For this marque article, I have chosen a manufacturer that was in business for only seven years and produced just one model. The company is DeLorean, founded in Northern Ireland by John DeLorean, an American industry veteran who had worked for Chrysler, Packard and General Motors before founding his own company in 1975. DeLorean’s parents had immigrated to the US from … [Read more...]
Star Motor Company
There were at least two manufacturers or brands called Star. One was made by the Durant Company in the US and one was based in Britain and is the subject of this article. The Star Motor Company was started in 1898 and lasted for about thirty years into the Great Depression. Like many compatriot companies, Star started out making bicycles in 1893 as Sharratt and Lisle, the … [Read more...]
De Soto
Back in the 1920s and 30s the major American brands all looked to soak up the differing and growing market segments. Chrysler bought the Dodge Brothers company and also created a second brand to target the mid range price point. This article is about this creation, named after Hernandez De Soto, a Spanish explorer of the 16th Century. The original De Soto was the first … [Read more...]
Chenard et Walcker
This small company will forever be in the motor sports history books, thanks to one major race win – the first running of the Le Mans 24 hour race. The company is Chenard et Walcker. The company was founded in France in 1900 by Ernest Chenard and Henri Walcker. Chenard was a railway engineer and like many other formative car builders, he also manufactured bicycles. Walcker … [Read more...]
Iso Rivolta
This week in our history article I will describe a company that started out making a non-motoring product, was acquired and revamped into a car manufacturer and after it failed, its descendant became a successful property group. Iso Rivolta started out as Isothermos and developed refrigerators and equipment for railways. In 1948, Renzo Rivolta bought the company to move into … [Read more...]
