While many people associate Ford as one of the first American automobiles, in reality there were a number of companies which began manufacturing automobiles by the end of the nineteenth century. One of the first American companies to manufacture and sell automobiles was the Winton Motor Carriage Company.
Alexander Winton was born in Scotland and immigrated to the U.S. in 1878. He founded the Winton Bicycle Company in 1891 which manufactured a bicycle he patented.
In 1897, the Winton Motor Carriage Company was incorporated in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to the formation of the new company, Alexander Winton had two operation prototypes, one of which had reached the astonishing speed of 33.6 miles per hour during a test run around a horse track.
The first Wintons were built entirely by hand and featured fancy painted sides, padded seats, a leather roof and gas lamps. They also featured tires made by B.F. Goodrich. According to the Automotive Hall of Fame:
“Of the early automobiles, the Winton was considered to be the most technologically advanced – and the most powerful. A Winton was the first car to cross America coast to coast.”
Winton placed an ad for the new car in
Scientific American and as a result of this ad Robert Allison became the first person to buy a Winton automobile. In 1898, the company’s first year of production, they sold a total of 22 cars. Among the early purchasers was James Ward Packard, who was so dissatisfied with the car that he started his own automobile company.
An 1899 Winton is shown above.
In 1899, Winton sold more than 100 automobiles, making it the largest manufacturer of gas-powered automobiles in the United States. With the growing popularity of both cars in general and the Winton in particular, H.W. Koler open the first automobile dealership in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1899. In order to deliver vehicles to the dealership, Winton built the first car hauler in the U.S.
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson (shown above) purchased a used Winton Touring Car, hired a mechanic, and drove across the United States in 64 days.
A 1908 Winton Touring Car is shown above.
A 1910 Winton is shown above.
In 1924, the Winton Motor Carriage Company ceased its production of automobiles due to declining sales. The Automotive Hall of Fame sums up the Winton this way:
“While often forgotten or even unknown today, Alexander Winton was truly one of the great American automotive pioneers, building cars of such design and durability that he convinced a nation that automobiles were more than a passing fad.”