Geronimo was a pioneer vintage era American

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

, built at 409 South Grand in

Enid, Oklahoma Enid ( ) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, a ...

, between 1917 and 1920. It was what would today be called an "assembled car", relying on proprietary parts from outside suppliers.Barron, Robert.
In 1917, Enid hoped to be the second Detroit
" Enid News & Eagle, July 27, 2009. In addition, the company made tractors.Everett, Dianna,

, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society

History

The Geronimo Motor Company was founded in 1917 by William C. Allen and incorporated with a $500,000 stock sale. The company offered two models: the 4A-40, with a four-cylinder Lycoming of , and the 6A-45, powered by a Rutenberg

six 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

producing a claimed , with an optional six and a 122-inch wheelbase. One model was a roadster, the other a five-passenger

tourer Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

. Geronimo also produced cars under 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 ...

Wing for export to France. The cars were distributed by agencies across the Midwest, in Kansas, Nebraska, West Texas, and Oklahoma. The 4A-40 was priced at $895, the 6A-45 at $1,295. By contrast, the Cole 30 and

Colt Runabout The Colt Runabout was an American brass era, Brass-era automobile, built in Yonkers, New York, in 1907.Clymer, Floyd. ''Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925'' (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.63. by William Mason Turner. It was a ...

were $1,500, the

Model S The Tesla Model S is a battery-powered liftback car serving as the flagship model of Tesla, Inc. The Model S features a dual-motor, all-wheel drive layout, although earlier versions of the Model S featured a rear-motor and rear-wheel drive l ...

$700, and the high-volume

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

Runabout was $650.Clymer, p.32. Despite its price, the Geronimo proved popular enough that the company built a new factory on the outskirts of Enid, completed in the fall of 1917. As a result, both production and capitalization expanded, and in January 1919, the company sold another $500,000 in stock. By 1919, unit price had climbed as high as $1995, into the range of the $1750 FALClymer, p.104. or $2,000 Enger 40. On 14 August 1920, the plant suffered a severe fire which did $250,000 in damage. Insurance only covered $65,000, and the company was forced to close. At its peak, between 40 and a peak of 125 workers were employed, producing and selling a total of 600 cars, though production levels may have reached 1000. Only one survives, a restored example found in a field near LaCross, Kansas, in 1972. It is now owned by the Enid Region of the

Antique Automobile Club of America A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

, and is still regularly used in parades and community historical events.

References

{{reflist, 2 Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Enid, Oklahoma 1910s cars 1920s cars Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers American companies established in 1917 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1917 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1920 1917 establishments in Oklahoma 1920 disestablishments in Oklahoma Defunct manufacturing companies based in Oklahoma

History

See also

References