Winton: The King of Cars - Page 4

By 1911, Winton had set about assisting customers in new ways, issuing a catalogue with "Twelve Rules to Help Buyers" that also explained the difference between value and price. The "smooth as velvet" Six sat on a 114-inch wheelbase, had a 48 hp motor, and sold for $3,000. Repair costs were low, averaging 43 cents per 1000 miles. Winton literature noted that "Purchasers Buy From Choice, But Competitors Follow From Necessity" and that buyer satisfaction was paramount: "Behind the beautiful appearance and performance of the Winton Six is something else—of equal of greater importance. That is the buyer's satisfaction." Winton couldn't resist a jab at failed competitors, either, saying it had a list of 32 makers whose Sixes "went wrong" and dropped from the market.

Whether competitors made Winton feel edgy or he had a simple desire to try another business, in 1912, he returned to earlier interests and formed the Winton Gas Engine and Manufacturing Co. to produce marine engines. A year later the company produced America's first diesel engine. Besides that innovation, however, the founding of the company proved fortuitous in that, though his car company ceased production in 1924, Winton's engine business continued to prosper. When he was ready to retire in 1930, he sold his going concern to GM.

In 1913, the company must have been feeling the pinch of lower-priced cars—like Fords. While a Ford cost a customer a little more than $300, some Wintons were selling for ten times that. Questioning whether its customers really wanted a downscale, less expensive car, Winton reached out to them with advertising: "Big Output or Big Merit? We could easily quadruple our output by selling a six-cylinder car around $2500. But it would be a gross violation of confidence. To sell a Six at $2500, it would be necessary for us to cut down quality to skimp on workmanship, or, worse still, to assemble parts from other facilities, instead of building the complete car ourselves. There are a thousand ways to cheapen a car, and every one of them, in our case, would be dishonest."

That sales pitch may have been persuasive initially since Winton enjoyed one of its best sales years ever in 1914 when it switched to left-hand drive. Winton harped on its longevity in the automotive field and on the beauty of its Winton Six, "The American Beauty: [Winton,] The first company in America to manufacture a marketable motor car of any type (1898) and the first in the world to manufacture six-cylinder cars exclusively (1909), has so thoroly [sic] developed the Winton Six that today this car is the one outstanding exemplar of wholesome American beauty and merit." With a thumb of the nose to other lesser car makers, Winton continued taking bows in another ad: "Where To Look For Merit. Alexander Winton makes the Winton Six. He does not make any other car. No other car embodies his experience. Mr. Winton founded the gasoline motor car industry in America. He is the world's most experienced specialist in six-cylinder cars. That's why it is unfair to any other car to expect it to show merit equal to Winton Six merit." A driver did get a lot of extras with the Six, including a 3250 long stoke motor, left-hand drive, electric lights, a self-starter, the finest mohair top, a rain-vision glass front, a full set of tools, and a German silver (an alloy consisting primarily of copper, nickel and zinc with a color resembling silver-white) radiator.

The following year, the company reorganized as the Winton Motor Car Co. and produced 2,450 cars. Because dealers had persisted in convincing Winton to drop the idea of his compressed-air starter in favor of an electric one, those cars came with an electric starter option. Each of those cars, the company assured, had a "refreshing beauty . . . in marked contrast to the monotonous similarity found in cars of conventional design." The dig at Ford and other low-priced car makers was plain. By contrast, the claim was that the Winton had "distinctive character . . . varied in each separate car to meet the tests of the owner and his family." One of the new models that owner might select was the Six Model 21, smaller (with a 128 rather than a 138 inch wheelbase) and less expensive.

Still stressing high-priced quality in 1916, one Winton ad relegated mass-produced cars to the ordinariness of a ferry boat: "Most automobiles are mere utilities—like ferry boats. They are built to carry passengers and they lack fine qualities that go to make life delightful—beautifully balanced proportion, pleasant color harmonies, smart leathers and fabrics, and thoro [sic] provision for bodily comfort. These essentials belong not to ferry boats, but to private yachts; not to ordinary automobiles, but to the personal cars of real individuals." Harping on the idea of look-alike, characterless cars dotting the landscape, Winton offered drivers an alternative: "Streets are filled with cars of monotonous similarity. Many an owner identifies his own car by checking up the license number. Traffic is a double stream of ordinary blacks and greens. At rare intervals, in cheerful contrast the dull monotony is relieved by a distinctly individual car. Its owner has chosen a "different" design: its harmonious colors reflect excellent personal taste. Passersby take note. They turn for a second longing look. For they are human beings and they love the beautiful . . . . Winton six cars are built for men and women whose taste demands the genuinely good things of life." In making sure such men and women of taste were cared for, Winton produced 2,458 cars that year.

The U.S. entered WWI in 1917 and Winton was heavily involved in military production. A post-War ad explained how Winton had contributed to America's winning effort: "Never a Delay. The automobiles used by United States Army Generals over there were closed cars, many of them Winton Six limousines: and the work they performed under the severest tests—weather of every sort, war-worn and shell-ripped roads, practically continuous running, without lights at night—is the best proof that the closed car is much more than a distinguished social vehicle."

But the 1917 Winton rolling down the streets of America was definitely a high-class car. A large, powerful, comfortable car, it was a match for all others. Besides its refined finish, it now had a handsome, grained dashboard with Warner speedometer and Waltham clock.

Still, those extra features kept prices high, some above $4,000. In an ad for the 1918 Winton, the company did its best to make customers feel better about such a large investment, comparing it to the purchase of a new home: "Treasured sentiments and memories cluster about the old home, and yet—The new home represents new ideals, new hopes, the fulfillment of years of planning, expectations realized. It suggests a honeymoon, or the renewal of a honeymoon long past. It starts a fresh chapter in the book of our lives. . . sentiments and memories cluster about one's faithful old motor car, too. Yet the old car can't go on forever, and the superior new one, like the new home, carries with it new ideals, new hopes, and a freshness that gives life a delightful zest."

As the War ended, Americans were looking to put dark days behind them. Winton, in good economic shape because of its involvement in the War effort, advertised a "Smart and Graceful" Six with "Magnificent Charming witchery of style . . . alive with power, correct to the smallest detail and refreshingly restful." It also offered its clients something new and even better than the older Wintons: "Seeing this car, you will know that yesterday's cars are surpassed, that here are new thrills, new enjoyments, new happiness awaiting you. Beauty that captivates, power and speed that laugh at miles and hardest hills, comfort and style beyond previous "bests," a mechanism that harmonizes with your needs and stays in tune—all these are yours in this newest Winton Six, the surprise car of 1919."

Although the Wintons were still beautiful, there were a great number of new start-up car manufacturers and automotive innovations competing with them. And by 1920 America was beset by a post-War recession that spelled a decline in vehicle sales. By 1922, Winton was already beginning to experience financial woes and made only 690 cars that year. In 1923 there was an attempt to consolidate with troubled car manufacturers Haynes and Dorris but Winton dragged his feet and the consolidation never came about. That year alone nearly 50 U.S. auto firms folded. Winton tried to hold on but in early 1924 they liquidated, with only twelve completed cars left in their inventory.

Winton is credited with having brought a good many innovations to early U.S. car production. His cars were well-powered beauties that helped ignite popular interest in motor cars not only as daily transport but as a way to connect with other towns and cities across the country. But in the end Winton could not compete effectively with Ford and his "people's car". Acknowledging the vital role he did play in the industry, however, in 2005, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.