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Runabout (car)

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A runabout is a car body style popular in the 1910s, based on the horse-drawn runabout carriage.

It was popular in North America from 1900 to about 1915. It was a light, basic style with no windshield, top, or doors and a single row of seats. Runabouts eventually became indistinguishable from roadsters and the term fell out of use in the United States. The approach has evolved into the modern "city car".

Origin

Runabouts originated as a type of horse and carriage body.

In 1881, Rufus Meade Stivers produced runabout bodies using a patent held by Joseph Tilton.[1] Stivers, a blacksmith and wheelwright, produced the runabouts in his carriage manufactory on East 31st Street, Manhattan, established in 1851.[2][3]

According to The Carriage Journal,

A horse-drawn runabout owned by Caroline Foster, on display in Fosterfields Living Historical Farm.
A horse-drawn runabout owned by Caroline Foster, on display in Fosterfields Living Historical Farm.

The special feature of the runabout was that the body was hung low by using cranked axles, and the side-bars were attached to legs at the top of the crank. The original runabout was made without a top, and, besides hanging low which made for steadiness, it was roomy and comfortable.[2]

Stivers patented the "runabout" name and threatened to sue other manufacturers for infringement. However, buggies titled "runabout" were produced by other manufacturers and soon applied to many different shapes without regard to the original meaning.[2]

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Description and history

The runabout was a light, inexpensive, open car[4][5] with basic bodywork and no windshield, top, or doors.[4] Most runabouts had just a single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers.[4][5][6] Some also had a rumble seat at the rear to provide optional seating for one or two more passengers;[4][6] those without rumble seats may have had a trunk platform, a box, or a fuel tank instead.[6] They differed from buggies and high wheelers mainly by having smaller wheels.[4]

Early runabouts had their engines under the body toward the middle of the chassis.[4] This sometimes made maintenance difficult, as on the Oldsmobile Curved Dash where the body had to be removed in order to access the engine.[7] The Gale runabout dealt with this problem by hinging the body at the rear of the car such that it could be tilted to access the engine.[7][8] Some later runabouts had the engine in what became the conventional position at the front of the car.[4]

1907 Cadillac Model K at AutoWorld in Brussels
1907 Cadillac Model K at AutoWorld in Brussels

Runabouts were popular in North America from the late 19th century to about 1915.[4] They were designed for light use over short distances.[9] By the mid-1910s, they became almost indistinguishable from roadsters.[10]

Notable examples of runabouts include the Oldsmobile Curved Dash mentioned earlier, which was the first mass-produced car,[7] and the Cadillac runabout, which won the Dewar Trophy for 1908 by demonstrating its use of interchangeable parts.[11]

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Rumble seat

Rumble seat

A rumble seat, dicky (dickie/dickey) seat, also called a mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior seat which folded into the rear of a coach, carriage, or early motorcar. Depending on its configuration, it provided exposed seating for one or two passengers.

Buggy (automobile)

Buggy (automobile)

Buggy is generally used to refer to any lightweight automobile with off road capabilities and sparse bodywork. Most are built either as a kit car or from scratch.

High wheeler

High wheeler

A high wheeler is a car which uses large diameter wheels that are similar to those used by horse-drawn vehicles. These cars were produced until about 1915, predominantly in the United States.

Mid-engine design

Mid-engine design

In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle.

Oldsmobile Curved Dash

Oldsmobile Curved Dash

The gasoline-powered Oldsmobile Model R, also known as the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1903; 425 were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all. When General Motors assumed operations from Ransom E. Olds on November 12, 1908, GM introduced the Oldsmobile Model 20, which was the 1908 Buick Model 10 with a stretched wheelbase and minor exterior changes.

Western Tool Works (automobile company)

Western Tool Works (automobile company)

Western Tool Works was a pioneering brass era automobile manufacturer in Galesburg, Illinois. The company made Gale automobiles from 1904 to 1910. Early Gale runabouts were notable for having bodywork hinged at the rear of the car that could be lifted to ease access to the engine, essentially making the entire body the hood.

Cadillac Runabout and Tonneau

Cadillac Runabout and Tonneau

The first Cadillac automobiles were the 1903 Model built in the last quarter of 1902. These were 2-seater "horseless carriages" powered by a reliable and sturdy 10 hp (7 kW) single-cylinder engine developed by Henry Martyn Leland and built by Leland and Faulconer Manufacturing Company of Detroit, of which Henry Leland was founder, vice-president and general manager.

Roadster (automobile)

Roadster (automobile)

A roadster is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. Initially an American term for a two-seat car with no weather protection, usage has spread internationally and has evolved to include two-seat convertibles.

Mass production

Mass production

Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch production, it is one of the three main production methods.

Dewar Trophy

Dewar Trophy

The Dewar Trophy was a cup donated in the early years of the twentieth century by Sir Thomas R. Dewar, M.P. a member of parliament of the United Kingdom (UK), to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club of the United Kingdom "to the motor car which should successfully complete the most meritorious performance or test furthering the interests and advancement of the [automobile] industry".

