Fuller (automobile)
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At least two different cars have been offered with the
marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
of Fuller, one in
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
and one in
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.


Nebraska car

From 1907 to 1910, Angus, Nebraska was the home of the Angus Automobile Company, employing forty craftsmen that produced over 600 Fuller cars in its short life. Only one car is known to have survived the scrap metal drives of WW II. The car was designed by Charles M. Fuller. Fuller left Angus in 1902 to work for the
St. Louis Motor Company St. Louis Motor Carriage Company was a manufacturer of automobiles at 1211–13 North Vandeventer Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, founded by George Preston Dorris (later credited with developing and patenting the float-carburetor) and John L. Fre ...
and afterwards for the
Buckeye Manufacturing Company The Buckeye Manufacturing Company was a company noted for manufacturing gasoline engines and farm implements. It manufactured the engines for its sister company, the Union Automobile Company. The company was founded in 1884 by John William Lamber ...
of
Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...
, where he was instrumental in building the Lambert car. Fuller returned home to Angus with two Lambert cars. The townspeople were so impressed by the car and by Fuller's confidence that he could build a better car that they raised $50,000 by investing in $10 shares of the company's stock. Production of the first Fuller car started on February 16, 1907. There were four models of the Fuller car that sold for $1000 to $3500. The best seller was a five-seater touring car that sold for $2,500. Unlike preliminary cars before full production commenced, the Fuller for sale in 1908 had a 4-
cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...
engine. For 1908 only, there was also a bigger 6-cylinder car available. The Fuller car used only genuine leather upholstery, had sixteen to eighteen coats of paint, and the best engine then available. Its brass needed to be cleaned frequently, and owners noted that when cleaned, the car shined "bright as gold in the sun." Unfortunately the success of the Fuller car was short-lived. In 1908 a demonstration was held at the Nuckolls County Fair in which a Fuller car completed two laps of the fairgrounds racetrack in sixty seconds, averaging sixty miles per hour. The performance was so exceptional that a group of Omaha businessmen offered to buy the Angus Automobile Company. Charles Fuller wanted to accept the offer, but the other stockholders did not. The resulting dispute resulted in Fuller's decision to sever all ties with the company. Without his inventive ability and drive, the business did not long survive. Majority stock ownership of the company had early on been bought by residents of nearby
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
. These stockholders decided in 1910 to move the company to Nelson, but no cars were produced after the move.


Michigan car

From 1909 to 1910, there was another Fuller automobile produced, this one in
Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...
. This car was started by George A. Matthews, one of the directors of the
Jackson Automobile Company The Jackson Automobile Company was an American Brass Era automobile manufacturer located in and named for Jackson, Michigan. The company produced the Jackson from 1903 to 1923, the 1903 Jaxon steam car and the 1904 Orlo. Company History Byron ...
. There were two models available, a double-
chain drive Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles. ...
high wheeler A high wheeler is a car which uses large diameter wheels that are similar to those used by horse-drawn vehicles. These cars were produced until about 1915, predominantly in the United States. Design High wheelers were derived from horse-drawn ...
, and a
shaft drive A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
standard wheel car. Both models featured full-elliptic springs. The reason for the car was simply that Matthews wanted his Fuller Buggy Company to make an automobile. Since there was not any more sound reason for the car than this, it did not last long and was absorbed by the Jackson Automobile Company in 1911. After this, the high wheeler was discontinued and the parts that were left for the standard car were used on the Jackson assembly line.


References

*Kimes, Beverly Rae and Clark Jr, Henry Austin. ''Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942'' (Third Edition). Iola, WI: Krause. 1996. {{ISBN, 0-87341-428-4 *Nebraska State Historical Society. Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars 1910s cars Highwheeler