General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL/ RUBBER/ FIBRE

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

494.0 cm

Width

166.0 cm

Height

161.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

900.0

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive vehicles

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Kelsey

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Connecticut

City

Hartford

Context

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

Period

1911

Canada

At least one sold in Canada, in Nova Scotia. Came from the Smith Collection

Function

Owner driven passenger vehicle for general transportation.

Technical

The Motorette was introduced in 1910 by Cadwallader Washburn "Carl" Kelsey. The idea of a passenger-vehicle with 3 wheels was not new. Over the course of their history, though, they had encountered problems with stability. They rolled over. Kelsey developed the stabilizer, or anti-sway bar, which counteracted this tendency. He developed the Motorette to compete with Ford Model T: low-cost, light, comfortable and easy to drive. The car was sold $385, about half the price of its competitor. However, problems occurred with the engines after giving the contract for their production to Lycoming which went on strike shortly after. The engines produced were tested very minimally and were exported on the cars. They were unreliable having their crankcase with sand. This gave bad reputation to Kelsey's Motorette. The company closed in December 1911 after making about 210 Motorettes.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

NIL From CA of 08/27/1997 by Tony Missio: No - Appears complete. In good condition, operable and presentable.

Finish

PAINTED RED AND BLACK

Decoration

N/A