Maytag Toy Racer

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Maytag Toy Racer Maytag toy racer.svg
Maytag Toy Racer

The Maytag Toy Racer was a series of small one-passenger automobiles built by the Maytag Company between October 11, 1934 and December 1, 1941 for promotional purposes.

Maytag American home and commercial appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation

The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance brand owned by Whirlpool Corporation after the April 2006 acquisition of Maytag.

The toy racer was powered by Maytag Model 92 one-cylinder or, later, two-cylinder air-cooled Multi-Motor engines. [1] Previously in 1932 the Winston Corporation of Joliet, Illinois made a toy racer powered by the Maytag Multi-Motor.

Joliet, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County and a major part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. At the 2010 census, the city was the fourth largest in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. A population estimate in 2018 put Joliet's population at 150,495, which would make it the 3rd largest city in Illinois if accurate.

Many of the toy racers were sold to Maytag dealers who raced in small groups to advertise their brand. These Winston racers were sometimes also called Maytag Toy Racers [2] [3] [4]

Early versions of the Maytag Toy Racer used a Model 92 Maytag Multi-motor for power and a cone clutch for power transmission. Later models used a double-purpose hand lever to adjust drive-belt friction and to apply braking action. Maytag Toy racers manufactured beginning in October 1937 used the Model 72, twin cylinder, Maytag Multi-motor. [5]

Cone clutch

A cone clutch serves the same purpose as a disk or plate clutch. However, instead of mating two spinning disks, the cone clutch uses two conical surfaces to transmit torque by friction.

Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to perform useful work.

Records show that 498 Maytag Toy Racers were built, and approximately 25 survivors have been located to date.

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References

  1. "Maytag Toy Racers boost Dealers' Sales. Small Autos Prove Good 'Stimulators'. Boys and Girls Prove Ardent Canvassers When Automobiles are Offered as Premiums for Work," Maytag News, 8 (10)(November 1934): 2-3.
  2. "Winston Racers use Multi-Motors for Power," Maytag News, 6 (4)(May 1932): 10-11.
  3. "Multi-motor autos Draw Crowds in Virginia," Maytag News, 6 (12)(January 1933): 1.
  4. Bill McBride, "The Race is on--in Division 1200," Maytag News, 6 (12)(January 1933): 2.
  5. "New Twin-Cylinder Multi-Motor Offers Dealers and Salesmen a New Opportunity to contact Every Home Without Electricity in a Season of Farm Prosperity," Maytag News, 11 (9)(October 1937): 1, 5.