Haynes-Apperson
Encyclopedia
Haynes-Apperson Company was a manufacturer of Brass Era
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...

 automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

s in Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....

, from 1896 to 1905. It was the first automobile manufacturer in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, and among the first in the United States. Elwood Haynes
Elwood Haynes
Elwood P. Haynes was an American inventor, metallurgist, automotive pioneer, entrepreneur and industrialist. He invented the metal alloys stellite and martensitic stainless steel and designed one of the earliest automobiles made in the United States...

, one of the founders, was the inventor of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

 and stellite
Stellite
Stellite alloy is a range of cobalt-chromium alloys designed for wear resistance. It may also contain tungsten or molybdenum and a small but important amount of carbon...

, and many of the early advances in automobile technology were first invented by the company.

History

The company was founded by Elwood Haynes
Elwood Haynes
Elwood P. Haynes was an American inventor, metallurgist, automotive pioneer, entrepreneur and industrialist. He invented the metal alloys stellite and martensitic stainless steel and designed one of the earliest automobiles made in the United States...

 and brothers Elmer and Edgar Apperson. In 1894, the trio built one of the first gasoline powered vehicles in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, at Apperson's Riverside Machine Works. By 1898 the company was producing one new car every two to three weeks, and selling early models for $2,000 (USD). At the end of that year, they relocated the company to a large factory where they designed two additional models. They brought on a larger workforce and increased the production rate to between two and three new cars each year. From there business began to boom, five cars in 1898, thirty 1899, 192 in 1900 and 240 in 1901. Production increases kept the factory open 24 hours a day, and two shifts of workers were needed to keep the factory running at capacity.

Haynes-Apperson automobiles were known for their "long distance running" capability. The company regularly competed their cars in endurance races. The last model designed by the company had a three-speed transmission and was capable of 24 mph on pneumatic tires
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...

. In 1902, the brothers had turned a large profit from the enterprise and they decided to split up to form their own companies. The Apperson
Apperson
The Apperson was a brand of American automobile manufactured from 1901 to 1926 in Kokomo, Indiana.-Company history:The company was founded by the brothers Edgar and Elmer Apperson shortly after they left Haynes-Apperson; for a time they continued to use a FR layoutont-mounted flat-twin engine,...

 automobile company was formed that year, and in 1905, Haynes-Apperson was renamed the Haynes Automobile Company
Haynes Automobile Company
The Haynes Automobile Company was a United States automobile manufacturing company which produced automobiles in Kokomo, Indiana, from 1905 to 1924. The company was related to the Haynes-Apperson company which produced automobiles from 1896-1905...

.

The 1904 Haynes-Apperson Light Car was a runabout
Runabout (car)
Runabouts were a popular car body style at the beginning of the 20th Century. They were small, inexpensive, open cars. Most runabouts had just a single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers. Many also had a tonneau at the rear to provide optional seating for four or five...

 seating two passengers, selling for $1,550. The horizontal-mounted water-cooled flat twin, situated at the rear of the car, produced 11 hp (8.2 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted, and the car used an angle iron frame. The Tonneau
Tonneau
right|thumb|260px|1903 [[Ford Model A |Ford Model A]] rear-door TonneauTonneau cover , describes a hard or soft cover used to protect unoccupied passenger seats in a convertible, roadster, or for a pickup truck bed. Hard tonneau covers open by a hinging or folding mechanism while soft covers open...

had a similar flat-twin of 17 hp (12.7 kW), situated at the front of the car, and three-speed transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 2300 lb (1043 kg), seated five, and sold for $2,500.

An 1894 Haynes is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

's National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...

.

Commemorative festival

Since 1977 a race in Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo, Indiana
Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....

, for runners and walkers has been called the "Haynes-Apperson Festival" in commemoration of the pioneer auto company. http://www.haynesappersonfestival.org/

See also

  • Duryea brothers, makers of the first American automobile
  • Ransom Olds, maker of early production American automobile
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