OK, what is a Winton? Personally, I never heard of them, but they do have an interesting, but somewhat brief history. And one, near identical to the one posted above performed quite an accomplishment that the article below will reveal and describe...so, read on!
The Winton Motor Carriage Company was a pioneer United States automobile manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Winton was one of the first American companies to sell a motor car. In 1912, Winton became one of the first American manufacturers of diesel engines.
In 1896, Scottish immigrant Alexander Winton, owner of the Winton Bicycle Company, turned from bicycle production to an experimental single-cylinder automobile before starting his car company.
The company was incorporated on March 15, 1897. Its first automobiles were built by hand. Each vehicle had painted sides, padded seats, a leather roof, and gas lamps. B.F. Goodrich made the tires.
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson made the first successful automobile drive across the United States. On a $50 bet (equal to $1,750 today), he purchased a slightly used two-cylinder, 20 hp (15 kW) Winton touring car and hired a mechanic, Sewall K. Crocker (April 7, 1883 – April 22, 1913), to accompany him. Starting in San Francisco, California, ending in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The trip lasted 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes, including breakdowns and delays while waiting for parts to arrive (especially in Cleveland.) The two men often drove miles out of the way to find a passable road, repeatedly hoisted the Winton up and over rocky terrain and mud holes with a block and tackle, or were pulled out of soft sand by horse teams. In 1903, there were only 150 miles of paved road in the entire country, all inside city limits. There were no road signs or maps. They once paid the exorbitant price of $5 for five gallons of gasoline ($178 in 2024 dollars). Jackson and Crocker followed rivers and streams, transcontinental railroad tracks, sheep trails, and dirt back roads. The car is now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History after Jackson himself donated the vehicle to the museum where it can still be seen on display.
The 1904 Winton was a five-passenger tonneau-equipped tourer which sold for US$2,500.
Winton's flat-mounted water-cooled straight-twin engine, situated amidships of the car, produced 20 hp (15 kW). The channel and angle steel-framed car weighed 2,300 lb (1,000 kg).Winton continued to successfully market automobiles to upscale consumers through the 1910s, but sales began to fall in the early 1920s. This was due to the very conservative nature of the company, both in terms of technical development and styling. Only one sporting model was offered — the Sport Touring, with the majority of Wintons featuring tourer, sedan, limousine and town car styling. The Winton Motor Carriage Company ceased automobile production on February 11, 1924.
The Brass Headlights by Gray & Davis Manufacturing Company.
Gray & Davis, Inc. was a pioneer manufacturer of automobile electrical equipment with over 1000 employees across three manufacturing plants. The company’s main location was on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but other plants were located in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and Detroit, Michigan. The company was founded in the late 19th century by president William Gray. It closed in 1926 after it was purchased by American Bosch (now the Ambac International Corporation), a company that manufactures diesel fuel injection systems. Gray and Davis auto parts, especially head lamps, have become a collectible on their own.
