1911_Dreadnought_Moline_35_Touring_Car_postcard

The Moline Automobile Company, (1904 – 1924) was an American

brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 1915 ...

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 ...

manufacturer in

East Moline, Illinois East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,374 at the 2020 census. East Moline is part of the Quad Cities, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bet ...

known for the Moline, Dreadnought Moline, Moline-Knight and R & V Knight marques.

History

Background

William H. Van Dervoort and Orlando J. Root were classmates in the Mechanical courses and graduated BS from the Michigan State Agriculture College in 1893. Van Dervoort went on to

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

where he received his masters and became an assistant professor of mechanics at

Illinois State Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

. They organized the Root & Van Dervoort Engineering Company in 1899 to manufacture stationary and portable gas engines. Within a few years, they were producing over 12,000 stationary gasoline engines annually. File:1906 Moline Automobile Company badge.jpg, 1906 Moline Automobile Plate File:1912 Moline Dreadnought radiator emblem.jpg, Dreadnought Moline radiator emblem File:1914 Moline-Knight Radiator emblem.jpg, Moline-Knight radiator emblem File:1920 R&V Knight Radiator Emblem.jpg, R & V Knight radiator emblem File:William H. Van Dervoort SAE April 1921.jpg, William H Van Dervoort File:Orlando J. Root The Dispatch Moline IL.jpg, Orlando J. Root

Moline automobile

In November 1903 R & V organized the Moline Automobile Company to manufacture medium-sized cars. The first 1904 Moline automobiles were powered by a newly developed 2-cylinder 12- hp engine, and a larger 4-cylinder model was added in 1905. The two-cylinder opposed engine was continued as a junior model into1907 In 1907 the village of East Moline was incorporated as the city of East Moline and became part of the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

area of Illinois and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. By this year annual production had grown to more than 500 cars and the 4-cylinder engine was rated at 20-hp, priced at $1,750, . In 1909 the Model S became the Model M with a 4-cylinder 35-hp engine and would be offered into 1914. The model M as a touring car was introduced at $1,500, . The larger 40-hp Model K participated in the 1909 and 1910 Glidden Tours. The Moline team in the 1909 Glidden Tour received the Hower (

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) trophy. In 1910 R & V made improvements in their automobile plant with heated concrete floors and a new concrete paved testing track. File:1909 Moline car on Glidden Tour at Colorado Springs.jpg, 1909 Moline Model K on the Glidden Tour File:1909 Moline team on Glidden Tour at Fort Dodge Iowa.jpg, 1909 Team of Moline Model K's on the Glidden Tour File:Story of the 1909 Glidden Tour -Cover - Molines Perfect Score - Moline brochure.jpg, Story of the 1909 Glidden Tour cover by Moline Automobile Company File:Story of the 1909 Glidden Tour - Map and contestants 1 - Moline brochure.jpg, Story of the 1909 Glidden Tour, page excerpt, by Moline Automobile Company

Dreadnought Moline

Moline built one of the earliest long stroke four-cylinder gas engines that were becoming popular for improved power. To capitalize on the good results of Molines in reliability and endurance runs, they were advertised as Dreadnought Molines with the slogan ''"The Car of Unfailing Service"''. Offered in several body styles, from 1911 the Model M became the only offering as a 35-hp or 40-hp automobile. The radiator emblem was crown with a relief of the 1906 battleship

Dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

. In the 1911 Five State Chicago Endurance Run the 3 Dreadnought Molines won the team class, while a Dreadnought Moline tied with a Staver automobile for the touring car class and a Moline won the roadster class. Root & Vandervoort Engineering Company expanded their plant in 1911 to increase production and resolve automobile backlogs and to build a projected 20,000 R & V Triumph engines.

Moline-Knight

The Moline-Knight produced from 1913 to 1919 used a Knight engine. The Moline-Knight engine was the first monobloc version with 4-cylinders and rated at 50-hp. Provided with a 3-speed in-unit transmission, It was demonstrated in a record-breaking continuous 337 hour test in the laboratory of the

Automobile Club of America The Automobile Club of America was the first automobile club formed in America in 1899. The club was dissolved in 1932 following the Great Depression and declining membership. History On June 7, 1899, a group of gentlemen auto racers met at the W ...

. The new

sleeve-valve The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. T ...

Knight engine advertised quieter running over the usual poppet-valve engines. The main drawback were the sleeve-valves large oil consumption. Moline Automobile secured the services of a large advertising firm in Chicago to heavily advertise the new engine and the Moline-Knight automobile. Bosch also, heavily advertised their magnetos and plugs used on the test. From a slow production start, sales increased to over 900 cars by 1915. The 1914 Moline-Knight had a new streamlined body style and sat on a pressed-steel frame. It was equipped with

Wagner Electric Wagner Electric Corporation was an electric equipment manufacturing firm established in 1891 that became part of Studebaker-Worthington in 1967. History Wagner Electric Corporation was founded by Herbert Appleton Wagner and Ferdinand Schwedtma ...

starting and lighting and featured

wire wheels Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the same ...

. Englishman A. F. Marshall, formerly with the

Daimler Company The Daimler Company Limited ( ), prior to 1910 The Daimler Motor Company Limited, was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H. J. Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The compan ...

was hired as engine inspector. The new radiator emblem for the Moline-Knight included a profile of

Sir Galahad Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Si ...

