Leach-Biltwell Motor Company manufactured and distributed the Leach
luxury automobile from 1919 to 1924 in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
History
Leach-Biltwell Motor Company was a
west-coast automobile manufacturer. Martin Andrew Leach of the Leach Motor Car Company formed Leach-Biltwell for automobile
coachbuilding
A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...
and
customization. In 1919 the company was re-capitalized and began producing complete automobiles. Leach purchased the
Republic Truck Company factory and began production of the ''Leach Power-Plus Six'' motorcar.
In 1922 the company again re-capitalized and expanded by purchasing the Miller Engine and Foundry works.
Harry A. Miller
Harold Arminius Miller (December 9, 1875 – May 3, 1943), commonly called Harry, was an American race car designer and builder who was most active in the 1920s and 1930s. Griffith Borgeson called him "the greatest creative figure in the his ...
became a vice-president of Leach-Biltwell and developed a new engine for the company. In 1923 the company was in financial trouble and introduced a smaller automobile called the California. In 1924, the company moved to a smaller factory and discontinued the Leach Power-Plus Six.
Models
The Leach Power-Plus Six used a model 9N Red Seal
Continental 303.1 cubic inch 60 hp inline
six-cylinder engine.
coachwork on a 128-inch
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
featured two or four door
body styles. Leach popularized the distinctive "California top" that was a precursor of the "
hardtop
A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
" body style thirty years later.
In 1922 the engine was changed to a
Miller model 999 100
hp Ohc
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
six-cylinder engine, on a 134-inch wheelbase. This technically advanced engine had teething troubles and many were replaced with Continentals.
For luxury customization, the Leach included a tilt and telescoping steering column, removable steering wheel (to be used as an anti-theft feature), a directional signal/stop light box with a dashboard switch, lighted aluminum steps instead of
running boards, a one piece
windshield
The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Mo ...
and disc wheels with
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
rims.
The Leach was priced in 1920 from $5,200 to a high in 1922 of $6,500 (). From 218 to 264 cars (chassis with and without factory bodies) were produced.
Advertising
Leach-Biltwell displayed a Leach at the 1920
Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place
convention center. It is the largest auto show in North America.
History
Samuel Miles, formerly a promoter of bicycle shows, produced the first "official" Chic ...
. Although primarily sold in California, with the slogan "''The Aristocrat of Motordom''", Leach advertised in major magazines to attract national attention.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Hollywood Glamour: Meet The Only Surviving 1922 Leach Model 22A
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Luxury vehicles
1920s cars
Vintage vehicles
Cars introduced in 1919
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1919
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1924
Coachbuilders of the United States
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in California