Rutenber Motor Company
The Rutenber Motor Company was founded as Rutenber Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois, to build a four-cylinder engine according to the plans of Edwin Rutenber.
Rutenber learned the trade of the mechanic and built about 1892 a single-cylinder engine. In 1898 he introduced the first four-cylinder engine in the United States forth. A single-cylinder engine with 6 hp ( 4.4 kW ) was installed in 1900 by Frank Eckhart in his automobile prototype, which formed the basis for the automobile manufacturer Auburn. Auburn continued until about 1923 Rutenber engines.
1902 Rutenber moved his company after Logansport, Indiana and renamed it Western Motor Co. to. There, the company four-and six-cylinder engines built for the evolving automotive industry. Rutenber built himself in 1902 also briefly a car - it emerged ten copies - but this was soon back on and focused on engines. 1907 had Rutenber 300-400 employees and engines sold in the entire United States.
From 1905 Rutenber engines were installed in automobiles from Stoddard - Dayton, who were especially known for their high performance and high speed; a Stoddard - Dayton won the race in Indianapolis in 1909. 1905 in Detroit Moon presented his first car with four-cylinder engine with 35 bhp (26 kW) ago. 1913 Moon with a six cylinder engine from Rutenber was fitted. 1907 drove a Rutenber engine with 60 bhp (44 kW) at the meteor, in the 23 hours from Chicago to St. Louis - a distance of 644 km - drove. In many cars earlier independent U.S. automakers Rutenber engines were used:
- American
- Auburn
- Australian Six
- Castle
- Clark
- Crow - Elkhart
- Croxton - Keeton
- Glide
- Halladay
- McCord (prototype, 1913)
- Metz Master Six
- Moon Motor Car Company
- Jewel
- Lexington
- Pan American
- Westcott
Also in early Indiana trucks, planes of De Berry, tractors of Wetmore, fire-fighting vehicles of Howe and boats were found Rutenber engines. Some of these have also been used in the propulsion engines of carousels.
1912 Edwin Rutenber sold the shares in his company and the naming rights. The company was renamed Rutenber Motor Company. Edwin Rutenber then dealt with the manufacture of electrical equipment.
Albert C. Barley, a board member of Rutenber, bought in 1913 the remains of the Streator Motor Car Company and set out with it independently. This results in a business relationship and Barley yielded moved for several brands of new as Barley Motor Car Company Rutenber engines.
1973 donated a descendant of Edwin Rutenber the Smithsonian Institution a Rutenber engine.