Enger Motor Company

Hello, doing research on this company. Would like to know also where any models exist. <BR>thanks<BR>Mike Arthur<BR>703 810-5806<BR>michael.w.arthur@slma.com

I did the usual check in the Standard Catalog of American Cars. Enger was built in Cincinnati, Ohio 1909-17. The V-12 that was offered in 1915 one of the first 12's in this country. It could be run as a six by cutting out one bank of cylinders.

Some more information from the Bealieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.<P>ENGER (1909-17)<BR>Enger Motor Car Co, Cincinatti, OH<P>1909 - high-wheeler powered by 14hp 2 cylinder engine.<BR>1910 - conventional 35/40hp powered by 4 cylinder engine, and priced at $2000<BR>1911 - 35/40 renamed Model 40. Wheelbase increased to 119 inches (3020mm) with 6 body styles<BR>1915 - Model 40 replaced by Model 6-50. Tourer and roadster offered at $1495<BR>1916- Twin Six 12 cylinder model offered, with 55bhp. As mentioned, could be converted to run on only one bank of cylinders. Made as either tourer or roadster, and priced at $1095. 1,113 cars sold<BR>1917 - Company founder Frank Enger commits suicide on January 4, after being diagnosed with cancer. Gives instructions for company to continue, but his widow petitions for receivership. Only 317 cars made, consisting of Twin Six and a small four selling for $695.

In ref to the 12 vs 6 cylinder operation, this bit of information was found at:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Lot/3248/hist03.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Lot/3248/hist03.htm</A> <P>"The most marvelous automobile improvement yet invented," another ad says. "Pull the little lever -- your 12 is a 6; push the little lever, your 6 is a 12." This was the way the Enger Motor Car Co. of Cincinnati described the 1917 Twin-Unit Twelve. By means of a small lever on the steering column, the driver was able to cut out six of the engine's 12 cylinders to attain maximum fuel economy, and cut them back in just as quickly for maximum power.<P>The lever pulled the exhaust valves off their seats, so there was no compression in the cylinders. It also allowed a shutter to close the intake manifold feeding fuel to those six cylinders.<p>[ 08-16-2002: Message edited by: BruceW ]

Bruce,<P>That sounds a bit less trouble-prone the Caddy's V-8/6/4 formthe '80's!

Great story, Bruce. It's a shame that technology wasn't picked up by other companies of the time. I'll bet you it was easy to work on too. Wayne

Does anyone know if any of the Enger 6-12 cars exist? Also - does anyone have any original advertising / company literature for sale? Thanks

If you are interested in a little research you can find reprints of trade books and magazines in Google Books. I used "Enger Cincinatti" as the search in the site and it will pull up little news blurbs of the day, very interesting.

I am researching two local assembled cars of the teens and noticed we had a local dealer that handled Engers and looked up their story, seems interesting. Good luck, Todd C

Thanks for the info. Being local here in Cincinnati, I find the whole story of Enger fascinating along with that I believe my grandfather worked on the 12 cylinder car, and that my great grandfather worked for the George Enger Carriage Co (Frank Enger's father), and then probably for Frank Enger Motor Co. Frank Enger was definately far ahead of his time with the convertible 12 cylinder engine. Still trying to find if any cars or parts of cars exist.

Interesting thread. Here is a "real photo post card" from my collection of early car views that shows a circa 1910 Enger with its presumed owner and his passengers. An "Enger" script badge is affixed to the radiator. The card is blank on the back and was never mailed.

Allcars

That is great - really appreciate it. Whats the chance that is Frank Enger himself? I have been trying to find pictures of him but have not been sucessful yet. Enger was a high roller here in Cincinnati, if you get a chance google "frank enger house". I have talked to the current owner of this house who is very interested in Enger and his cars. I will pass this on the him. Thanks again, Mark H

I can't help with real knowledge of the Enger, but I do have an original serial plate for an Enger 40 Model G. The logo appears to match the radiator script on the previous photo.

I saw an engine of one of the V12s that could run as a six. It was lying outside the rear of a Pharmacy shop at Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo , Victoria in about 1961. It was at a weekend, so I was unable to talk to the owner, who had a primary interest in Bugattis. People over the years have fitted all sorts of other engines into Bugattis, such as Ford V8, Chev, Holden, Anzani, and I remember not what else. It would be an interesting mental picture to imagine a light, compact Enger 12/6 cylinder engine in a Bugatti; though there is no reason to believe the owner had any such intention. Some time later the engine was taken by someone unknown. One of my friends in the district told me that the engine was found again years later, and I understand this man from Eaglehawk, which is another suburb of Bendigo, and a couple of his friends, were able to get the engine to run. I know that man is no longer with us, and my friends recollections do not help further in picking up a cold trail, but I will try asking other older members of their district club to see if it can possibly be traced if it does still exist.

Thanks Ivan, hard to believe an engine made it to Australia, with no sight of any cars in the U.S. ! Mark H

Well, believe it or not, it has been confirmed that these are indeed the three children of Frank Enger. The current owner of the Frank Enger house in Cincinnati (who is very interested in the whole Enger story) has a similar earlier picture of the two daughters with another unknown girl sitting in another Enger car behind the house. In your postcard, Ruth Enger is in the front seat (born 1896 died 1995), Janet Enger (died 1968) and John Enger (born 1894 died 1983). Hope this adds to your card collection!

