Stearns (automobile)
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| Automobile Manufacturing | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Genre | Luxury and sports cars |
| Fate | Sold to J.N. Willys in 1925 |
| Founded | 1898 (F. B. Stearns & Co.) |
| Founder | Frank Ballou Stearns, Raymond M. Owen, Ralph L. Owen |
| Defunct | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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F. B. Stearns, F. M. Stearns, R. M. Owen, R. L. Owen, G. W. Booker, J.N. Willys, H. J. Leonard, J. F. Trumble, Barney Oldfield |
| Products |
Automobiles Automotive parts |
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Footnotes / references Pioneer in sleeve-valve engines |
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F. B. Stearns and Company (later F.B. Stearns Company) was an American manufacturer of luxury cars in Cleveland, Ohio marketed under the brand names Stearns and Stearns-Knight.
Frank Ballou Stearns (1879–1955) was an early automotive pioneer who, in 1896, built his first experimental car as a student, aged seventeen, in the basement of the family home. He built a four-cylinder car as early as 1897, but as it did not work properly he instead switched to single-cylinder engines. His father allowed him to proceed and supported him with money and a barn they converted to a machine shop.
The first production model evolved in 1898; it was a gasoline-fuel buggy-style automobile with a one-cylinder engine (horizontal under the floor), tiller steering, wire wheels, planetary transmission, and chain drive. In the same year, F. B. Stearns & Company was organized with his partners, brothers Raymond M. and Ralph L. Owen.
As early as 1901, he introduced a steering wheel instead of the tiller, and advanced to a gasoline runabout with a 4083cc (101ci) one-cylinder engine under the seat bench, and single chain drive. Until then, about 50 cars had been built.
For 1902, Stearns offered a variety of models, including a touring car model. Equipped with a front-mounted, 24 hp (17.9 kW) water-cooled flat twin and tonneau, and three-speed transmission was fitted. Notably, all vehicle controls were situated on the steering wheel. The armored wood-framed car weighed 2800 lb (1270 kg), seated six passengers, and sold for $3,000.
In 1904, Stearns had a very European four-cylinder of 36 hp (27 kW), with pressed steel chassis, wheelbase of 111 inches (282 cm), and four-speed gearbox, but a distinctly American (i.e., backward) coil and battery, rather than the magneto typical in Europe. This changed in 1905, when the 32/40 made magneto standard, as wheelbase grew to 118 in (300 cm). Stearns used the slogan Runs like A Deer in this year.
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Wikipedia