Pope Motor Car Co
General
Late 19th century: Colonel Albert Augustus Pope started the Pope Manufacturing Co
After that company closed, he set up The Pope Motor Car Company; Pope was a manufacturer of automobiles between 1903 and 1909.
The models included the Pope-Toledo, Pope-Hartford, Pope-Robinson, Pope-Tribune, Pope-Waverley.
In 1909 the company was taken over by Richard D. Apperson of the American National Bank of Lynchburg, Virginia.
Pope-Toledo
The 1903 Pope-Toledo was a four wheel, front engined, two seater open car. It was powered by a straight 3 cylinder 182 cubic inch (2,983cc) engine with the then unusual feature of a detachable cylinder head. Valve operation was mechanical and the engine speed was governed at 600 RPM. Drive was through a 3 speed gearbox with chains to each rear wheel. The chassis was mainly wood with a steel sub-frame carrying the main mechanical components. The car had a wheelbase of 7 feet 5 inches and a track of 4 feet 8 inches.
The 1904 model was a larger touring car . Equipped with a rear entrance tonneau body, it could seat 5 passengers and sold for USD3,500. The vertically-mounted water-cooled straight-4, situated at the front of the car, produced 24hp. A 3-speed sliding transmission was fitted. The channel steel-framed car weighed 2,350lb (1066kg). This modern Système Panhard car had spark and throttle levers on steering wheel, a novelty at the time.
By 1907 the company models included limousines and seven seat cars.
Pope-Waverley
Pope-Waverley was one of the brands of the Pope Motor Car Company founded by Albert Augustus Pope and was a manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company was originally formed as the Indiana Bicycle Company in 1898 changing to the American Bicycle Company in 1900. In 1903 it became the International Motor Car Company before joining the Pope group in 1903. From 1908 until production ceased in 1914 they became independent again as the Waverley Company.
The 1904 Pope-Waverley Chelsea was a runabout model. It could seat 2 passengers and sold for US$1100. The single electric motor was situated at the rear of the car, and produced 3 hp. The car used 30 batteries.
The 1904 Pope-Waverley Road Wagon was a smaller wagon model. It could seat 2 passengers with an open box at the rear for cargo and sold for US$850. The single electric motor was situated at the rear of the car and produced 3 hp (2.2 kW). The car used a 24-cell battery and could travel at 5 or 15 mph (8 or 24 km/h).
The 1904 Pope-Waverley Edison Battery Wagon was a runabout model with 48-cell Edison batteries. It could seat 2 passengers and sold for US$2250. The electric motor was situated at the rear of the car.
The 1904 Pope-Waverley Tonneau was a tonneau model. It could seat 5 passengers and sold for US$1800. Twin electric motors were situated at the rear of the car, producing 3 hp (2.2 kW) each with a special 12 hp (8.9 kW) overload mode. The armored wood-framed car used 40 batteries and could reach 15 mph (24 km/h).
See also Pope Manufacturing Co
Early Registrations
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia