The Union automobile was a vehicle manufactured by the

Union Automobile Company The Union Automobile Company was an automobile factory to manufacture the Union automobile through the Buckeye Manufacturing Company. It began manufacturing automobiles in 1902 and produced them through 1905. The company was located in Union Ci ...

from 1902 until 1905. It was designed by

John William Lambert John William Lambert (January 29, 1860 May 20, 1952) was an American automobile manufacturer pioneer and inventor. He is the inventor of the first practical American gasoline automobile. He operated large manufacturing companies that made ...

, who had developed the three-wheel

Buckeye gasoline buggy The Buckeye gasoline buggy, also known as the Lambert gasoline buggy, was an 1891 gasoline automobile, the first made in the United States. It was also the first automobile made available for sale in the United States. It was initially a three- ...

in 1891. Over the next decade, Lambert substantially refined the vehicle, with modifications including an additional wheel, a more powerful engine, and a new transmission system. The Union Automobile Company was formed as 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 ...

of Lambert's Buckeye Manufacturing Company solely to manufacture the Union, which took its name from Union City, Indiana, the city where it was built and which endorsed its production. In total, the company built over three hundred Union automobiles, before development shifted to the Lambert automobile, the Union's successor.

Development

The Union automobile was a modified design of a previous single-cylinder vehicle that

had started producing in 1891 in Union City, Ohio. Experimental models were produced in 1898, 1900, and 1901; the 1900 model was the first to feature Lambert's new transmission system. Lambert, who had over six hundred patents for automobile-related parts, secured favorable concessions from the Union City chamber of commerce, in return for the vehicle being named after the city. It would be produced there by the

from 1902 until 1905. Manufactured from parts made by the Buckeye Manufacturing Company in Anderson, Indiana, the Union had entered full production by 1902, but improvements to the design were made yearly. In 1903, the motor, which consisted of a pair of opposed 6 x

cylinders A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infini ...

, was moved from the front, where it had been initially placed, to the rear. In 1904 and 1905, five-seater tonneau models were produced; while the 1904 model had a 10 horsepower engine, the company produced 12 and 16 horsepower versions the following year. Manufacturing of the automobile was moved from Union City to Anderson in 1905. Late that year, the car was redesigned, and production was started again under a new name: the Lambert automobile, while production of the union stopped entirely. In total, the company had manufactured 325 vehicles between 1902 and 1905 (25 in 1902, 50 in 1903, 100 in 1904, and 150 in 1905).

Vehicle specifications

The operator of the Union automobile controlled the steering wheel with his right hand and the speed-changing lever, which allowed two speeds for forward movement and one for reversing, with his left. The variation in speed was permitted by the motor, which could be varied from 150 to over 1,500 revolutions per minute. The top speed of the automobile was . The gasoline tank, which was hidden in the back of the seat, had a capacity sufficient to run the automobile for to . The left foot controlled the handbrake; by throwing the transmission system into reverse, it operated as an emergency brake. This novel transmission system, which was connected by double chain to the rear wheels, was gearless, eliminating the jarring movements then associated with gear changes. The automobile's motor was devised by Lambert. Started by

dry cell upLine art drawing of a dry cell: 1. brass cap, 2. plastic seal, 3. expansion space, 4. porous cardboard, 5. zinc can, 6. carbon rod, 7. chemical mixture A dry cell is a type of electric battery, commonly used for portable electrical devices. Un ...

batteries, the four-cycle gasoline engine had two opposed cylinders that produced an initial eight horsepower. Both cylinders acted on one crankshaft, producing a balanced engine. After the engine was started, an electric magneto generator sparked the combustion of the gasoline in the cylinders to keep the motor in operation. A gear from the

camshaft A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...

drove a

circulating pump A circulator pump or circulating pump is a specific type of pump used to circulate gases, liquids, or slurries in a closed circuit. They are commonly found circulating water in a hydronic heating or cooling system. Because they only circulate ...

which water-cooled the engine by means of a large radiator coil. The automobile, which had a wheelbase and a axle track, was equipped with wheels and wide

pneumatic tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

and enameled sheet steel

mud guard A mudflap or mud guard is used in combination with the vehicle fender to protect the vehicle, passengers, other vehicles, and pedestrians from mud and other flying debris thrown into the air by the rotating tire. A mudflap is typically made fro ...

s; kerosene oil lamps were additionally provided for evening travel. In 1902 and 1903, a front seat was provided for two people, which could be closed up and the vehicle then used as a four person runabout vehicle. It cost $1,250 , with the option of a $25

dos-à-dos Dos-à-dos (French for "back-to-back") may refer to: *Dosado or do-si-do, dance move *Dos-à-dos binding In bookbinding, a dos-à-dos binding ( or , from the French for "back-to-back") is a binding structure in which two separate books are bo ...

seat which converted the car into a six-passenger vehicle. The final model produced by the Union Automobile Company was a 1905 Model E. Fitted with a detachable side entrance tonneau body, which sat three people, the car was

upholstered Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

to a high standard: genuine leather was used in combination with a soft insulation material and springs in both the seat cushions and the back. It could hold up to five passengers, and was equipped with two oil lamps, a

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, and necessary maintenance tools, for a total price of $1200 ($1125 without the tonneau).

Footnotes

Sources

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Development

Vehicle specifications

See also

Footnotes

Sources

Further reading