E-M-F Company

Last updated
Studebaker E-M-F 30
1911 E-M-F "30" Touring Sedan, Poughkeepsie.jpg
1911 Studebaker E-M-F "30" Touring Car
Body and chassis
Layout FR
Powertrain
Engine 4-cylinder
Transmission 3-speed sliding gear manual [1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase 106 in (2,700 mm) [1]

The E-M-F Company was an early American automobile manufacturer that produced automobiles from 1909 to 1912. The name E-M-F was gleaned from the initials of the three company founders: Barney Everitt (a custom auto-body builder from Detroit), William Metzger (formerly of Cadillac), and Walter Flanders (who had served as Henry Ford's production manager). [2] :p.vii

Contents

Origins

8x10 black and white, sepia-toned photograph of the E.M.F. Company factory exterior with supply yard E.M.F. Company Factory.jpg
8x10 black and white, sepia-toned photograph of the E.M.F. Company factory exterior with supply yard

Everitt

Byron Forbes "Barney" Everitt [3] was born in 1873 at Ridgetown, Ontario, and learned wagon-building in Chatham, Ontario. In the early 1890s he worked for carriage-maker Hugh Johnson in Detroit. [4] :[p.34] In 1899 he started his own coachwork company, with orders from Ransom Olds, and then Henry Ford. In about 1904 his own first assembled car was the Wayne. The car model bearing his name was the Everitt, 1909-1912.

Metzger

William E. Metzger was born 1868 in Peru, Illinois. He was one of the first car salesmen, a buyer and reseller and, in the late 1890s, established possibly the first United States automobile dealership, in Detroit. He was a key figure in the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers, and also promoted early races at Grosse Pointe. In 1902 he became affiliated with the Northern Motor Car Company and the same year helped organize Cadillac before taking orders at the New York Automobile Show in January 1903.

Flanders

Walter E. Flanders was born March 4, 1871, in Waterbury, Vermont. [5] He was a machinist who started with servicing sewing machines during an apprenticeship at Singer Corporation, followed by an association with Thomas S. Walburn in general machining in Cleveland, Ohio, in the late 1890s. An order came from Henry Ford in Detroit to the company for a thousand crankshafts, and Ford was impressed by the response. Then in the early 1900s Flanders again worked with Walburn, this time for Ford at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant at the corner of Piquette and Beaubien Streets in Detroit. Flanders became manager of manufacturing at the plant, where he also worked with the two future vice-presidents in charge of manufacturing, Peter E. Martin, and Charles E. Sorensen. Flanders was replaced by those two when he resigned abruptly on 21 April 1908. Flanders' skill was in setting up and effecting timesaving procedures and methods at the plant, where engineers had developed the Model T in late 1907, which then began production in 1908, and led eventually to invention of the new moving assembly line to meet skyrocketing demand for the Model T in 1910.[ citation needed ]

Overview

E-M-F Model 30 Roadster 1912 EMF Model 30 Roadster 1912.jpg
E-M-F Model 30 Roadster 1912

In 1909, E-M-F bought the Detroit plant of the De Luxe company [6] and began production of E-M-F cars. E-M-F produced several models of its own design and contracted to sell them through Studebaker wagon dealerships. At one point, E-M-F vehicles outproduced all but Ford in the American market. [7]

Late in 1909, E-M-F established a Walkerville, Ontario, branch plant to produce the E-M-F 30 and Flanders 20. [8] E-M-F had a third plant in Port Huron, which was sold to the Havers Motor Car Company in 1912.

Shortly afterward, E-M-F was bought out by Studebaker, which formed Studebaker Canada, and rebadged E-M-F's products: the E-M-F as the Studebaker 30 and the Flanders as the Studebaker 20. [8] Sales of these rebadged models continued through the end of 1912. [8]

Baby E-M-F

Baby E-M-F built by the Swanson Bros. of Stromsburg, Nebraska, c.1910 N.E. & Alex Swanson with the "Baby E-M-F" (1910).jpg
Baby E-M-F built by the Swanson Bros. of Stromsburg, Nebraska, c.1910

Brothers Nels E. and Alex Swanson of Stromsburg, Nebraska took it upon themselves to make a miniature version of an existing car in order to gain notoriety for their skills as automotive engineers. In 1910, they started building a miniature version of an E-M-F 30 Touring Car. The car was exhibited at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1910 and was soon dubbed the "Baby E-M-F". It is considered to be the first scaled-down miniature car ever produced. [9]

