The Koppin was a cyclecar built in Fenton, Michigan, by the Koppin Motor Company in 1914.[1][2]

Koppin
The Koppin was identical to the Fenton
Overview
Typecyclecar
ManufacturerKoppin Motor Company
Production1914
AssemblyFenton, Michigan
DesignerOscar J. Howick
Body and chassis
RelatedFenton, Signet
Chronology
PredecessorFenton, Signet

History

edit

The Koppin was a two-seater cyclecar that used a two-cylinder air-cooled Spacke DeLuxe engine of 1.2L capacity. It came equipped with a friction transmission. The vehicle was priced at $385, equivalent to $11,711 in 2023. The Koppin Motor Company was the successor to the Fenton Cyclecar Company, the car also called the Signet in early advertising.[1]

Oscar J. Howick, who had earlier worked for Lozier and Packard, was the designer of the Fenton. The company was organized by auto salesman George Jenks. When Jenks died on March 23, 1914, the company was reorganized by H.S. Koppin, who also owned the empty A.J. Phillips factory that production was moved to. The vehicle was renamed the Koppin Model A roadster.[3] The Koppin factory was destroyed by fire in September 1914.[4] Koppin carried on until the end of 1914 when the company was dissolved and he moved to Detroit.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
  2. ^ Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  3. ^ Carette: America's First Carette and Cyclecar. 1913.
  4. ^ The Indicator: Published Semi-monthly. 1915.