General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

4

Total Parts

4

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal

Dimensions

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

Length

N/A

Width

8.0 cm

Height

3.9 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive parts

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

McLaughlin

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Oshawa

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

In the middle of the 19th century, Robert McLaughlin opened a farm wagon workshop producing horse-drawn vehicles. McLaughlin partnered with his sons Sam and George and expanded the McLaughlin Carriage Company, at first opening a carriage plant in Oshawa, Ontario in 1876 and then across the country. In 1908, the McLaughlin Motor Car Company was established in partnership with William Durant and the Buick Motor Company. The company produced McLaughlin vehicles that were modeled after Sam McLaughlin's designs with Buick and Chevrolet engines. When the McLaughlin Motor Car Company merged with General Motors, Sam and George became president and vice president of the first General Motors of Canada ("History of GM Canada"). General Motors is an important car manufacturer today (2011). Hubcaps are a collectors' item.

Function

Cover put on automobile wheels to enhance its aesthetic appearance or aerodynamism and to protect the wheel bolts from mud and dust.

Technical

General Motors (GM) was established in 1892 and today the company is still an important car manufacturer. The company produces a variety of brands, which include Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Saturn, Cadillac, Hummer, and Saab. The origins of GM began with the founding of the Olds Motor Vehicle Company by R.E. Olds in 1892 (Grant: 148-153). The company merged with the Olds Gasoline Engine Works to become Olds Motor Works in 1899, which produced the first Oldsmobile (Walkinshaw, “Olds, Ransom Eli”). In 1901, Olds developed the first Oldsmobile and manufactured vehicles at a low cost for the mass market, contributing to the growth of the U.S. automotive industry (National Park Service). In 1903, some of the major manufacturing giants banned together as a result of market instability. William Durant, an executive of the Buick Motor Company formed the General Motors Corporation by merging Oldsmobile and Buick; Cadillac and Oakland (renamed Pontiac) joined in 1909 and Chevrolet followed in 1918. By 1920, GM had acquired the McLaughlin Motor Company of Canada, which would later become General Motors of Canada Limited. Today, GM continues to be an important manufacturer of automobiles (Grant: 148-153). Originally, hub caps date back to the horse-drawn era and afterwards to the first automobiles when wheels were made of wooden spokes connected to the center hub. The hub contained the wheel bearing, which was packed with grease. The hub cap was a small device used to cover the center hub to keep the dust out and the grease in. Eventually, car manufacturers replaced the wooden spokes with steel wire spokes in the 1920s and 1930s. As a result the hub cap evolved into a wheel cover, which is a large disc that covers most of the wheel. Wheel covers continue to serve a functional purpose but they have also become a decorative design feature of the wheel (KE – notes: 1979.0594.001).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Center of hubcap depressed in circular fashion, filled with black paint, name 'MCLAUGHLIN BUICK' in raised letters

Missing

N/A

Finish

Polished surface, black paint in center of hubcap

Decoration

N/A