Pope-Toledo

:"See also Pope-Hartford, Pope-Robinson, Pope-Tribune, Pope-Waverley, and Pope Manufacturing Company"

The Pope-Toledo was one of the makes of the Pope Motor Car Company founded by Colonel AA Pope, and was a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in Toledo, Ohio between 1903 and 1909. The Pope-Toledo was the most expensive of the Pope range and was the successor to the Toledo of the International Motor Car Company. In 1909 the company was taken over by Richard D. Apperson of the American National Bank of Lynchburg, Virginia (and no relation to Apperson of Kokomo).

The 1903 Pope-Toledo was a four wheel, front engined, two seater open car. It was powered by a straight 3 cylinder 182 cubic inch (2983cc) engine with the then unusual feature of a detachable cylinder head. Valve operation was mechanical and the engine speed was governed at 600RPM. Drive was through a 3 speed gearbox with chains to each rear wheel. The chassis was mainly wood with a steel sub-frame carrying the main mechanical components. The car had a wheelbase of 7 feet 5 inches (2.26 m) and a track of 4 feet 8 inches (1.42 m).

The 1904 model was a larger touring car . Equipped with a rear entrance tonneau body, it could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$3500. The vertically-mounted water-cooled straight-4, situated at the front of the car, produced 24hp (17.9kW). A 3-speed sliding transmission was fitted. The channel steel-framed car weighed 2350lb (1066kg). This modern "Système Panhard" car had spark and throttle levers on steering wheel, a novelty at the time.

By 1907 the company models included limousines and seven seat cars.

References

* "Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly" (January, 1904)
* Kimes, Beverly Rae and Clark Jr, Henry Austin. "Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942." (Third Edition). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. 1996.