Premier Model 4-40 Clubman
|
Car producer : |
Premier |
|---|---|
|
Model: |
Model 4-40 Clubman |
|
Year: |
1910 |
|
Type: |
Tourer |
The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company was organized in 1903 by George A. Weidely and Harold O. Smith in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company built automobiles with air-cooled engines. They even attempted to enter the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup, running an air-cooled prototype, though it was disqualified for being overweight.
The 1904 Four-Cylinder Premier was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat six passengers and sold for US$ 5,000. The vertically mounted water-cooled straight-4, situated at the front of the car, produced 40 hp (30 kW). A three-speed sliding transmission was fitted as on Système Panhard cars from Europe. The pressed steel-framed car weighed 2250 lb (1021 kg) and used semi-elliptic springs. A Double-Cylinder Premier model sold for US$ 2,500. It had a 2-stroke straight-twin engine producing 20 hp (15 kW).
During 1906, the Model "F" and Model "L" were on the market with prices that ranged from $1,250 to $2,250. The cars were advertised as summer and winter vehicles that had a "powerful motor, easy but substantial clutch, buoyant springs and luxurious upholstering."
Model 4-40 has the 40 hp, 334 cu.in. engine features dual camshafts, one of which has the gears cut in such a way that when the driver moves the spark lever, the cam slides about two inches to adjust the timing. It also features two separate ignition systems, a make-or-break system with a low-tension magneto, and a Model T–style coil box and spark plugs—an advanced idea well ahead of the “dual ignition” bragged about by other manufacturers of the period, and which ensures the car starts readily in all weather.
