Elmore Manufacturing Company

Elmore Manufacturing Company
Company typeDivision
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1893; 131 years ago (1893)
FounderHarmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James & Burton
Defunct1912; 112 years ago (1912)
FatePurchased by General Motors in 1908, became a division
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
United States
ProductsAutomobiles, parts
ParentGeneral Motors

Elmore Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of veteran and brass era automobiles and bicycles (1893–97),[1] headquartered at 504 Amanda Street,[2] Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 until 1912. The company took its name from a small parcel of land in Clyde with the name Elmore associated with it where a stave mill was established originally, then evolved into bicycle production.[3] The village of Elmore, Ohio is located 20 mi (32.2 km) to the east. Founded by Harmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James and Burton, the Elmore used a two-stroke engine design, in straight twin or single-cylinder versions. They later produced a straight-3 followed by a straight-4 beginning in 1906 until production ended in 1912. The company advertising slogan was "The Car That Has No Valves", referring to the two-stroke engine.[3]

  1. ^ "From Bicycles to Automobiles" Archived 2013-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. Sandusky County Scrapbook. Last updated 23 August 2001. Accessed 26 May 2013.
  2. ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.205.
  3. ^ a b Kimes, Beverly (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942. Krause Publications. pp. 529–531. ISBN 0-87341-478-0.