Continental's First Engine???

[Bud Tierney]

 Anyone here know what Cont'ls first engine was??? Per various sources

Started as partnership in Chicago 1902

Incp't'd as Autocar Equipment Co 1903

Re-Incp't'd as Continental Motor M'f'g Co 1904 (changed to Cont'l Motors Corporation 1916 et seq)

Autocar Eqpmt Co is advertising a "Continental" motor that looks like a 4 cyl inline T-head in Horseless Carriage in 1904, and a marine version is in The Motor Boat in 1905, with reversing clutches, illus complete with driveline to propeller......other ads refer to the company's transmission(/s?)  for complete motive power...

Wiki refers to first engine being a 1905 L-Head, prior to the 1906 "O" aircraft engine.....

Any comments appreciated....

 

[Bud Tierney]

Should've thought to state:

Auto-Car Equipment Co, Buffalo, NY, electric and gasoline trucks 1904 or so apparently has no connection with our Autocar Equipment of Chicago (Auto-Car became Buffalo in 1908 and then Atterbury in 1910)...

Apparently no connection with the Autocar Company of Pittsburgh, later Ardmore, Penn, builder of Autocar trucks 1908 or so, fmly Pittsburgh Motor Car Co, builder of Pittsburgh cars etc,

[Bud Tierney]

Well, this questions largely answered....finally found the Lakeshore Museums Continental collection, the abstract of which ties the Autocar Eqpmt Co's Chicago Continentals, their marine engine/transmisison work etc together...I'll Google around in 1902-05 some, I'm sure some specs are online somewhere..

I eyeballed a couple of pieces (from before I realized it was all one Continental) one in Cycle & Aut'ble Trade Jnl in 1906 re' hew 4 cyls and new transmission, and one in Motor Boat 1906 re' their moving into the marine field, that I'll have to go back and review...