Takeover

Studebaker's president Fred Fish (son-in-law of John M. Studebaker), being unhappy with E-M-F's poor quality and lack of management, gained control of the assets and plant facilities (at Detroit and Walkerville, Ontario) in 1910. [10] :p.70 [11] To remedy the damage done by E-M-F, Studebaker paid mechanics to visit each unsatisfied owner and replace the defective parts in their vehicles at a cost of US$1 million to the company. The E-M-F name continued into 1912 with the Studebaker name becoming more and more prevalent on the cars. In 1913, the E-M-F name was replaced by Studebaker. [12] :p231

Problems aside, E-M-F vehicles had sold well in the growing marketplace. In 1909 E-M-F placed fourth (producing 7,960 vehicles) in total US automobile production, behind that of Ford Motor Company, Buick, and Maxwell, with Cadillac fifth. In 1910 the firm built 15,020 vehicles and again held on to fourth place behind Ford, Buick, and Overland. In 1911, the firm placed second in overall assemblies with 26,827 automobiles produced for the year. In his history of E-M-F, Anthony Yanik stated Studebaker built its strong automotive base "on the shoulders of E-M-F", having "purchased the entire company for an outrageous price in 1910". [2] :p. vii However, the E-M-F production figures had been underpinned by Studebaker's vast resources, and sales were largely dependent on Studebaker's reputation and marketing network. [12] :p231

Flanders also ran the short-lived Flanders Automobile Company, which produced cars wholly based on previous E-M-F designs. The Flanders company was absorbed into Maxwell Motor Company (Incorporated) which was reorganized out of the assets of the United States Motor Company in 1913.

On June 20, 2005, the E-M-F (and previously Wayne Automobile) Detroit plant on Piquette Avenue and John R. Street caught fire and within a few hours it was gone. The five-alarm fire nearly spread to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant where Henry Ford built the first Model T. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studebaker</span> Defunct car manufacturer

Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the firm was originally a coachbuilder, manufacturing wagons, buggies, carriages and harnesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Ford Company</span> Former automotive company

The Henry Ford Company was an automobile manufacturer active from 1901 to 1902. Named after Henry Ford, it was his second company after the Detroit Automobile Company, which had been founded in 1899. The Henry Ford Company was founded November 1901 from the reorganization of the Detroit Automobile Company. The company, much like the Detroit Automobile Company, was plagued by disputes between Ford and his investors, and Ford left in 1902. Later that year, the company was reorganized as the Cadillac Automobile Company under the suggestion of Henry M. Leland. Cadillac, whose early vehicles were identical in design to those of Ford's later Ford Motor Company except for the engine, would develop a reputation for precision engineering and was acquired by the nascent General Motors (GM) in 1909, becoming GM's luxury marque. Ford would eventually find success with the Ford Motor Company, and is considered one of the primary pioneers of the automobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brass Era car</span> American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing

The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such features as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 1915, a time when cars were often referred to as horseless carriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush Motor Car Company</span> Michigan automobile manufacturer active 1907-1913

Brush Motor Car Company (1907-1909), later the Brush Runabout Company (1909-1913), was based in Highland Park, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Flanders</span>

Walter Emmett Flanders was an American industrialist in the machine tool and automotive industries and was an early mass production expert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Piquette Avenue Plant</span> Former car factory and National Historic Landmark in Detroit, Michigan

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a former factory located within the Milwaukee Junction area of Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. Built in 1904, it was the second center of automobile production for the Ford Motor Company, after the Ford Mack Avenue Plant. At the Piquette Avenue Plant, the company created and first produced the Ford Model T, the car credited with initiating the mass use of automobiles in the United States. Prior to the Model T, several other car models were assembled at the factory. Early experiments using a moving assembly line to make cars were also conducted there. It was also the first factory where more than 100 cars were assembled in one day. While it was headquartered at the Piquette Avenue Plant, Ford Motor Company became the biggest U.S.-based automaker, and it would remain so until the mid-1920s. The factory was used by the company until 1910, when its car production activity was relocated to the new, bigger Highland Park Ford Plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockne</span> American automobile brand

The Rockne was an American automobile brand produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1932 to 1933. The brand was named for University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne and the automobiles were produced in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisher Body</span> Automobile coachbuilder and division of General Motors

Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Studebaker Electric</span> Motor vehicle

The Studebaker Electric was an automobile produced by the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company of South Bend, Indiana, a forerunner of the Studebaker Corporation. The battery-powered cars were sold from 1902 to 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everitt</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Everitt was an American automobile manufactured from 1909 until 1912 by the Metzger Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan.

