American Automobile and Power Company

Infobox Automobile


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manufacturer = American Automobile and Power Company
production = 1904-5
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designer = Edward O. MosherThe American Automobile and Power Company was a American brass era automobile manufacturer, incorporated in Sanford, Maine, in 1903. [Kimes, Beverly Rae. "The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942" (Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1989), p.30.] They produced the American Populaire [Kimes, p.30.] during 1904 and 1905. [Kimes, p.42.]

Starting with a capital of US$500,000, [Kimes, p.30.] the company incorporated on 9 December 1903. There were eight officers, three from Boston, the rest locals; Bostonian Henry D. Long was treasurer, Sanfordian Ernest M. Goodall president. [Kimes, p.42.]

With a design from Edward O. Mosher, [Kimes, p.42.] AEC produced a prototype in a shed in Lawrence, debuting it at the Boston Automobile Show in March 1904. [Kimes, p.42.]

The company offered three models, all with Mosher's 12 hp (8 kW) two-cylinder engine, [Kimes, p.42.] on the same 84 in (2134 mm) wheelbase: a US$850 roadster, a US$950 tonneau (which had an unusual swing-out split front seat), [Kimes, p.42.] and a US$1000 Cape Cod Tourer. [Kimes, p.42.] By contrast, the Yale side-entrance tourer sold for US$1000, the Model S $700, the high-volume Oldsmobile Runabout went for US$650, [Clymer, Floyd. "Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925" (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.32.] Western's Gale Model A was US$500, [Clymer, p.51.] a Brush Runabout could be had for US$485, [Clymer, p.104.] the Black as low as $375, [Clymer, p.61.] and the Success hit the amazingly low US$250. [Clymer, p.32.] At the upper end of the AEC range, a Cole 30 or Colt Runabout was priced at US$1500, [Clymer, p.63 & p.104.] , while an Enger 40 was US$2000. [Clymer, p.104.]

While Long bragged, "We could sell one thousand cars in three months if we could make them", [Kimes, p.42.] by April 1905, production had ceased and the Maine Alpaca Company had taken over the factory.

Notes

ources

*Clymer, Floyd. "Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925". New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.
*Kimes, Beverly Rae. "The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942". Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1989. ISBN0-87341-111-0.

ee also

*List of automobile manufacturers
*List of defunct automobile manufacturers