Schacht was an American

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

automobiles 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 as ...

and High-wheelers from 1904 to 1913, in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. The Schacht Manufacturing Company, later renamed Schacht Motor Car Company produced over 9,000 automobiles. The company was reorganized as the G.A. Schacht Motor Truck Company in 1914 and production of

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

and

fire trucks A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...

continued until 1938.

History

The Schacht Manufacturing Company was started by William and Gustav Schacht in

, producing buggies. A sideline business of manufacturing automobile components grew into producing their first high-wheeler automobile in 1904. The Schacht was a twin-cylinder 10 hp runabout, designed for rural roads with carriage wheels. Advertised as "the simplest, most practical, efficient and economical car made", it had a

steering wheel A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel (UK), a hand wheel, or simply wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and ...

and attractive brass

radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

from the beginning. The High-wheeler's were priced in the $650 () range and were extremely popular. In 1905 a larger

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 ...

, 40hp

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 ...

was added and marketed until 1907. The touring car was luxury priced at $2,800 to $3,200, . From 1908 to 1911 only high-wheel cars were produced. The high-wheelers steadily grew more powerful resulting in the twin-cylinder engine rated at 24hp by 1910. In 1911 Schacht returned to producing conventional touring cars with the 4-cylinder Model AA mid-priced at $1,385, . Schacht marketed a "Three Purpose Car" which was a runabout that was convertible to a family car or delivery wagon. Schacht entered the 1912 Indianapolis 500, with a

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

engine race car, driven by Bill Endicott. Endicott in the Schacht #18 placed Fifth. Schacht ran the

1913 Indianapolis 500 The Third International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1913. Frenchman Jules Goux became the first foreign-born, and first European winner of the Indianapolis 500. His margin of victory of ...

with

Johnny Jenkins Johnny Edward Jenkins (March 5, 1939 – June 26, 2006) was an American left-handed blues guitarist, who helped launch the career of Otis Redding. His flamboyant style of guitar playing also influenced Jimi Hendrix. Career In the 1960s Je ...

driving Schacht #18 with a Schacht engine. Jenkins retired with a crankcase failure. Gustav and William Schacht reported a "lack of good business system in all departments" and reorganized as the G. A. Schacht Motor Truck Company in 1914. Schacht purchased or merged several times with other truck companies and continued building trucks and fire trucks until 1938.

Gallery

File:1904 Schacht Auto-Runabout - Automobile Driving Museum - El Segundo, CA - DSC01742.jpg, 1904 Schacht Twin 10hp Runabout File:1908 Schacht advertisement - Horseless Age.jpg, Advertising for 1908 Schacht File:1907 Schacht High Wheeler (40422694873).jpg, 1907 Schacht Model H Runabout File:1911 Schacht advertisement The Horseless Age.jpg, 1911 Schacht advertisement in the Horseless Age File:1912 Bill Endicott - Schacht 18 - Indianapolis 500.jpg, 1912 Indianapolis 500, Bill Endicott on Schacht #18. 5th place. File:1913 Schacht advertisement - Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1913 Schacht advertisement in Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal File:1913 Johnny Jenkins - Schacht 18 - Indianapolis 500.jpg, 1913 Indianapolis 500 - Johnny Jenkins on Schacht #18. Retired, crankcase failure. File:1918 Schacht Truck advertisement Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal.jpg, 1918 Schacht Worm Drive Trucks advertisement

References

External links

The Schacht Mfg. CoSchacht High-wheelers at ConceptCarzSchacht Cars and Trucks made in Cincinnati, Ohio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schacht (Automobile) Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Ohio Defunct truck manufacturers Emergency services equipment makers Defunct companies based in Cincinnati Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1904 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1940 1904 establishments in Ohio 1940 disestablishments in Ohio Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars 1910s cars Highwheeler Cars introduced in 1904