Staver

The Staver and Staver-Chicago was an American Brass Era automobile manufactured at 76th and Wallace Streets in Chicago, Illinois, by the Staver Carriage Company from 1906 until 1914.

History Staver Carriage Company was organized after the 1896 bankruptcy of the Staver-Abbott Carriage Company, by Henry C. Staver in 1899. In 1905 Staver began an expansion of their carriage factory and also began developing a high-wheel automobile that would be introduced in late 1906. Henry C. Staver died in 1907 and his son Harry B. Staver became president of Staver Carriage Company.

The company's initial Staver automobile was an 18/20-hp high wheeler, with a stanhope body. Larger, more powerful and more expensive at $1,000 () than most high-wheelers, it was fully equipped with top, side curtains, storm front, lights and toolbox. As Models C and D, it debuted at the 1907 Chicago Auto Show and approximately 200 were sold into 1908.

Production was turned over to conventional automobiles with a two-cylinder 20-hp roadster in 1909 and four-cylinder models beginning in 1910. Staver purchased 500 American & British Manufacturing Company four-cylinder engines designed by Charles F. Herreshoff. Poor manufacturing resulted in a lawsuit that lasted until 1914. Teetor engines from the Light Inspection Car Company designed for Staver, were used from 1910. In 1912, Dan C. Teetor became chief designer for Staver until 1914.

With the introduction of the 4-cylinder automobiles, Staver's were advertised as Staver-Chicago models. Staver became very active in motorsports and reliability runs and participated in the Elgin National Road Races, Algonquin Hill Climb, Chicago's 1,400 mile Reliability Run, many board races and culminating in the Around Lake Michigan runs in 1911 and 1912. Gus Monckmeier, Chester Cheney, Emery Knudsen, Harry L. Curran and Ralph Ireland were all drivers for Staver. Ralph Ireland died in a practice run when his Staver-Chicago burst a tire at Elgin. Munckmeier had a perfect score for Staver in the 1911 Around Lake Michigan trial, but was later suspended along with Staver from AAA events for a year, when it was found the winning Staver-Chicago car was not stock.

For 1912 Staver-Chicago was dropped and all cars were again advertised as Staver. Staver's were mid-priced in the $1,650 to $2,250 (between $ and $ in ) range with limousines priced up to $3,500 ().

1914 Models were introduced early in March 1913 and included the new six-cylinder Staver of 70-hp, priced as a touring car at $2,750, . Production for cars ended in June 1914, and carriages later in the year. Staver Carriage Company continued as a property company for a few years, leasing the Staver factory to Partin Manufacturing Company and other automobile manufacturers. The factory and automobile equipment transferred to Studebaker in 1917 in a property swap.

Models

YearmodelstylecylinderPower (hp)Wheelbase (in)Body1907-1908Model D218/2078Stanhope buggy 2 seater1909Style 2022486Runabout 2-seater191030 HPModel H430112Touring car 5-seater191030 HPModel I430112Torpedo 5 seater191030 HPModel J430112Surrey 4 seater191030 HPModel K430112Baby tonneau 4-seater191045 HPModel L445116runabout191045 HPModel M445117touring car191130 HPModel B430112Baby tonneau 4-seater191130 HPModel F430112Fore-Door Touring Car 5 seater191130 HPModel R430112Torpedo Roadster 5 seater191130 HPModel RR430112Racing roadster 2 seater191130 HPModel T430112Touring car 5-seater191135 HPModel I435112roadster191135 HPModel I4351175-seater touring car, 5-seater fore-door touring car191140 HPModel R4401247-seater touring car, 7-seater fore-door touring car, coupé , sedan191235 HPModel B435112Fore-Door Touring Car 5 seater191235 HPModel B.T435112Baby tonneau 4-seater191235 HPModel C435112Coupe191235 HPModel D435112limousine191235 HPModel F435120Fore-Door Touring Car, Special191235 HPModel R435112Torpedo Roadster 5 seats191235 HPModel RR435112Racing roadster 2 seater191240 HPModel F440124Fore Door Touring Car191240 HPModel L440124limousine191240 HPModel RR440124Racing roadster 2 seater191240 HPModel T440124Touring cars 5-seater and 7-seater191330 HP430120Algonquin Speed Roadster191335 HP435124Englewood Touring Car 5-seat, Englewood Limited Touring Car 5-seat, Edgewater Touring Car 5-seat, Newport Touring Car 5-seat, Greyhound Speed Roadster 4-seat, Beverly Touring Car 5-seat, Berkley Tonneau 4-seat, Lakeport Roadster, South Shore Colonial Coupe, North Shore Sedan191340 HP440124Dictator touring car 5-seater191445 HPModel 454451185-seater touring car, 2-seater roadster191455 HPModel 55455120Touring car 5-seater, Speedster 2-seater191465 HPModel 65670138Touring cars 5-seater and 7-seater

Production Production figures total 7,092 vehicles. Yearproduction190721319083741909426191081619111,11019121,31619131,41019141,427total7,092 About five Staver vehicles still exist.

Staver

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