The Red Bug, later marketed as the Auto Red Bug were a vintage era

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive motorized car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the c ...

automobile manufactured by the Automotive Electric Service Corp. of

North Bergen, New Jersey North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, ...

from 1924 to 1930. It is considered an early version of a

microcar Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are ofte ...

History

A. O. Smith developed the

Smith Flyer The Smith Flyer was an American automobile manufactured by the A.O. Smith, A.O. Smith Company in Milwaukee from 1915 until about 1919 when the manufacturing rights were sold to Briggs & Stratton and it was renamed the Briggs & Stratton Flyer. ...

with a fifth wheel, called the Smith Motor Wheel, driven by a

gas engine A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a fuel gas (a gaseous fuel), such as coal gas, producer gas, biogas, landfill gas, natural gas or hydrogen. In the United Kingdom and British English-speaking countries, the term is ...

. Manufactured in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

, by the

American Motor Vehicle Company The American Motor Vehicle Company was founded in Lafayette, Indiana in 1916. It manufactured pedal cars and built the Auto Red Bug and American Junior (automobile), American Junior automobile models 1916 and 1920. References

Defunct moto ...

, from 1916 to 1919, A. O. Smith sold the rights to

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of small engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large faciliti ...

who marketed the cyclecar as The Briggs & Stratton Flyer. Briggs & Stratton sold the rights to the Flyer and Briggs & Stratton Motor Wheel to Automotive Electric Service Corp. in 1924 who continued to build it as the Red Bug. When the supply of gasoline engines ran low, a 12 volt electric version was produced. The electric version was built with four wheels, with one rear wheel driven by a Northeast electric motor, the same motor used for starting on contemporary

Dodge Brothers Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

automobiles. Red Bugs and Auto Red Bugs were sold by

Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) is an American lifestyle store, lifestyle retailer, founded in 1892 which focuses on contemporary clothing targeting customers in their early 20's to mid 40's. Headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, the company operate ...

and others in the United States, as well as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Priced at $150 () from 1924, the small automobiles sold mostly as a novelty for the wealthy, but also for transportation within resorts and at amusement parks. In 1930 there were reports that Indian Motorcycle Company would take over production of the Red Bug, but this did not occur since Indian itself was acquired by the duPonts.

External links

History of the Red Bug Car

Jekyll Island History - Red Bug

Silodrome.com Auto Red Bug article

Auto Red Bug at Heritage Museum and Gardens

1924 Red Bug sold at Sotheby's Auction

Unusual 1924 Red Bug at the Lane Museum

References

{{reflist Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United States Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New Jersey Electric vehicles Vintage vehicles 1920s cars Cyclecars Microcars Cars introduced in 1924