The De Luxe was an American automobile manufactured in 1907 by the De Luxe Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. The De Luxe was a high-priced vehicle for its day, retailing for around $5000. De Luxe took over the factory belonging to the Kirk Manufacturing Company, maker of the Yale automobile in Toledo, Ohio, in 1906. Soon after, De Luxe moved to a brand new facility on a 15-acre (61,000 m2) site on Clark Street at Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. After producing fewer than 100 cars in 1908, the company was acquired by the E-M-F Company in 1909. The factory was used by E-M-F to build the Flanders 20. E-M-F was acquired by Studebaker in 1910, who continued to produce automobiles in Detroit until its operations were moved to South Bend, Indiana, in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Studebaker</span>

John Mohler Studebaker was the Pennsylvania Dutch co-founder and later executive of what would become the Studebaker Corporation automobile company. He was the third son of the founding Studebaker family, and played a key role in the growth of the company during his years as president, from 1868 until his death in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William E. Metzger</span>

William Ernest Metzger was an automotive pioneer and salesman from Detroit. He opened one of the first automobile dealerships in the United States, and participated in the early development of a number of early automobile companies, including the Cadillac Automobile Company and the E-M-F Company, in which the "M" stands for his name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District is a historic district located along Piquette Street in Detroit, Michigan, from Woodward Avenue on the west to Hastings Street on the east. The district extends approximately one block south of Piquette to Harper, and one block north to the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Line. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Milwaukee Junction is an area in Detroit, Michigan, east of New Center. Located near the railroad junction of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad's predecessors Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway and the Chicago, Detroit and Canada Grand Trunk Junction, the area encompasses the streets of East Grand Boulevard to the north, St. Aubin St./Hamtramck Drive to the east, John R Street to the west, and the border following I-94 to the south. Due to the presence of numerous car companies within it at the turn of the 20th century, Milwaukee Junction is considered the "cradle of the Detroit auto industry".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flanders Automobile Company</span> American automobile manufacturer

The Flanders Automobile Company was a short-lived US-American automobile manufacturer which operated in Detroit, Michigan, from 1910 to 1913. Its only product was sold through Studebaker dealerships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainier Motor Car Company</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

Rainier Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer founded in 1905 by John T. Rainier in Flushing, New York and from 1908 produced in Saginaw, Michigan. The company specialized in manufacturing large and luxurious automobiles. In 1909, the company was bought by General Motors who maintained the brand until 1911.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul H. Bruske</span>

Paul Hale Bruske was an American writer, journalist, advertising executive, and sportsman.

References

  1. 1 2 Directory Index: Studebaker/1910 Studebaker/album
  2. 1 2 Yanik, Anthony J. (2001). The E-M-F Company: the Story of Automotive Pioneers Barney Everitt, William Metzger, and Walter Flanders. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). ISBN   0-7680-0716-X. At Google Books (description only)
  3. "Byron Forbes "Barney" Everitt (1873-1940) - Find..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  4. Rubenstein, James M. The Changing US Auto Industry: A geographical analysis Routledge 1992. At Google Books
  5. The family's genealogy lists him as [6679] the eldest of three known children of Dr George T. Flanders and Mary M. Goodwin; in Flanders, Charles M.; Dunbar, Edith Flanders (2010-09-12), The Flanders Family: From Europe to America (in Winzipped RTF download), vol. 3 (2nd ed.), archived from the original on 2011-06-11, retrieved 2010-10-14.
  6. Staff writers (July 27, 1909), "E-M-F buys De Luxe plant—Will build small car", The Automobile.
  7. 1 2 Wright, Mandi (2005-06-21). "Huge fire destroys century-old warehouse in Detroit". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08.
  8. 1 2 3 "Everitt-Metzger-Flanders Co. Canada, Studebaker Corporation of Canada". Windsor Public Library online.
  9. Noyd, Charles (2018). The Smallest Perfect Automobile in the World. Stromsburg, Nebraska: self-published.
  10. Longstreet, Stephen. A Century on Wheels: The Story of Studebaker. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 121. 1st edn., 1952.
  11. Studebaker Corporation Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Financial Post Oct 1929
  12. 1 2 Hendry, Maurice M. Studebaker: One can do a lot of remembering in South Bend. New Albany: Automobile Quarterly. pp. 228–275. Vol X, 3rd Q, 1972.