American Austin Car Company
The American Bantam Car Company was an American small car manufacturer that produced from 1937 to 1941 in Butler (Pennsylvania).
Predecessor was the American Austin Car Company, which was connected with the British Austin Motor Company. It was founded in 1929 and presented from 1930 to 1934 the Austin 7 for the U.S. market here. Then they went bankrupt and was established as a new American Bantam in the following year. From 1937 to 1941, put forth cars and also designed the first prototype of the jeep.
American Austin Car Company
The American Austin Car Company was founded in 1929 in Butler (Pennsylvania ) to install the U.S. version of the Austin 7, the American Austin was called. The cars had 1,905 mm wheelbase and their four-cylinder in-line engines contributed 15 bhp (11 kW). The cars without model designation originated first as a roadster, coupe and deluxe coupe. In 1932, a runabout, a convertible and a business coupe to come. After some early sales successes began the Great Depression. The sales figures fell so dramatically that eventually had to be discontinued production. After producing about 20,000 cars, the company was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1934.
American Bantam
1935 bought Roy Evans, a former representative for Austin models, the bankrupt company, and placed it under the name American Bantam on the legs. " Bantam " is a particularly small bred chicken, and so it is likely that the name is related to the size of the cars manufactured there. All relations with the British company Austin were canceled. The construction of the American Austin was revised; a modified engine ( 19 bhp = 14 kW ) was used and designed the outer shell of Alexis de Sakhnoffski new. In 1937, one production with the Model 60 again and carried them off to 1939. In 1940 the more powerful Model 65 on the market, the engine is now 22 bhp (16 kW) gave. Although a variety was made by different bodies (Standard Coupe, Coupe Master, Master roadster, coupe -cabriolet, limousine convertible and wagon) were made a total of only 6,000 Bantams. The model 60 from 1938 was known as a template for Donald Duck's car.
The Jeep
American Bantam also designed and built the first jeep prototype - delivered in September 1940 - was followed by 69 modified vehicles BRC 60th Some of them had four-wheel steering. From the spring of 1941, followed in 1500, again modified, BRC -40 (Bantam Reconnaissance Car). Most of these jeeps were delivered to Allied (Great Britain, USSR). Some engines and chassis of the Bantam civilian vehicles were introduced by the Austin Motor Company in the United Kingdom; The bodies were produced in as adopted by American Austin factories in Detroit ( Michigan) and Butler ( Pennsylvania). The orders for the mass production of the Jeep went to Willys and Ford Ever since the days of the competition was rumored the view Bantam did not have the capacity to deliver the required by the U.S. War Department numbers. Detailed evidence for this view does not exist. Former Bantam employees contradict the basis of their experience and place near the building of about 2500 BRC -40, that Bantam would have been to these supplies capable. The only really major manufacturers among the three candidates was Ford apparently due to the capacity and financial problems of Bantam was decided to award the contract for the mass production of Willys -Overland. A little later, Ford was won to build the car from Willys under license, which was done with small differences like that. Bantam BRC -40 built after no more cars but the jeep - trailer T- third