? Sort of reminds me of the old Copper-cooled Chevrolet... pretty darn similar, but a quarter century before GM built it!
TH
Rob, I don't seem to remember much of my German, can barely translate in WWII themed movies anymore. The en-block statement was just a guess on my part. It looks like the case is aluminum so the cylinders must be iron, I really can't tell if they are separate or en-block.
TH
Terry,
I think this is another description of the same car in the Detroit Auto show account above.
Interestingly, the Model B sold almost the same number as the Model C during it's marketing span (Oct 1904 through Dec 1905). I'm working on Model B info now.
Thanks,
Rob
When I get home I will do my best to put the ad into English.
Stephen
For clarification to any interested. This was in a 1925 Austrian motor magazine. I couldn't figure out why the historic articles, but there were a couple of them. One was about "Der (the) Erste (first) Cyclecar (obvious)" which for the purposes of the magazine was a European car also from about 1904.
I did go to the link (after I sent a note to Rob) and looked the magazine over from cover to cover. It would appear that Terry H's German is holding up better than mine. I was able to follow about a quarter of what I tried to read. There was a nice article about model T speedsters with several pictures. Numerous entertaining articles about motoring experiences, a nice article about the new Chandler automobile, a few pieces about various European makes of cars, and lots of ads for both American and European products. There were also many pages about motorcycle racing in Europe. (More than 50 pages in all for this one issue alone, plus links to more issues.
I tried to use the "translation" feature, but it did not work for me. I have been having problems with my computer browser for awhile now. Guess I need to bother my IT son. I did enjoy reading some of what I could.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
For those interested.
This should be the link to the historic articles including the model H Ford;
ÖNB-ANNO - Österreichischer/Europa Motor
For those that want to always have model T content, this should be the link to the T speedsters article;
ÖNB-ANNO - Österreichischer/Europa Motor
For those that would like to look through this for other articles, but do not read German (Austrian is different but similar), the simple page forward and backward icons are fairly obvious. There are a lot of great photos to look at. I may have to peruse a few more issues.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Can't get Wayne's links to work, so I searched and found the links here: http://forums.aaca.org/showthread.php?t=357969&p=1211489#post1211489
http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=omo&datum=1925&page=500&size=45
http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=omo&datum=1925&page=495&size=45
This an my attempt at a translation starting from the Four-cylinder Ford. (Die Vierzylinderige Ford.)
The Ford motor Company has exhibited it's new 14 Horsepower at the Auto Show in Detroit, whose description and two pictures there of are show here.
The engine has four vertical cylinders with cast cooling fins and is located at the from of the car under an enclosed hood. Inlet and outlet valves are attached at the top of the engine and both are necessarily driven. The crank shaft and it's five bearings are located within an aluminum housing. At the upper end of the cylinders is a rectangular flange. On this and the crank case metal plates are attached on both sides where by, the cylinders are surrounded by a housing. This housing is open on the front and back and has an extension to the flywheel at the back, which is mounted with wings (blades) and acts as a fan. A strong current current of air is created by this fan around the cylinders ensuring good cooling. The front and back walls of the cranks case are removable and a removable plate is located at the bottom. The engine is fastened to the frame at 3 points by one projection to the front of the frame and two to the side.
Then under (Wagen mit Luftkühlung) Car with air cooling:
The upper part of the hood is provided with hinges and can be folded back. A wire mesh is located at the front to allow the free flow of air. The engine produces it's maximum power at 950 revolutions per minute. The cylinders have a 3 3/4" bore and 4 1/2 stroke. The ignition is provided by a dynamo and two induction coils, which are housed in a box on the apron. (I guess firewall?) A doubble commutator is attached at the forward end of the crankcase outside of the hood.
The plugs of the two outer and inner cylinders are connected in series so that a spark is produced in each two cylinders at every revolution of the crank shaft. With this arrangement one only needs two induction coils for four cylinders without the need for a commutator with the secondary voltage. (?) The commutator for the primary voltage consists of two parts one of which one half of the voltage is always sent.
The Kingston carburetor is located on the side of the crank case and is provided with a choke cock, through which is opperated by foot pedal. The oiling of the bearings is done by a central lubricator which is powered by gas pressure as with the Ford race car. This lubricator is located between the motor and the firewall.
The Ford planetary transmission has also been employed on the car and allows two speeds. The high speed is direct drive. The forward end of the gear shaft is bound to the flywheel by means of bolts, while the other end rests in a bearing, which is mounted to a cross-frame. The drive of the rear axle is done by shaft and bevel gears. The shaft is coupled to the transmission shaft by a U- Joint and is located in a tube in which the bearings are also located. The gear reduction of the rear axle is 3 to 1.
The frame is manufactured from pressed- steel and rests on elliptical springs on both ends. The rear springs are mounted the frame by shackles on both ends, while the front springs are mounted only on the rear ends by shackles. The rear axle shafts are, as usual, encapsulated and rest on four ball bearings. The wheels are of the artillery type and have a 30" diameter and are provided with 3 1/2" pneumatic tires. The drums for the band brakes are located on the hubs. The front axle consists of a 1 13/16 steel pipe in which the stub axles are inserted. A small lever for the ignition is located under the steering wheel. The drive is operated by a side-mounted lever and a foot pedal. The low gear is selected by pull the hand lever back, while high gear is selected by throwing this lever forward. Reverse is engaged by foot pedal. A second, provided with a locking latch, operates the band brakes.
Stephen
Wow, great details. Lots of future (NRS B and K) features such as enclosed drive, first vertical front mount engine, etc. This models as controls almost identical to the Model N and K. High and low on the lever, locking foot bake (NRS) and foot pedal reverse.
And, this car has a loss spark system, with dynamo!
Looking at the "Model "H" advertisement, at $850, if this is the same car described at the Detroit show (now by two different publications), this could have been the low priced, self contained electric/ignition system touring car Ford was striving for. And in 1904, four years before the Model T.
I wonder why this car (or an N touring) didn't make it to production?
Also, I thought the "magneto" expense on the FY 1905 page above might be a Model K experiment, but it may have an expense related to the dynamo described on this car.
Danke schon, Stephen.
Wayne,,would you like to post some of this over on the AACA sight?
Hap, if your reading this, your thoughts?
Rob
To anyone with command of Deutsch, if you search this site (or any other German related archives), would you please check for any documentation of these two Model K touring s shipped to Germany in 1906?
Thank you,
Rob
"Automobile" July, 1906:
Wow, I should have proof read that.
Stephen
Thank you Stephen H!
Proof read? I thought you did great. Okay, there were a few typos, but I just read past them. It would take me about two days to do a translation like that with my little dictionary and magnifying glass.
Again, thank you.
Rob, If nobody objects, I will likely copy and paste some of this for over there.
Roger K,
Thanks for the "pick-up" on the links. Hopefully that will work for those interested.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Wayne,
By all means, please let them know. Stephen, thank you again. As Wayne wrote, you saved both of us a lot of work, probably with much more accurate results.
Another remarkable "find". Now, we must find internal Ford information about this car. At least we have mention of Models "H" and "G" in audit records (above). According to this translated information, this is the "Lucy" of the K and N models, and therefore Model T (in my opinion).
Rob
I stumbled on this site looking for a "Model E". There are a lot of good pictures of early Fords.
http://www.ritzsite.nl/FORD_1/01_eford.htm
Looks like most of those photo's are Fords that are in the Den Hartogh Ford Museum in Holland.