Also found portrait of Frank Enger, probably not too long before he committed suicide, and his house, designed by famous architect Matthew Burton. Beautiful example of Beaux-Arts style. Apparently money could be made in the carriage/brass era auto industry!

The gentleman in the picture with the two ladies appears to be a little ''excited''......I wonder is it was the car or the women??

I saw an engine of one of the V12s that could run as a six. It was lying outside the rear of a Pharmacy shop at Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo , Victoria in about 1961. It was at a weekend, so I was unable to talk to the owner, who had a primary interest in Bugattis. People over the years have fitted all sorts of other engines into Bugattis, such as Ford V8, Chev, Holden, Anzani, and I remember not what else. It would be an interesting mental picture to imagine a light, compact Enger 12/6 cylinder engine in a Bugatti; though there is no reason to believe the owner had any such intention. Some time later the engine was taken by someone unknown. One of my friends in the district told me that the engine was found again years later, and I understand this man from Eaglehawk, which is another suburb of Bendigo, and a couple of his friends, were able to get the engine to run. I know that man is no longer with us, and my friends recollections do not help further in picking up a cold trail, but I will try asking other older members of their district club to see if it can possibly be traced if it does still exist.

Well, two years later and I am not any closer to finding out whether any cars still exist in the US, but I do know how cars ended up in Australia. Enger had an advertisement in The Sunday Mail, the daily newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia on 11/25/1916 stating that Behrens & Marshall were sole agents for Enger, and it would appear that Enger did import some cars into Australia.

The gentleman in the picture with the two ladies appears to be a little ''excited''......I wonder is it was the car or the women??

One of the girls is trying very hard not to look....

The original poster was a guest so I don't know if I'm talking to any body but I found some info.http://www.cartype.com/pages/4845/enger

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Apparently Enger's 6 was a temporary bridge into the V12, as it's listed in one of my old parts catalogs as coming with a Cont 7N, not one of Enger's own engines...

A 1917 ring catalog lists the 1915 V12 as 2 5/8 bore, while the 1916/17 were 2 11/16 bores, a pretty small difference...bored out to correct casting irregularities??? That catalog indexes ring sizes from 1 3/8 to 12 1/2 bores, and the only other 2 11/16 bore was the Militaire "S" for 1917, listed as a 4 cyl...(Std Cat lists a Militaire 2 wheel, advertised as a car but described as a a motorcycle by Std Cat, built 1916, but doesn't mention the engine used)...

Hi Ivan,

I found an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer dated 7/30/1916 - the sales manager for Enger wrote that sales of the Twin Six were strong - in fact an order taken for 23 cars shipping to Sydney Australia

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the info on the earlier Enger cars. I have unearthed a ton of information on Enger from the local newspapers. Enger seemingly made a lot of money in the early stages of auto manufacturing, or possibly had bankrolled a lot of profit from the carriage business. Regardless, up until late 1916, the Enger family was still in the high roller society of Cincinnati. It all seemed to end quickly after the suicide of Frank Enger on 1/4/1917. Within months the company was in receivership, and later that year an auction was held disposing of the assets of the company. I don't see any references of any part of the company surviving past that time period. After a fire destroyed Sayer and Scovill's manufacturing plant in Cincinnati, they took over the Enger plant on Gest Street. Less than three years after 1916, Pearl Enger, Franks wife, and her adult children were living in a small apartment in Cincinnati, quite a downhill slide from the palatial estate that they had built in the late 1890's.

Enger had a vast network of sales agents across the US and abroad that seemed to be selling a decent amount of cars from 1910 - 1917. I cant believe that not a single car exists. I know that several of the Enger carriages from the late 1800's are in the hands of carriage collectors in the area. Does anyone know of anyone that owns an Enger automobile? If anyone is interested in Enger automobiles and the history, I have a vast amount of information on the cars and history of the company and the family.

Glad to help.

Well, two years later and I am not any closer to finding out whether any cars still exist in the US, but I do know how cars ended up in Australia. Enger had an advertisement in The Sunday Mail, the daily newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia on 11/25/1916 stating that Behrens & Marshall were sole agents for Enger, and it would appear that Enger did import some cars into Australia.

I know of an Enger here in the USA - It's in Sioux City , Ia. I believe it is a four cylinder model. Is there a way to contact you by email?

Hi. I left message on your user name on this site with contact info. Looking forward to hearing from you.

We have purchased and restored the Enger Mansion. We are very interested in finding an Enger Car to have as part of the history of this home. My email is ryanlmesser@gmail.com

https://savingplaces.org/stories/full-house-in-this-restored-beaux-arts-mansion#.WX3vy4UpCaM

It's always good to see old architecture being 

lovingly preserved.  It's the same thing we do with cars,

keeping things authentic and bringing neglected things

back to perfection.   May you find a good  Enger car to

go along with your historic house!

Beautiful Home- we restore the Copley mansion 30 years ago and used it for our office. Itwas just a unique experience and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Awesome!