Alexander Winton was a pioneer in the development of the American automobile industry. He is credited with pushing Henry Ford into the automotive spotlight. And he made international headlines for his attempt to complete the first transcontinental journey by car.
Winton was born in 1860 in Grangemouth, Scotland. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City. He worked for several years as an engineer apprentice on an ocean steamer before taking a supervisory position in a steel mill in Cleveland, Ohio.
Coincidentally, Cleveland was at the center of what would become a tsunami of national interest in bicycles in the 1880s. Seeing an opportunity in the national mania, Winton established his Winton Bicycle Company in 1891 with his brother-in-law as a partner and took advantage of the rapidly expanding market.
Winton and his partners had business brains, and the company became profitable almost as soon as the doors opened. However, like many successful businessmen of the time, Winton found himself increasingly drawn to electric vehicles. Winton spent all his time researching and reading everything he could find on the subject and began developing his own engine design. Soon his company was producing bicycles as well as electric bikes.
In 1896, Winton unveiled his first “motor wagon” to the press. The following year, he incorporated the Winton Motor Carriage Company. He introduced the car to much fanfare and media attention and drove it through town to the Grenville Track, where it set a then-staggering record speed of 53.64 mph. By 1898, he was selling cars and perfecting and promoting them through racing.
As a bit of historical trivia, one of Winton’s most notable racing losses was to Henry Ford. Ford’s success brought him to the attention of the automobile industry and facilitated his ability to find the investors he needed to form the Henry Ford Motor Company. There is another connection to Henry Ford. Leo Melanowski, Winton’s trusted chief engineer, had suggested hiring Ford as a mechanic. However, Winton felt that Ford lacked the temperament necessary to take orders and focus on completing projects.
In 1902, Winton built the first of three custom race cars, all named “Bullet.” Bullet No. 1 was the first car to win a sanctioned race in Daytona Beach, Florida. One of his first eight-cylinder cars, Bullet No. 2, was built for the Gordon Bennett Cup in Ireland in 1903. As a result of mechanical problems, the car did not complete the race. However, after taking it back to the United States and having it repaired, Barney Oldfield achieved a record speed of nearly 80 mph at Daytona. Before retiring from racing, Winton built the Bullet 3. Oldfield toured the country in that car and began an award-winning racing career that spanned decades.
Beyond racing, Winton also used practical applications as a promotional platform. In 1897, Winton and his store manager, William Hatcher, drove from Cleveland to New York City to receive extensive coverage from the national press. In 1899, he made a second trip with Charles Shanks of Cleveland. plain dealer By the end of the year, 100 cars had found buyers and sales soared.
Not all customers were satisfied. James Ward Packard purchased his car in 1898, but it broke down several times on his way home. During a heated discussion with Winton, Packard was told that if he thought he could make a better car, he should do it. And Packard accepted the challenge. The now legendary Packard Motor Company was born.
In 1901, Winton embarked on an unprecedented adventure that would bring international media attention to his automobiles.with charles shanks scientific american On board to cover the Odyssey, Winton proposed the first coast-to-coast drive by automobile. This ill-fated adventure started from San Francisco with high hopes, but ended abruptly on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Shanks said: “The failure of the expedition was not due to the machinery used by Mr. Winton, nor to any lack of grit or determination on the part of the operators. It was not due to failure by the roads; it was due to the complete lack of roads.” was the direct and sole cause.
Dr. H. Nelson Jackson triumphed where Winton failed, becoming the first person to drive a car from coast to coast in 1903. With Jackson driving Winton, the company benefited greatly from that effort. Sales soared to 850 cars in 1903 and 1,100 cars in 1907.
Winton quickly developed a reputation for ingenuity and generosity. During his career, he developed and patented over 100 of his items related to automobiles, engines, and bicycles. As a testament to his character, he offered his safety-related patents free of charge to interested manufacturers.
Winton continued to manufacture automobiles until 1924 with innovations such as the steering wheel in 1901, shaft drives, external and internal brakes on the same brake drum, and America’s first diesel engine in 1913. The economic recession after World War I hit the automotive industry hard, even pioneering it. Companies like Winton were also not spared. Sales plummeted, and in 1922 Winton issued a statement that his company was in “financial trouble.” In 1923, there was a stillborn idea to merge Winton with Haynes and Doris. Then, on February 11, 1924, Winton closed down the automobile company and began liquidation.
However, its subsidiary Winton Gas Engine & Manufacturing Company, which manufactured marine and diesel engines, continued to operate. The company flourished into the early years of the Great Depression, before being sold to General Motors.
In the pantheon of automotive pioneers, Winton is in good company, but he is just one of many who have been relegated to obscurity. Still, I can’t help but wonder what the world would be like today if Winton hadn’t added a motor to his bicycle, chosen a handle over a traditional tiller, or perfected the diesel engine. not.
Written by Jim Hinckley jimhinckleyamerica.com