Penn was the name of three

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 regarded ...

s of the veteran era, but Penn Motor Car Company, located at 7510 Thomas Boulevard in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

was the only one to enter production. The Penn brass era automobile was produced from 1911 to 1912.

History

Penn Motor Car Company was established in November, 1910, with a capital stock of $150,000, and immediately started production. For 1911, one model was available, the ''Thirty''. This was a

4-cylinder The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...

, 30- hp car with a

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 (fron ...

of 105 inches. Customers could choose from two body styles, the Model R 2-passenger Roadster, and the Model T 5-passenger Touring. Priced at $975, or $1075 () respectively, they were remarkably competitive. Following the industry's trend, 1912 Penn cars saw body improvements that incorporated doors for all body styles, including front doors for the touring. At $1,200, a new roadster called the ''Comet'' was the most expensive ''Thirty''. The Model R-F Fore-Door Runabout for 2 passengers cost $1,000. The Model T-4 5-passenger Touring was listed at $1,100. Completely new for 1912 was a 45-hp car, appropriately called the ''Forty-Five''. Another 4-cylinder, this car had a wheelbase of 115 inches. Three body styles were available: The Model T-R Fore-Door Runabout for 2 passengers ($1,350), Model T-4 5-passenger Touring at $1,400), and another ''Comet'' roadster at $1,600 ({{Inflation, US, 1600, 1912, fmt=eq). In a time when many 40 or 50-hp cars sold for prices in exceed of $3,000, these automobiles were bargains. The McKay automobile of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

was based on the Penn. The end of the marque came when Penn built a $90,000 factory in

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is northwest of Pittsburgh, and near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, just southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, ...

which was locally financed. As the backers withdrew immediately after completion, Penn went into bankruptcy. On January, 21st, 1913, the plant was sold at auction for $54,000. Not a single car was built in the new location.

History

References

See also