Mors 1898 6HP Dogcart on London to Brighton VCR 2010

The Mors

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

factory was an early French car manufacturer. It was one of the first to take part in

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

, beginning in 1897, due to the belief of the company founder, Émile Mors, in racing's technical and promotional benefits. By the turn of the century, automobile racing had become largely a contest between Mors and

Panhard et Levassor Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed b ...

Technical achievements

Mors was one of the first automobiles to use the

V engine A V engine, sometimes called a Vee engine, is a common configuration for internal combustion engines. It consists of two cylinder banks—usually with the same number of cylinders in each bank—connected to a common crankshaft. These cylinder ...

configuration. The Mors 60 horsepower

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

car was powered by a 9.2-litre V4 side valve engine, with

magneto ignition An ignition magneto, or high-tension magneto, is a magneto that provides current for the ignition system of a spark-ignition engine, such as a petrol engine. It produces pulses of high voltage for the spark plugs. The older term ''tension'' ...

and

dry sump lubrication A dry-sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in four-stroke and large two-stroke piston driven internal combustion engines. The dry-sump system uses two or more oil pumps and a separate oil reservoir, as opposed to a conve ...

, which could reach 950 rpm. The car had a steel chassis and a four-speed transmission that drove the rear wheels via

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. ...

, and rear-wheel

brakes A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background ...

. In 1902, Mors added pneumatic

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...

s to their cars, which represented a great leap forward given the quality of the roads and racetracks at the time. With this car, Henri Fournier was able to win the highly significant Paris-Berlin race, with the drive chain breaking immediately afterwards. Mors ended racing in 1908. Plans to return to auto racing were cancelled due to

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 ...

Citroën

André Citroën André-Gustave Citroën (; 5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a French industrialist and the founder of French automaker Citroën. He is remembered chiefly for the make of car named after him, but also for his application of double helical ...

became chairman of Mors in 1908 and restored the company's viability. In 1925, Citroën bought Mors outright and closed it down, using its factory for the production of his Citroën automobiles.

Range

The company produced a number of models which were sold widely in Europe and in the USA. In 1905 these ranged from 2.3 litres to the 8.1 litre 40/52 HP and by 1914

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

-built Knight sleeve valve engines replaced side-valve units in the larger cars. Post-1918 only

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. ...

engines were used. Citroën's chevron gears were used for the bevel drive rear axles from 1914 and a unique feature was the Mors patented clutch, which had a contracting band system which replaced the

cone clutch A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

used until 1903. The marque was resurrected briefly when a few small electric cars were made during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

by a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

electrical company of Émile Mors. File:Mors 1901 10HP Tonneau on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Mors 10HP tonneau from 1901 owner The Royal Automobile Club File:Mors 1902 16HP Limousine on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Mors 16HP limousine from 1902 File:Henri Fournier on the Mors machine.jpg,

Henri Fournier Henri Fournier (14 April 1871, in Le Mans – 18 December 1919) was a French racing driver. Fournier began his career on motorcycles and tricycles. In 1901 he came to the Mors racing team and was the most successful driver of this year, as he wo ...

on the "Mors Machine", 1902 File:Mors 1904 32 HP Roi-des-Belges on London to Brighton VCR 2010.jpg, Mors32 HP Roi-des-Belges 1904 File:Mors Tonneau Ferme Typ N.JPG, Mors tonneau fermé Type N, 4 cylinder, 1809 cc, 1910. 60 km/h,

Cité de l'Automobile Musée National de l’Automobile, Collection Schlumpf is an automobile museum located in Mulhouse, France, and built around the Schlumpf Collection of classic automobiles. It has the largest displayed collection of automobiles and contains the lar ...

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

File:Mors 1925.jpg, Last Mors model: 1925 12/16HP sport

Central Automobile Company

Central Automobile Company was the US importer of Mors automobiles in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

in the very early part of the 20th century. The 1904 Mors 18 HP was a

touring car 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 ...

. Equipped with a

tonneau A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo. A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...

, it could seat 4 to 6 passengers and sold for a high

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

8000. The vertically mounted water-cooled

straight-4 A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

, situated at the front of the car, produced 18 HP (13.4 kW). A 4-speed transmission was fitted. The pressed steel-framed car was quite modern, with a cellular radiator (with fan) and a throttle control. The Mors 11 HP sold for US$5000.

American Mors

The

St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...

also manufactured the American Mors. After manufacturing the St. Louis and Kobusch cars, the latter of which looked like a Mors, in 1906 the St. Louis Car Company acquired an official

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

, blueprints, and plans from the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

ian factory to manufacture Mors cars in the U.S.Kimes, Beverly Rae. ''Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1805-1942'' (Iola, WI: Krause, 1996), p.43. After making the American Mors for three years, the company turned to the manufacture of a car of their own design, the Standard Six.

References

Sources

* ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (January, 1904) * Georgano, Nick (Ed.). ''The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile'' (Volume 2). Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000. * Kimes, Beverley Rae, & Clark Jr, Henry Austin. ''Standard Catalog of American cars: 1805-1942'' (Third Edition). Iola, WI: Krause, 1996. {{StLouisCars Car manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of France Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Cars powered by Knight engines Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1895 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1925 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1906 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1908 French companies established in 1895 1925 disestablishments in France French brands Brass Era vehicles Veteran vehicles Vintage vehicles 1890s cars 1900s cars 1910s cars 1920s cars Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Missouri