Flanders Automobile Company

The ' Flanders Automobile Company is a retired American automobile manufacturers.

Behind the 1910-1913 active company was Walter E. Flanders ( 1871-1923 ), an industrialist, who had previously helped out as a plant manager at Henry Ford instrumental in preparing the Model T for mass production.

1908 Flanders left the Ford Motor Company with associated noise. He seems to have planned his departure meticulously. Shortly after he bought with his partners namely Bernard F. Everitt, a successful body builder and William Metzger, who was previously responsible for advertising at Cadillac, plants over Ford's factory at the Piquette Avenue. Together they founded the EMF Company which also produced automobiles. The name is derived from the first letters of the last names of the founders.

Their products were designed for the lower price segment - clearly the domain of Henry Ford and his Model T. The production methods from EMF were similar to those at Ford Initially there were two models, the " Twenty" and the "Thirty ". The latter play sold very well, but was not as successful as the Ford Model T.

Flanders Model " 20"

Flanders convinced his investors, the brothers Studebaker to purchase the disused factory of DeLux Motor Company in Detroit and this set up so that there is a new challenger for the Model T was built by Ford. This challenger was the slightly revised EMF " Twenty", the "20" came in 1910 as Flanders model on the market.

This was a small four-cylinder with a wheelbase of 2540 mm. He was born in 1909 planned for a retail price of U.S. $ 750. Thus he undercut at this time the rival model T clear ( Ford demanded, depending on body, from U.S. $ 825 for a model T). It must have been depressing for Flanders that Ford was able to undercut by the miterfundenen of Production him his prices always. In its best year, 1911, EMF and Flanders together reached # 2 on the U.S. sales statistics.

Initially, the Flanders model " 20" was offered in two versions: as a runabout for 2 people it cost U.S. $ 750 and a 4- seater touring car was written with $ 790. 1911, the price for the Runabout 700 U.S. $ was reduced. A " Suburban " called open four-seater to U.S. $ 725 replaced the Touring Car of the previous year. As much cost a new 3- seater roadster and a coupe to U.S. $ 925, there was the first closed Flanders model " 20".

For 1912, the last year of production, the range was again expanded to include a Touring Car. As the " Suburban " it cost $ 800. Price leader was the Roadster for $ 750, followed by runabout 775 U.S. $. The coupe was offered for $ 1000.

In Canada, the EMF Company of Canada LTD built in Walkerville (Ontario), also Flanders model " 20".

The brothers Studebaker made ​​1912 the next logical step and collected the brands EMF and Flanders completely, (which she sold exclusively since 1910 and controlled in the U.S.). EMF merged with Studebaker, which also took over the plants of Flanders.

Overall, in three model years 31 514 Flanders Model " 20" built.

Flanders model " 50 - Six"

But the history of the brand Flanders was still not over. The previous EMF partner Everitt and Metzger, who had left the company in 1909 with a handsome severance, built from 1910 in Metzger systems with the Everitt " Four -30" a virtually identical model as the EMF. There were also 1911, the " Four -36 " and 1912 the "Six -48 " with a pneumatic starter. Available in two versions, it cost 2,200 U.S. $ 3 - seater roadster and $ 2,250 as a 7- seater touring car.

Walter Flanders went into this company. It was followed by a reorganization, which resulted in the company shortly nachreinander by Metzger Company to Everitt Motor Company in 1913 and eventually moved to Flanders Motor Company.

However, only the six cylinder of the previous year was taken over and sold as model " 50 - Six". From Everitt " 48 - Six" he differed from electric lights and starter.

The handsome car, with a wheelbase of 130 inches ( 3302 mm), was presented at the New York Automobile Show in January 1913, the public. A bigger number of items is unlikely to have arisen because Walter Flanders already followed a month later, the reputation of Benjamin Briscoe, who asked him to save the United States Motors Company which was in a disastrous state. Flanders brought his own brand in this group - and closed it with a dozen others. Remained only the Maxwell, ancestor of the Chrysler.

Swell

• Kimes, Beverly R. ( editor ), Clark, Henry A.: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1945, Krause Publications (1985 ), ISBN 0-87341-045-9

Left

• Mbautomuseum.com: The Manitoba Antique Automobile Museum, Elkhorn, Manitoba (Canada ) has a built in Canada Flanders Model " 20" of 1912.
• Earlyamericanautomobiles.com: two Flanders " 20" of 1912 (scroll ( Accessed on June 6, 2012)

• Former Automobile Manufacturers Association ( United States)