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3640 as a touring car (and was soon reduced in price); the Super-Charge Four cost only $ 1995. Regardless, the Super-Charge Four flopped badly; by the end of 1921 only 16 vehicles had been produced. The reason is unclear, but may have been the engine.
263:
Apart from the engine, the
Kessler Super-Charge Four was a very conventional private car. Because of the company's limited resources, it was an assembled car, consisting of purchased components fitted together. The chassis consisted of a
284:; the Super-Charge Four offered distinctly superior performance over the Packard's 52 bhp (39 kW) and a slight advantage in wheelbase over the Packard's 116 ins. / 2946 mm When first introduced, the Single Six cost
206:
the demand for military engines ended, and like many similar companies, Kessler Motors turned to building automobiles. The first model, the
Kessler Super-Charge Four, was announced in January 1920 and shown the following month at the
340:. Of US cars, similar performance was offered only by, for example, the Finley Robertson Porter, which were produced in extremely limited numbers and offered 125 bhp; typical performance for US luxury cars was 80–90 bhp.
597:
607:
617:
358:
When the company was dissolved is unclear; there are mentions of it until at least 1927. In the 1930s Martin
Kessler over-extended himself financially developing a 10-cylinder automobile.
602:
219:
For the Super-Charge Four the company developed the Super-Charge Motor, a technically interesting engine for which both
Kessler and Radford later claimed credit. It was a two-liter
336:
offering 100 bhp (75 kW); a performance exceeded by very few production automobiles at the time, such as the compressor version of the
Bugatti Type 35 or the
317:
in
Detroit. In that company's best year, 1921, 21,000 Liberty Sixes had been sold; thus the plant was far too large for Kessler unless the new car sold extremely well.
355:
cars with
Kessler V8s, but the project did not advance beyond the prototype stage, and there are no further documented uses of the Kessler Super-Charge engine.
320:
The Kess-Line 8 was also extremely reminiscent of a competitor: the engine hood and radiator grille very closely resembled those of the much more expensive
351:
After the failure of the Kess-Line 8, the company did not make further attempts to market automobiles. Radford went to
California to prepare for equipping
612:
208:
402:
158:
578:
427:
632:
332:, there was a nickel-plated step under each of the four doors, and the grille was also nickel-plated. The engine was an inline
194:
program. Kessler was president and CEO of the company. William H. Radford was appointed chief engineer and vice president.
540:
324:. However, the Kess-Line, again available only as a touring car, had sportier lines than the massive Lincoln and "helmet"
627:
234:; pressure was increased by the downward movement of the pistons. A more than respectable performance of 70
37:
309:. Again Kessler was president and CEO and Radford chief engineer and vice president. H. H. Scott, formerly of
328:—close to the wheel and turned out at the base, so that the profile recalled a Classical helmet. Instead of
313:, was chief financial officer and secretary. A new production location was rented, the former facilities of
305:
Kessler formed a subsidiary called the Kess-Line Motors
Company to produce its next car under the Kess-Line
246:
offered 20 bhp (15 kW). The company's advertising emphasized that the engine produced negligible
343:
The Kess-Line 8 also failed to fulfil expectations; only 12 were built, according to one source only one.
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175:
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297:
281:
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7.5x9.75 black and white photograph of the Kess-Line Motor Car
Company located at 657 Lycaste Street
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178:. In 1917, after several attempts, he founded the Kessler Motor Company in
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Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America
78:
179:
74:
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238:(52.2 kW) was claimed, equalling that of the basic model of the
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230:. It was innovative in incorporating a compression space into the
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was 117 inches (3,000 mm). The car was only available as a
166:
In 1907 Martin C. Kessler designed an automobile engine for the
162:
Kessler-Detroit Motor Car Company Factor, Plant Number Two
598:
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
420:
Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present
397:(3rd ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause. p. 804.
608:
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1917
116:
102:
92:
84:
61:
47:
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98:Martin C. Kessler, William H. Radford, H. H. Scott
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142:. The brand name for engines and automobiles was
618:Defunct manufacturing companies based in Detroit
190:. It is unclear whether it was connected to the
573:. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International.
422:(2nd ed.). New York: Dutton. p. 123.
603:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan
8:
30:
395:Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942
531:Model D, 90 bhp: Kimes/Clark, p. 413.
36:
29:
42:Kessler-Detroit Motor Car Company Factory
543:Model 48, 95 bhp: Georgano, p. 437.
367:
418:George Nicolas Georgano, ed. (1973).
280:and was a close copy of the then new
7:
519:, 88 bhp: Kimes/Clark, p. 497.
182:. The company supplied engines for
174:. He then worked as an independent
393:; Clark, Henry Austin Jr. (1996).
25:
613:1917 establishments in Michigan
466:Kimes/Clark, p. 1116, picture.
1:
498:Kimes/Clark, p. 868, picture.
457:Kimes/Clark, p. 804, picture.
649:
259:Kessler Super-Charge Four
35:
293:Kess-Line Motors Company
198:Automobile manufacturing
633:Cars introduced in 1920
338:Mercedes 24/100/140 PS
302:
176:engineering consultant
163:
507:Kimes/Clark, p. 1238.
480:Kimes/Clark, p. 1116.
300:
161:
128:Kessler Motor Company
31:Kessler Motor Company
489:Kimes/Clark, p. 864.
268:with front and rear
18:Kessler (automobile)
445:Kimes/Clark p. 101.
32:
567:Kimes, Beverly Rae
517:Duesenberg Model A
391:Kimes, Beverly Rae
303:
282:Packard Single Six
215:Super-Charge Motor
168:Chandler Motor Car
164:
130:was a short-lived
120:Kessler, Kess-Line
552:Georgano, p. 403.
404:978-0-87341-428-9
315:Liberty Motor Car
254:Automobile models
209:Detroit Auto Show
180:Detroit, Michigan
124:
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88:Martin C. Kessler
16:(Redirected from
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628:Vintage vehicles
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226:with integrated
202:With the end of
136:aircraft engines
134:manufacturer of
111:aircraft engines
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560:Further reading
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248:carbon deposits
240:Bugatti Type 35
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184:combat aircraft
172:Cleveland, Ohio
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150:for some cars.
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347:Later history
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188:US government
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266:ladder frame
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244:Ford Model T
218:
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143:
127:
125:
311:Fisher Body
278:touring car
204:World War I
170:company in
140:automobiles
107:Automobiles
623:1920s cars
592:Categories
541:Locomobile
362:References
270:beam axles
228:compressor
221:4-cylinder
94:Key people
52:Automotive
322:Lincoln L
274:wheelbase
232:crankcase
148:Kess-Line
56:Aerospace
569:(2005).
132:American
103:Products
79:Michigan
48:Industry
529:Daniels
326:fenders
192:Liberty
186:to the
154:History
146:; also
144:Kessler
85:Founder
75:Detroit
67: (
62:Founded
27:Company
577:
426:
401:
353:Balboa
307:marque
272:. The
242:. The
117:Brands
575:ISBN
424:ISBN
399:ISBN
138:and
126:The
69:1917
65:1917
236:bhp
73:in
594::
471:^
450:^
438:^
370:^
334:V8
286:$
250:.
211:.
109:,
77:,
54:,
583:.
432:.
407:.
71:)
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
