Stoddard-Dayton
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| Automobile Manufacturing | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Genre | Touring cars, runabouts, limousines |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Founder | John W. Stoddard and his son Charles G. Stoddard |
| Defunct | 1913 |
| Headquarters | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
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Area served
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United States |
| Products |
Vehicles Automotive parts |
Stoddard-Dayton was a high quality car manufactured by Dayton Motor Car Company in Dayton, Ohio, USA, between 1905 and 1913. John W. Stoddard and his son Charles G. Stoddard were the principals in the company.
In 1904, John Stoddard decided to exit the agricultural implement business from which he had earned his fortune and instead to manufacture high quality automobiles for the emerging market in the United States. He sent his son Charles to Europe to tour continental automobile manufacturers. Charles returned convinced that electricity and steam were outmoded forms of propulsion. The earliest cars used Rutenber engines ("Let your steed be worthy of your chariot") and had 4605 cc engines. Six-cylinder engines appeared in 1907. The final range consisted of three four-cylinder models and a Knight sleeve valve six.
The company adopted a strategy of building the highest quality motor cars with powerful engines. Henry J. Edwards (b. ca 1872 England–) was the auto designer and Chief Engineer of the company. Low-end models were dressed in 15 to 18 coats of paint, each coat hand sanded and rubbed out. The limousine model had 27 or 28 coats of paint, similarly applied. After assembly, each car was driven on public roads for 150 miles (240 km) to 400 miles (640 km), then the engine was disassembled, the cylinders re-honed, valves touched up, and then reassembled and road tested again.
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Wikipedia