The Family of Winton

Much later in history is the Scot, Alexander Winton, who immigrated to America and was responsible for much of the developments in the early automobile evolution, and the many patents that led that whole industry.  He is listed thus:

"Alexander Winton, famous Lakewoodite who for many years lived in a yellow brick mansion on Lake Avenue near Nicholson, helped put the nation on wheels.   Winton, known as a "trigger-tempered Scot," migrated to New York City from his native Scotland in 1878. He came to Cleveland in 1882 when he was 22. Here, he graduated from making bicycles to building automobiles, first on Perkins Avenue and later on Berea Road at Madison Avenue.   In 1896, he completed his first motor vehicle, a one-cylinder model with bicycle-style wheels. On March 24, 1898, a Winton became the first American-built auto to be sold commercially in the United States.   The pioneer car manufacturer was one of the first to enter cross-country tours and speed and endurance contests, setting a whole series of records. His most popular model was the Winton Six.   Between 1910 and 1920, he prospered. But in 1924, after refusing to acknowledge the trend toward less expensive cars or to give up his custom-building methods for new assembly-line techniques, he quit making autos.   The Winton Place high-rise apartment on Lakewood's Gold Coast was built on the site of his former home at 12706 Lake Ave. Earlier, Winton Avenue in Lakewood was named in his honor."

The Winton Automobile

In October 1896, Alexander Winton, of Cleveland, ( “the short-tempered Scotsman”) announced his first Automobile in "The Horseless Age" magazine. His machine weighed in at over 1000 pounds, which slowed its performance. A second Winton was introduced in February of 1897, and the Winton Motor Carriage Company was incorporated in March. The second Winton was longer and wider, accommodating three people across each of its two seats, the second seat facing rearward in what the French called the dos-a-dos (back to back) arrangement. (See picture.)

Leo Melanowski, Winton's Chief Engineer invited Henry Ford to come to Cleveland for an interview at the Winton Company. Alexander Winton was not impressed with Henry and decided not to hire him. Henry went back to Detroit to continue working on his second Quadricycle. The Winton Company recorded its first sale in March of 1898 for $1000 dollars and by years end, 22 Winton's were sold.

Winton was the first to use a steering wheel instead of a tiller; he put the engine in front of the driver instead of under the car; and he developed the first practical storage battery. He is perhaps best known now for the effect he had on others. James W. Packard, a maker of electrical products (whose firm later became the Packard Cable division of General Motors) visited Winton's office in Cleveland to offer a few suggestions for improving Winton's car. Winton blew his top and said: "If you don't like the car, why don't you build your own?"

By 1899, more than 100 Winton's had been delivered, making Winton's the largest manufacturer of gasoline powered autos in the United States. With the Winton starting to show a fair amount of success, the first auto dealership in the United States was opened in Reading, Pennsylvania by H.W. Koler

The Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland, Ohio was a pioneer United States automobile manufacturer. Winton was the first American company to sell a motor car.

1899 Winton

The company was incorporated on March 15, 1897 by Scottish immigrant, Alexander Winton, owner of the Winton Bicycle Company. Their first automobiles, called "horseless carriages," were built by hand and assembled piece by piece. Each vehicle had fancy painted sides, padded seats, a leather roof, and gas lamps. The Goodrich Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio made the rubber tires for Winton cars.

By 1897, Winton had already produced two fully operational prototype automobiles. In May of that year, the 10 horsepower (7.5 KW) model achieved the astonishing speed of 33.64 mph (54.14 Km/h) on a test around a Cleveland horse track. However, the new invention was still subject to much skepticism and to prove his automobile’s durability and usefulness, Alexander Winton had his car undergo an 800 mile endurance run from Cleveland to New York City.

On March 24, 1898 Robert Allison of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania became the first person to buy an American-built automobile when he bought a Winton after seeing an advertisement in Scientific American. Later that year the Winton Motor Carriage Company would sell twenty-one more vehicles. The following year, more than one hundred Winton vehicles were sold, making the company the largest manufacturer of gas-powered automobiles in the United States. This success led to the first automobile dealership being opened by Mr. H.W. Koler in Reading, Pennsylvania. To deliver the vehicles, in 1899 the innovative Winton company built the first auto hauler in America.

Publicity generated sales and in 1901 the news that both Reginald Vanderbilt and Alfred Vanderbilt had purchased Winton automobiles, boosted the company’s image substantially.  In 1903 Horatio Nelson Jackson made the first successful automobile drive across the United States in a new Winton.  Winton continued successfully through the 1910s marketing automobiles to upscale consumers.

1915 Winton Six Limousine

The first part of the 1900s saw dozens of new automobile companies starting up. Rapid innovation and intense competition led to the end of production by Winton in 1924. However, Winton continued in the marine and stationary gasoline and diesel engine business, an industry he had entered in 1912 with the Winton Engine Company. It became the Winton Engine Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors on June 20, 1930. It produced the first practical 2-stroke-cycle diesel engines in the 400 to 1,200 hp (300 to 900 kW) range, which powered early Electro-Motive Corporation (of GM) diesel locomotives and Navy submarines. That part of Winton devoted to the manufacturing of diesel locomotives in 1935 became part of the Electro-Motive Corporation--later a Division--of General Motors, and is still in business today. By 1936 Winton was producing engines for only the marine, Navy, and stationary applications. GM reorganized the company in 1937 as the Cleveland Engine Division of General Motors, and closed it down in 1962..