Harvard (automobile)
Encyclopedia
The Harvard was a Brass Era car
built in Troy
and Hudson Falls, New York
and later in Hyattsville, Maryland
over the course of the period 1915 to 1921.
After selling his Herreshoff Motor Company
in Detroit, Charles Herreshoff teamed up with Northrup R. Holmes, who had already founded the Herreshoff Light Car Company as a Troy dealership
for the previous Herreshoff car. Herreshoff brought with him the prototype for his new light car
that he had been working on while still in Detroit. Plans were laid for production in Troy, with an eye on the export market (especially New Zealand
). Herreshoff abruptly departed town for South America
, taking his prototype with him. Holmes then approached Theodore Litchfield to be business partners, as Holmes still had the plans for the car in his office safe. Litchfield was a Troy mechanic and the dealer for the Herff-Brooks
automobile. Holmes and Litchfield formed a new company, the Pioneer Motor Car Company to manufacture the newly-christened Harvard auto. The company name was quickly changed to the Harvard-Pioneer Motor Car Company.
The cars featured a small four-cylinder
Model
engine, and was one of the first and maybe the first in the U.S.
with a covered compartment for concealing the spare tire
. Another distinguishing feature of the Harvard was that the headlights were attached to mounts directly bolted to the radiator shell. In early 1916, Holmes partnered with local auto dealer George N. Nay to use the latter's facilities in neighboring Hudson Falls. Assembly of the Harvard now took place on the top floor of the Adirondack Motor Car Company, of which Nay was the owner. The plant supervisor was one Walter Bulow, previously of Lozier
and American Fiat. Walter redesigned the Harvard in 1919, giving it a more rounded radiator shell. In October 1919, the company name was once again changed, this time to the Harvard Motor Car Company. Not long after the name change, a group of businessmen bought the entire operation and transferred it to Hyattsville, Maryland. Several of the Bulow-designed automobiles were built in Maryland, before the company finally succumbed to the depression of the early 1920s.
Brass Era car
The automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
built in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
and Hudson Falls, New York
Hudson Falls, New York
Hudson Falls is a village located in Washington County, New York, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the town of Kingsbury, on US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927...
and later in Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
over the course of the period 1915 to 1921.
After selling his Herreshoff Motor Company
Herreshoff (automobile)
The Herreshoff was an automobile built in both Detroit, Michigan and Troy, New York, by the Herreshoff Motor Company from 1909-14. The Herreshoff started as a small car with a 24hp four-cylinder engine, and was made with three different models. Later models were upgraded to six-cylinder engines up...
in Detroit, Charles Herreshoff teamed up with Northrup R. Holmes, who had already founded the Herreshoff Light Car Company as a Troy dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
for the previous Herreshoff car. Herreshoff brought with him the prototype for his new light car
Light car
A Light Car is a term used in Great Britain since the early part of the 20th Century for an automobile less than 1.5 litres engine capacity. In modern car classification this term would be roughly equivalent to a subcompact car...
that he had been working on while still in Detroit. Plans were laid for production in Troy, with an eye on the export market (especially New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
). Herreshoff abruptly departed town for South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, taking his prototype with him. Holmes then approached Theodore Litchfield to be business partners, as Holmes still had the plans for the car in his office safe. Litchfield was a Troy mechanic and the dealer for the Herff-Brooks
Herff-Brooks Corporation
Herff-Brooks Corporation was a short-lived automobile manufacturer based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It operated for about two years around 1915-1916. It was a successor to the failed Marathon Motor Works of Nashville, Tennessee, and operated with some of the same personnel and equipment.The name...
automobile. Holmes and Litchfield formed a new company, the Pioneer Motor Car Company to manufacture the newly-christened Harvard auto. The company name was quickly changed to the Harvard-Pioneer Motor Car Company.
The cars featured a small four-cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
Model
Model Automobile Company
The Model Automobile Company was a veteran American automobile company located in Peru, Indiana.It sold a five-seater US$1250 "convertible", which allowed the body to be tilted upward from the rear for access to the frame, and provided for the rear seats to be removed as a unit...
engine, and was one of the first and maybe the first in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a covered compartment for concealing the spare tire
Spare tire
A spare tire is an additional tire carried in a motor vehicle as a replacement for one that goes flat, a blowout, or other emergency...
. Another distinguishing feature of the Harvard was that the headlights were attached to mounts directly bolted to the radiator shell. In early 1916, Holmes partnered with local auto dealer George N. Nay to use the latter's facilities in neighboring Hudson Falls. Assembly of the Harvard now took place on the top floor of the Adirondack Motor Car Company, of which Nay was the owner. The plant supervisor was one Walter Bulow, previously of Lozier
Lozier
The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of automobiles in the United States of America. The company produced luxury automobiles from 1900 to 1915, with a factory at 3703 Mack Avenue, Detroit, Michigan....
and American Fiat. Walter redesigned the Harvard in 1919, giving it a more rounded radiator shell. In October 1919, the company name was once again changed, this time to the Harvard Motor Car Company. Not long after the name change, a group of businessmen bought the entire operation and transferred it to Hyattsville, Maryland. Several of the Bulow-designed automobiles were built in Maryland, before the company finally succumbed to the depression of the early 1920s.