- American Motors Incorporated
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- See also American Motors (AMC)
Delcar brochure page 1
Delcar brochure page 2
Delcar brochure page 3
Delcar brochure page 4American Motors Incorporated (AMI) designed, manufactured, and sold a mini-van for commercial delivery use. This company was not related to AMC, a major automaker formed in 1954 by the merger of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and the Hudson Motor Car Company.
Contents
History
American Motors Incorporated was established around 1946. It was very short-lived because it does not seem to have been in operation after 1949. It had executive offices on Park Avenue in New York City, as well as a factory and service facility upstate in Troy, New York.
Products
The company manufactured a mini-van designed for business delivery use. It was called the Delcar. The wheelbase was only 60 inches (1,500 mm) with a 25 hp (18.6 kW) engine, and it was priced at US$890 (suggested retail price). The Delcar was the first American vehicle with independent suspension on all four wheels, though the suspension used airplane landing gear-like rubber tension cords.[1]
As well as the Delcar van, one or more station wagons were produced using the same chassis. The station wagon could seat six.[2] A model was built for export, the Amco.
Lack of success
Small delivery vehicles such as the Delcar did not succeed. Purchasers would be limited by their carrying capacity. A larger truck can haul more cargo resulting in less cost per mile traveled. Few niche market customers demand a such a specialized service vehicle.[3]
Sources
- Inline
- ^ Strohl, Daniel. (2006-12-23) "Troy, New York - center of automotive manufacturing", Hemmings Auto Blog, retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ Georgano, G.N., ed (1982). New Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885-Present. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-525-93254-3.
- ^ Strohl, Daniel. (2007-01-01) "The TriVan and the curse of small delivery vehicles", Hemmings Auto Blog, retrieved 2010-01-07.
- General
- Original Delcar retail sales brochure (four pages) printed by AMI - see images.
- Mechanix Illustrated, August 1949 — brief article and picture depicting the Delcar.
- Special Interest Auto (SIA) magazine (Hemmings Motor News), October 1978 — brief article about the Delcar.
Categories:- Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
- Motor vehicle company stubs
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