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User:Chief tin cloud/Adams-Farwell

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Adams-Farwell was a brass era American automobile from Dubuque, Iowa, built by The Adams Company (founded 1892, still active) between 1905 and 1912.

History edit

The Roberts & Langworthy Iron Works, located at 57 South Main Street in Dubuque, were manufacturers of "fine light castings"[1] like grave crosses and park benches. Eugene Adams invested in the company in June, 1883 when Roberts decided to retire, and Adams took the position of a secretary and manager. A change of the company name to Langworthy and Adams Iron Works followed in 1885. When Langworthy retired in 1892, Eugene's brother Herbert bought his share and the company was re-organized as The Adams Company, foundry and machine shop. The plant burnt down the same year in a disastrous fire, and the company opened new facilities at East Fourth Street. Now, machine castings and household devices like a patented floor heating vent with inner rotating portion that distributed warm air in upper level rooms, or laundry stoves were added. In 1895, Fay Oliver Farwell (1859-1935) became manager of the company.[2][3]

Also about 1895, Farwell begann experimenting with a combustion engined automobile for which he conceived a horizontally mounted rotary engine with three cylinders. The vertically standing crank shaft was fixed in the chassis, thus forcing crank case and cylinders to rotate around it; this movement also poviding engine cooling. Farwell felt that this configuration was lighter than conventional engines as it didn't use either a flywheel nor a cooling device. He completed the first prototype automobile in 1898. Basically a horse drawn carriage, he mounted his engine between the front wheels. This proved not practical, so his second car, appropiately named model no. 2, had the engine installed in the rear as all Adams-Farwells would thereafter. This car used bicycle wheels; the next had wooden artillery wheels. Few is known about car no. 4 which probably was similar to no. 3, and which was sold to a Dubuque resident. No. 5 was shown at the Chicago Auto Show in February, 1905. Now, first orders were taken. With only minor modifications, the car went into - very limited - production as the model 6 20/25 hp.[3][4] Referring to it's engine, Adams-Farwell frequently used the slogan: It spins like a top.[3]

Innovations edit

 
This Adams-Farwell Series 6 40/45 hp touring car with a 5 cylinder engine of 490.9 c.i (8045 cc) and coachwork by Connolly Carriage & Buggy Co. (1906) is the only known Adams-Farwell in existence. It can be driven either from the front or rear seat bench.

Adams-Farwell automobiles had further unique details. The only available coachwork, called a Convertible Brougham, was in fact a Town brougham, and the "convertible" part was not the top but driver's position. His bench seat in the front of the car was retractable and could fold away in inclement wheather, thus forming a splash board. Then, the tiller and driving devices could easily be relocated in front of the rear seat, under the fixed top. These cars could even been started from the driver's seat as they provided a lever that had to be pulled up instead of the usual crank. This car was listed at US$ 2500, placing it in the lower luxury car field.[3][4] It is this concept that leads to the claim that Adam-Farwells belonged to the very first automobiles that could be driven year-round.[5]

For 1906, model 6 became series 6. A new series 6 40/45 hp with a five cylinder rotary engine at about 8 litres was added. The car got a somewhwat larger chassis, and a Landaulet body style replaced the Brougham, probably very similar but with a convertible rear part of the top. New to the line was a Touring car which was frequently called a Convertible Runabout. Both body styles were 5-seaters.[3][4]

Three more cars were offered with the 40/45 hp engine only. One was a Extension Brougham with a longer wheelbase, the other, called Model 7-A, a 7-passenger touring with a conventional looking front; the engine still was in the rear. The rear seat was slightly moved forward. While standard wheelbase was 90 in. (2286 mm), the extension Brougham had 94 in. (2388 mm), and the 7-A 108 in. (2743 mm). All got the retractable front seat bench anmd the unique steering system. The third new car was different. Called the Model 8-A Gentleman's Speed Roadster, it had the shortest chassis with 86 in. (2184 mm), and the larger engine. Instead of using the familiar frame with a separate body, it had no chassis at all, anticipating later unibody constructions. This sports car was very fast for the time with a top speed of ca. 75 MPH (120 km/h)[6][3]

The only remaining Adams-Farwell automobile shows a tag by the Connolly Carriage & Buggy Co.. It seems that this company, not only reputed for quality carriages and coachwork, also built the chassis for the Adams-Farwell. As period advertisements indicate that complete cars were offered, there is some evidence, too, that they might have built the bulk of the Adam-Farwell bodies.[7][8]

For 1907, most models were gone, and Adams-Farwell offered only an improved Model 7-A Touring, now with an even longer wheelbase and a higher price.[3]

But Farwell had more ideas to offer. For 1908, a new model 9 50 hp appeared. It seems that this the first Adams-Farwell with a new and ingenious four speed transmission. Not only that most other cars had three speeds, the new Adams-Farwell offered an ingenious construction consisting of the transmission, two clutches, a lever for each of them, and one handle that operated the levers. One clutch engaged gears 2 and 4, the other gears 1, 3, and reverse. So, two speeds could be "preselected", but the one-handle operation prevented that two speeds were engaged at the same time. Further, antiquidated tiller was replaaced by a steering wheel, and there was a pedal for acceleration. Therefore, the removable steering was no longer offered, but Adams-Farwells got a rail instead in which the column and pedal could be moved from the left to the right, allowing the driver to seat either at the left, the right or in the center. Model 9 came as 7-passenger touring, a 3-passenger Coupé, and 3-passenger roadster, the ladder replacing the Model 8-A, featuring normal chassis and body construction.[3][4]

