Success Automobile Manufacturing Company
| Private | |
| Industry | automobiles and commercial vehicles |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Products | highwheeler automobiles and light delivery vehicles |
The Success Automobile Manufacturing Company was a brass era United States automobile manufacturer, located at 532 De Ballviere Avenue,St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906.
Business concentrated on building high wheeler automobiles, mainly buggies.
The Success Automobile Manufacturing Company was founded in 1906 by John C. Higdon, who had built his first car in 1896; back then for experimental purposes only. Production started with a price of US$250 which was exceedingly low, even for high wheelers. Later models became slightly more complex, and expensive. While Success always stayed with highwheelers, they got a twin cylinder engine in 1908 (singles being dropped at the end of that year), built a commercial car in 1908 only, and offered several new models in 1909, among them their only four-cylinder car. Two- and four cylinder engines were available with water or air cooling.
While Higdon was open to let people copy his construction back in 1896, and even publicly invited to do so, he became much more aware of patents and royalties when building cars on a commercial schedule. So, he took several competitors to court on this matter; among them the Economy Motor Buggy Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the W. H. Kiblinger Company in Auburn, Indiana (a predecessor of the Auburn Automobile Company). Although, the Success Automobile Manufacturing Company folded before the end of this litigations.
It is estimated, that Success built ca. 600 vehicles.
Success never offered models other than high wheelers. The initial Model A featured an air-cooled single cylinder gasoline engine of 3 x 3 in. bore and stroke, giving a capacity of 21,21 c.i. or 347.5 cm³, and delivered 2 to 3 HP.,steel tires (rubber was available, for US$25 extra), and a 2-speed planetary transmission brought power via a single chain to a sprocket on the right rear wheel only. The engine was placed under the car, on the right side below the driver's seat. Front wheels had a diameter of 37 in. (940 mm), rear wheels of 41 in. (1041 mm).
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