Barley Motor Car Co.

The Barley Motor Car Co. was an automobile manufacturer in Kalamazoo (Michigan) and Streator (Illinois ). He built automobiles from Roamer (1916-1929), Barley (1923-1924) and Pennant ( 1924-1925 ).

2.1 Streator Motor Car Company 2.1.1 Halladay

2.2.1 Halladay

2.3.1 Roamer
2.3.2 Barley
2.3.3 Pennant

2.4.1 Roamer

History

Foundation

1913 bought Albert C. Barley, at this time board member of the Rutenber Motor Company, by a collecting society, the remnants of the Streator Motor Car Company for U.S. $ 56,000. The company founded in 1905, was part of the Erie Motor Carriage Company was the Halladay and automobiles had made . It had gone into bankruptcy in the previous year, with around U.S. $ 250,000. Barley reorganized the company as Barley Manufacturing Co., the factory in Streator (Illinois ) opened them again and asked a few years ago the Halladay.

Barley, Cloyd Y. Kenworthy, a New York dealer for electric automobiles, and Karl H. Martin, who later became the Wasp automobiles built, decided to build a bigger car and founded the Barley Motor Car Co. in September 1916 in New York City with a registered capital of U.S. $ 50.000, -. They wanted there to produce trucks, cars and accessories. Shortly after, the capital was U.S. $ 810,000, - to be increased and the company also took over the Barley Manufacturing Co.. The production was moved soon to Kalamazoo in the factory of the former Kalamazoo Buggy Co..

Product sequence

The first model in 1916 was the Roamer. The name suggested Kenworthy's chauffeur. He should remember a time known racehorse. The car was very elegant, the grille was plated and the shape was reminiscent of the Rolls- Royce. The Roamer Six was a four-door touring car with a 24 hp ( 17.6 kW ) Continental engine. In the following years, many models have been released. 1918 followed the Roamer Roamer C6 model after the Six. He had a Continental engine with 54 bhp 12xD (40 kW ) was available with eight different structures and cost between U.S. $ 2.200, - and U.S. $ 4.900, -. The Roamer Touring Model D4 of 1920 had a four-cylinder Duesenberg engine and cost between U.S. $ 5,300 - (4 seats) and U.S. $ 5.400, - (7 seats). As a comparison, the Lozier Big Six touring car or roadster cost $ 5,000 - and the cheapest model of the American Motor Car Company hit with U.S. $ 4.250, - to Beech ( the most expensive cost U.S. $ 5250, - ). The built in high-volume Oldsmobile Curved Dash was for U.S. $ 650 - to get. In 1922 there were only the Roamer Model 6-54.

The Roamer has been marketed since its launch as "America's intel place famous car ". Also, in many early races, he was successful. After the Roamer with Rochester Duesemberg engine 1921 six records for 1 km, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 miles had broken in Daytona Beach, said the slogan "America's intel place famous car creates America's fastest mile".

1922 led the company to a cheaper brand Barley, which was named after its president. The first model Barley 6-50 was presented in September and was to have a touring car or limousine, each with Continental six-cylinder engine. The following year, there was also a sports sedan and a touring sedan. Prices fluctuated between U.S. $ 1,395 - and $ 2,250 - bringing the car with the Enger 40 U.S. $ 2.000, -, the FAL for U.S. $ 1.750, -, the Cole 30 and Colt Runabout for each U.S. $ 1.500, - competed.

1924, the Company announced a reorganization to: The Roamer Motor Car Co. was founded in Toronto (Ontario) and led by George P. Wigginton. Barley sold this company and the Roamer brand in Kalamazoo only the Barley was further built. However, the car of this brand were not particularly successful. Therefore, they named Barley easy to Pennant, provided them with a Buda four-cylinder engine and focused on the taxi market. There was his biggest competitor checker, who was also based in Kalamazoo. The Pennant was recognized on a body that was painted brown above and white ivory below. 1925 both the Barley and the Pennant were set, so AC Barley was finally retired from the automobile business.

In the meantime, Roamer had separated from Continental as an engine supplier and sat -line eight -cylinder engines from Lycoming, which were not more expensive than the previously installed six-cylinder engines. The new model was 8-88 and was offered with seven different bodies. The sales figures were disappointing. 1926 Duesenberg went bankrupt and the Lycoming engines were hard to come by for Roamer. In the same year Roamer bought on the Rutenber Motor Company. AC Barley was there years before an employee and his family owned a majority of the shares. Rutenber operating a big factory and supplied many engines early American automobiles.

Sales of Roamer but remained low and so the company was disbanded before the start of the Great Depression, 1929.