A final change came for 1909. The Coupé was dropped, the roadster got one more seat, and the touring became even longer. Adam-Farwells were offered until 1912 (or 1913, depending on source) in this lineup. Then, production of automobiles seized after just about 200 cars built. Usually, 25 cars per year left the factory, with 52-54 in 1910.[9] A few of them went to the Dubuque Police Department.[3][4]

Adam-Farwell models edit

The small company brought out an impressive number of models, with some ingenious solutions for contemporary problems of driving[10]:

Model year Model Cylinder Power Whelbase mm / in. Coachwork List price
1898 Model No. 1 3 rotary Express-carriage -
1899 (ca.) Model No. 2 3 rotary -
1901 Model No. 3 3 rotary -
1902 (ca.) Model No. 4 3 rotary
1904-1905 Model No. 5 3, rotary 25 hp Convertible Brougham[3] -
1905 Model No. 6 20/25 hp 3 rotary 25 hp 2134 / 84 Convertible Brougham $ 2500
1906 Series 6 20/25 hp Model A 3 rotary 25 hp 2286 / 90 5-pass. Touring $ 2000
1906 Series 6 20/25 hp Model B 3 rotary 25 hp 2286 / 90 7-pass. Landaulet $ 2500
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 2286 / 90 5-pass. Touring $ 2500
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 2286 / 90 7-pass. Landaulet $ 3000
1906 Series 6 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 2388 / 94 Extension Brougham[3] $ 4000
1906 Model 7-A 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 2743 / 108 7-pass. Touring $ 3000
1906 Model 8-A 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 2184 / 86 Gentleman's Speed Roadster $ 4000
1907 Model 7-A 40/45 hp 5 rotary 45 hp 3048 / 120 7-pass. Touring $ 3250
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 rotary 50 hp 3048 / 120 3-pass. Roadster $ 3000
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 rotary 50 hp 3048 / 120 7-pass. Touring $ 3500
1908 Model 9 50 hp 5 rotary 50 hp 3048 / 120 3-pass. Coupé $ 4000
1909-1912 Model 9 50 hp 5 rotary 50 hp 3048 / 120 4-pass. Roadster $ 3000
1909-1912 Model 9 50 hp 5 rotary 50 hp 3251 / 128 7-pass. Touring $ 3500

Note: Above coachwork designation is by manufacturer; they must not coincide with body designations as commonly in use.

1906 advertisements show a touring car with "fake" hood, designated Model L. It seems that this car is the Model 7-A 40/45 hp; there are no additional informations about it, and there is no further evidence that more models existed than listed above.[4]

The only remaining Adams-Farwell edit

National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada owns the last existing Adams-Farwell automobile, a series 6 40/45 hp touring, coachbuilt by the Connolly Carriage & Buggy Company, probably of Dubuque. It has a Victoria top. This car was invited to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2011 were it won the Charles A. Chayne Trophy for the most advanced technology of it's period.[11][6][9]

Further development without automobile manufacture edit

 
A modified 1907 Adams-Farwell engine powered three, man-lifting experimental helicopters designed by Emile Berliner

As did another builder of rotary engined road vehicles, Stephen Marius Balzer of New York, the Adams Company offered also light gyrocopter engines which successfully powered experimental flying machines by Emile Berliner in 1909-1910 and J. Newton Williams in 1909. Engine production lasted longer than automobile manufacture although it is not clear when this stopped, too. The Adams Company then relayed on their iron fundry and manufacture of gears, shafts and parts for power transmissions which it does until today.[12]

When Fay Oliver Farwell left the company in 1921, he had about 20 patents on his name and tried to build up a business on one he held for a novel transmission for merry-go-rounds. Later, he worked again in a gear-cutting company in Toledo, Ohio.[5]

Other pioneer automobile manufacturers with rotary engines edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ encyclopediadubuque.com: Roberts & Langworthy Iron Works
  2. ^ encyclopediadubuque.com: The Adams Company
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kimes: Standard Catalogue (1985); p. 97, Adams-Farwell
  4. ^ a b c d e f encyclopediadubuque.com: Adams-Farwell Automobiles
  5. ^ a b encyclopediadubuque.com: Fay Oliver Farwell
  6. ^ a b conceptcarz.com: Adams-Farwell 7-A (1906)
  7. ^ encyclopediadubuque.com: Thomas Connolly
  8. ^ coachbuilt.com: Thomas Connolly Carriage Works
  9. ^ a b trombinoscar.com: Adams-Farwell 7-A (1906)
  10. ^ Data compiled from: Kimes; Standard Catalogue (1985); p. 97, Adams-Farwell
  11. ^ Pebble Beach Concours
  12. ^ The Adams Company: Homepage

Sources edit

  • Georgano, G. N. "Adams-Farwell", The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885-1968 (New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1974), p. 27.
  • Georgano, G. N. (editor): The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present; Dutton Press, New York, 2nd ed. (Hardcover) 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0
  • Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p. 55.
  • Kimes, Beverly Rae (editor) and Clark, Henry Austin, jr.; The Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, 2nd edition, Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, USA (1985), ISBN 0-87341-111-0
  • Kimes, Beverly Rae: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America, SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Permissions, Warrendale PA (2005), ISBN 0-7680-1431-X; S. 368

Weblinks edit

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