, "The most perfect of King Arthur's knights". The slogan at the introduction of the Moline-Knight was ''"The "Four" that makes the "Six" unnecessary".'' In 1914 W. H. Vandervoort became the President of the

Society of Automobile Engineers SAE International, formerly named the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a United States-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries. SAE Internatio ...

succeeding Henry M. Leland, the founder of Cadillac and (later)

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. In 1915 Moline added to their Model 50 Moline-Knight cars with a junior Model 40 that was offered at $1,475 ( ), the lowest priced Knight engine car at that time. From 1914 R & V was heavily involved in the war effort of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and produced shells under contract for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. An additional factory building was completed for ordinance manufacturing and when the contract for the British ran out, the machinery was stored. R & V was ready to begin arms production again when the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

entered the war, manufacturing shells and naval ordinance. William Van Dervoort served as a member of the Munition Standards Board and the National War Labor Conference Board. Van Dervoort toured Europe in May 1919 as part of the reconstruction effort and while there he grew gravely ill and nearly died. Although he was finally able to return home, he never completely recovered. In 1917 Moline Automobile Company was merged back into Root & Van Dervoort Engineering Company. After the war ended, the market for gasoline stationary engines was much smaller. Contracts were taken out for engine manufacturing for tractors, Saxon Motor Car Company and others. Automobile production was moved to the former ordinance plant and other contracts to use the Knight engines were pursued.

R & V Knight

In 1920 The Moline-Knight was continued as the R & V Knight and manufactured until 1924. The Model R was a 4-cylinder 43-hp automobile with prices starting at $2,150, . The larger Model J was a 6-cylinder 60-hp automobile with a starting price of $3,050, . Enclosed sedan and

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

body styles were added to the roadster and touring cars. The cost of expansion for the war effort were costly, and R & V was unable to recoup these funds from the U. S. Government. On February 25, 1921 William H. Van Dervoort died. His illness had forced him to retire in 1920. Short on cash, R & V faltered during the

Depression of 1920–1921 The Depression of 1920–1921 was a sharp deflationary recession in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries, beginning 14 months after the end of World War I. It lasted from January 1920 to July 1921.

. Reorganizing was attempted but R & V was declared bankrupt and the plant and machinery was sold by 1924. Since 1899, Orlando Root had been a business partner with

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

professor

Samuel W. Parr Samuel Wilson Parr (1857 – May 16, 1931) was an American chemist and academic from Illinois. A graduate of the Illinois Industrial University (University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign), he taught at Illinois College after receiving a master' ...

in the Standard Calorimeter Company. In 1925 the company was recapitalized and would later become the Parr Instrument Company. On February 16, 1928 Orlando Root died at his home in Moline from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There are an estimated 37 Molines, Dreadnought Molines, Moline-Knights and R&V Knights extant.

Models

File:1905 Moline Advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1905 Model B Touring and Model D Touring File:1906 Moline Automobile Company advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1906 Moline Models C Touring, Model A Touring and Model G Runabout File:1908 Moline Model S advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1908 Moline Model S Touring File:1909 Moline Nineteen-Niner advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1909 Moline (Nineteen-Niner) Model K File:1909 Model M from brochure.jpg, 1909 Moline Model M Touring File:1909 Model K from brochure.jpg, 1909 Moline Model K Touring File:1910 Moline 30 advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1910 Moline (Model 30) Model M Touring and Tourabout File:1911 Moline Long Stroke Engine - Cycle an Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, alt=Fore-Four1911 Dreadnought Moline Model M-35 Touring, Fore-Door and Roadster, 1911 Dreadnought Moline Model M-35 Touring, Fore-Door and Roadster File:1913 Moline Dreadnought Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1913 Dreadnought Moline Model M-40 Touring File:1914 Moline-Knight 4 page advertisement - Motor Age Magazine Page 3.jpg, 1914 Moline-Knight 50 Touring File:1915 Moline-Knight advertisement - Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1915 Moline-Knight 40 Touring File:1916 Moline-Knight 50 from Brochure.jpg, 1916 Moline-Knight 50 Touring File:1917 Moline-Knight 4 Passenger Chummy Roadster.jpg, 1917 Moline-Knight Chummy Roadster File:1917 Moline-Knight advertisement Motor Age.jpg, 1918 Moline-Knight Model C Touring File:1920 R&V Knight advertisement Motor Age.jpg, 1920 R & V Knight Model J Coupe File:1921 R&V Knight advertisement.jpg, 1921 R & V Knight Model R Touring The first Moline model designations were inverted starting with D and then C, B, A not always in order.

Production

1909_Moline_Automobile_Factory_article_-_Universal_Bulletin

1909_Moline_Automobile_Testing_Track_article_-_Universal_Bulletin

References

{{reflist, 2 Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Illinois Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Cars powered by Knight engines American companies established in 1904 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1904 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1924 1904 establishments in Illinois East Moline, Illinois Defunct companies based in Illinois American automotive pioneers American automotive engineers Veteran vehicles Brass Era vehicles Vintage vehicles 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Cars introduced in 1904