Interchangeable parts

Interchangeable parts

Interchangeable parts are parts that are identical for practical purposes. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any assembly of the same type. One such part can freely replace another, without any custom fitting, such as filing. This interchangeability allows easy assembly of new devices, and easier repair of existing devices, while minimizing both the time and skill required of the person doing the assembly or repair.

Legacy

The 1964 GM Runabout was a three wheel concept car first exhibited at Futurama II, part of the 1964 New York World's Fair. The car was designed specifically for housewives and had detachable shopping carts built into it.[12]

The term "runabout" is still in use in the UK, denoting a small car used for short journeys.[13]

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Three-wheeler

Three-wheeler

A three-wheeler is a vehicle with three wheels. Some are motorized tricycles, which may be legally classed as motorcycles, while others are tricycles without a motor, some of which are human-powered vehicles and animal-powered vehicles.

Concept car

Concept car

A concept car is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not be mass-produced. General Motors designer Harley Earl is generally credited with inventing the concept car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling Motorama shows of the 1950s.

Futurama (New York World's Fair)

Futurama (New York World's Fair)

Futurama was an exhibit and ride at the 1939 New York World's Fair designed by Norman Bel Geddes, which presented a possible model of the world 20 years into the future (1959–1960). The installation was sponsored by the General Motors Corporation and was characterized by automated highways and vast suburbs.

1964 New York World's Fair

1964 New York World's Fair

The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations, 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or attractions at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The immense fair covered 646 acres (2.61 km2) on half the park, with numerous pools or fountains, and an amusement park with rides near the lake. However, the fair did not receive official support or approval from the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).

Shopping cart

Shopping cart

A shopping cart, trolley, or buggy, also known by a variety of other names, is a wheeled cart supplied by a shop or store, especially supermarkets, for use by customers inside the premises for transport of merchandise as they move around the premises, while shopping, prior to heading to the checkout counter, cashiers or tills. Increasing the amount of goods a shopper can collect increases the quantities they are likely to purchase in a single trip, boosting store profitability.

Source: "Runabout (car)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, September 14th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runabout_(car).

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Notes
  1. ^ "R.M. Stivers, Rufus Meade Stivers, R.M. Stivers Carriage and Automobile Co., Lozier, Stivers Carriage Mfg. Co. - Coachbult.com". www.coachbuilt.com. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  2. ^ a b c Ryder, Thomas (1981-03-01). The Carriage Journal: Vol 18 No 4 Spring 1981. Carriage Assoc. of America.
  3. ^ US437263A, "Joseph tilton", issued 1890-09-30 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Haajanen 2003, p. 116.
  5. ^ a b Georgano 1973, p. 216.
  6. ^ a b c Clough 1913, p. 258.
  7. ^ a b c Sedgwick 1972, p. 26.
  8. ^ Georgano 1971, p. 86.
  9. ^ Clough 1913, p. 325.
  10. ^ Clough 1913, pp. 257, 258.
  11. ^ Posthumus 1977, p. 48.
  12. ^ Smith 1993, p. 238.
  13. ^ Anderson et al. 2006, p. 750.
References
  • Anderson, Sandra; Crozier, Justin; Gilmour, Lorna; Grandison, Alice; McKeown, Cormac; Stibbs, Anne; Summers, Elspeth, eds. (2006). "runabout". Collins Concise Dictionary & Thesaurus. Glasgow, UK: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 750. ISBN 978-0-00-722971-0. n. 1 a small car used for short journeys
  • Clough, Albert L. (1913). A dictionary of automobile terms. The Horseless Age Company. LCCN 13003001. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  • Georgano, G. N., ed. (1971). "Glossary". Encyclopedia of American Automobiles. New York, NY USA: E. P. Dutton. pp. 215–217. ISBN 0-525-097929. LCCN 79147885. Runabout. A general term for a light two-passenger car of the early 1900s.
  • Haajanen, Lennart W. (2003). Illustrated Dictionary of Automobile Body Styles. Illustrations by Bertil Nydén. Jefferson, NC USA: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1276-3. LCCN 2002014546.
  • Posthumus, Cyril (1977) [1977]. "The Motoring Boom". The story of Veteran & Vintage Cars. John Wood, illustrator (Phoebus 1977 ed.). London: Hamlyn / Phoebus. pp. 36–49. ISBN 0-600-39155-8. Under RAC observation three cars from stock were completely dismantled, their parts intermixed, and three new cars assembled, all working flawlessly — a feat that won Cadillac the coveted Dewar Trophy.
  • Sedgwick, Michael (1972) [1962]. "Chapter One The Pioneer Days 1769 – 1904". Early Cars. London, UK: Octopus Books. ISBN 0-7064-0058-5. The Oldsmobile merits its niche in history as the first true example of mass-production, some 3,750 being turned out in 1903 alone... Despite the Oldsmobile's known reliability, the makers' handbook launches out on the first page of text with the alarming suggestion: 'Let us first remove the body'!
  • Smith, Michael L. (1993). "Making Time". In Fox, Richard Wightman; Lears, T. J. Jackson (eds.). The Power of Culture: Critical Essays in American History. Chicago, IL US: University of Chicago. pp. 222–243. ISBN 0-2262-5955-2.

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