Cornelian automobile
Encyclopedia
The Cornelian was a 1914 American
automobile built expressly for racing. It had chain drive
and was the smallest such configuration to be raced at the Indianapolis Speedway.
-based Blood Brothers Machine Company
), who had joined forces with Swiss racecar driver Louis Chevrolet
. Chevrolet used a Cornelian to qualify for the 1915 Indy 500 race, with a qualifying speed of 81.01 miles per hour (130.373 km/h). Chevrolet did not finish the race, having to drop out on the 77th lap when an engine valve failed (he placed 20th in the results). However, the appearance was good for business, and orders came in to Blood's office. However, only a few units had been produced when Blood halted production.
The cycle car was powered by a Stirling engine
and boasted a light weight of 500 kg (1,102 lb) displacing 103 cubic inches (1.7 L). The automobile body was monocoque
; the rear wheels had independent suspension, and the front wheels were mounted on a suicide axle
.
The Indy 500 museum has one of these vehicles on display.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
automobile built expressly for racing. It had chain drive
Chain drive
Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...
and was the smallest such configuration to be raced at the Indianapolis Speedway.
Manufacture
The 1914 Cornelian was manufactured by Howard E. Blood (of the Allegan, MichiganAllegan, Michigan
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,838. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous....
-based Blood Brothers Machine Company
Blood Brothers Machine Company
Blood Brothers Machine Company was a universal joint manufacturing firm with factories in Allegan and Kalamazoo, Michigan.In 1914, the Blood Brothers purchased the Allegan Mirror Company and ventured into the racing car industry with the production of the unique chain drive Cornelian driven by...
), who had joined forces with Swiss racecar driver Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
. Chevrolet used a Cornelian to qualify for the 1915 Indy 500 race, with a qualifying speed of 81.01 miles per hour (130.373 km/h). Chevrolet did not finish the race, having to drop out on the 77th lap when an engine valve failed (he placed 20th in the results). However, the appearance was good for business, and orders came in to Blood's office. However, only a few units had been produced when Blood halted production.
The cycle car was powered by a Stirling engine
Stirling engine
A Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas, the working fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work....
and boasted a light weight of 500 kg (1,102 lb) displacing 103 cubic inches (1.7 L). The automobile body was monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
; the rear wheels had independent suspension, and the front wheels were mounted on a suicide axle
Suicide front axle
Suicide front axle was a term used to define a suspension configuration used on early Ford cars.The configuration consists of a one-piece axle, to the ends of which the steerable front wheels are mounted...
.
The Indy 500 museum has one of these vehicles on display.