The Signet cyclecar was the name used by Fenton Engineering Company of

Fenton, Michigan Fenton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan that lies mostly in Genesee County, with small portions in neighboring Oakland County and Livingston County. It is part of the Flint, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn, is included i ...

from 1913 to 1914. In 1914 the name was changed to Fenton and was manufactured by the Fenton Cyclecar Company. In May 1914, The Fenton became the Koppin and was produced by the Koppin Motor Company until September 1914.

History

Oscar J, Howick, formerly of Lozier and Packard, developed the Signet cyclecar with a Spacke DeLuxe twin-cylinder air-cooled engine,

belt drive A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating Drive shaft, shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to Transmission (mechanics), transmit power efficiently or to track relative m ...

and

friction transmission Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

. The body styling with a deep vee front, full doors and fenders, and leather upholstery was more elegant than the average cyclecar. The wheelbase was 96 inches and the tread 36-inches. Two passengers sat side-by-side in the cyclecar with a package shelf behind them. Introduced as the Fenton in November 1913, the price was $375, . George Jenks, a former automobile salesman, was the mover behind the Fenton and organized the Fenton Cyclecar Company to succeed Fenton Engineering Company to market the car. On March 23, 1914, tragedy struck with the sudden death of George Jenks. The Fenton Cyclecar Company was reorganized within two months as the Koppin Motor Company by H.S. Koppin, who owned the former A. J. Phillips plant in Fenton. The Fenton became the Koppin until September 1914, when the plant was destroyed by fire.

References

* {{cite book , author = G.N. Georgano , author-link = G.N. Georgano , title = The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to Present, url = https://archive.org/details/completeencyclop00geor, url-access = registration, year = 1968 Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Defunct manufacturing companies based in Michigan Cyclecars Brass Era vehicles Cars introduced in 1913 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1913 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1914 1910s cars