Crown (automobile)

Detroit Auto Vehicle Company

Industry	Automobile
Predecessor	Detroit Novelty Machine Company
Successor	none
Founded	1905
Defunct	1907
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan
Key people	F.H. Blackman (president), Joseph Lowthian Hudson (vice-president) H.H. Lind (secretary), B. Wuryburger (treasurer), Edward T. Ross (chief engineer), John North Willys (dealer)
Products	automobiles

The Crown was an automobile manufactured in Detroit, Michigan by the Detroit Auto Vehicle Company from 1905 until 1907.

The Company was organized in summer 1904 with a capital stock of US$150,000. A prototype was on the road in spring 1905 and production of this two-cylinder car started in the same year.

Available for 1905-1906 were a low-priced (US$750) 12 HP Model Two runabout with a wheelbase of 78 in (2,000 mm), bevel gear drive and a gear-less friction drive transmission.

It was followed by the 24 HP Four, a four-cylinder touring car on a chassis with a wheelbase of 99 in (2,500 mm). It had a four-stroke, four-cylinder engine with overhead valves, displacing 3.4 liters (ca. 210 c.i.), bevel gear drive, and a planetary gear transmission. With a price tag of US$2,150 it was settled in the upper middle class.

The last car in the range was a 16 HP Model Two light delivery, also on a wheelbase of 78 in (2,000 mm). It featured chain drive and a planetary gear transmission. It had a prize of US$1,250.

It seems that management was not satisfied with the performance of their products. So, early in 1906 they called in Edward T. Ross from Cadillac who developed a new car. His prototype drove in August, 1906, and the automobile was ready for sale for the 1907 model year. It was a two-cylinder automobile with a wheelbase of 96 in (2,400 mm), featuring a 22/24 hp two-cylinder engine. It was again dubbed the Model Two, but was sometimes also referred to as the "Crown-Detroit" or just "Detroit". Available were a runabout for US$1,500 and a touring for US$ 1,600. The whole production run for 1907 was sold in advance to John North Willys in Elmira, New York.

The company was fighting during the short time of her existence against litigation by stockholders of the Detroit Novelty Machine Company, predecessor of Detroit Auto Vehicle, who decidedly were against the production of an automobile. Finally, the company went into bankruptcy in 1907.

At this company, two of the most influential personalities in the early American automobile business. One was John North Willys, who soon after bought the Overland Automotive Division from the Standard Wheel Company which became the Willys-Overland Motor Company. The other gentleman was Josepf L. Hudson, a Detroit business man who earned a fortune with his department store. He backed Roy D. Chapin with the money needed to form an automobile company. Chapin named it in his honor the Hudson Motor Car Company.

References

• Georgano, G.N. (1968). The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to present. 
• Kimes, Beverly Rae (editor) and Clark, Henry Austin, jr. (1985). The Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 2nd Edition, Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, ISBN 0-87341-111-0.