Historic Car Brands

Empire

Empire is an American car series, manufactured from 1910 until 1919. An ‘assembled’ car, using proprietary components, it’s best known not for automotive innovation, but for the subsequent fame of its founders, three of whom were instrumental in building the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the world famous ‘Brickyard’.

The post-1910 Empire followed an unsuccessful 1901-02 Empire steam-car carrying that then-defunct brand, but there seems to be no connection between the two ‘Empires’.

The new business, Empire Motor Car Company, founded in 1909, was a project of Arthur Newby, Carl Fisher, James Allison and Robert Hassler.

The stated aim of the Empire brand was: “… winning its way with the intelligent, cultured class, who demand a car of moderate size and price and who insist on having a real car, built of quality materials, and honestly constructed”.

To do so, the quartet planned: “A ‘Small Edition’ of a US$5000 Car for US$850.” Empire called its product a “stunning little car” that was “distinctly different” and in a “less cumbersome size”.

Most surprisingly, given Empire’s extent of in-house talent, the body design was shopped out of house: “It is the result of a contest in which we offered a prize to the body designer whose specifications we accepted,” stated the company’s marketing material.

Concurrent with Empire’s formation was Carl Fisher’s dream of building a European-style racetrack. On the basis that there were already dozens of car makers and suppliers in Indiana, Fisher proclaimed:

“Indianapolis is going to be the world’s greatest center (sic) of horseless carriage manufacturers, so what could be more logical than building the world’s greatest racetrack right here?”

Henry Ford, ArthurNewby, FrankWheeler, Carl Fisher and James Allison – Indianapolis Museum

In December 1908, he convinced James Allison, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler, of the Wheeler-Schebler Carburetor Company, to join him in purchasing the property that subsequently became the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

There is no doubt that having to run the new Empire car factory and establish The Brickyard distracted the three Empire directors from the significant task of building the Empire brand in an increasingly competitive market.

Also distracting was the fact that all four directors had their own businesses already: Arthur Newby was president of the National Motor Vehicle Company; Carl Fisher and James Allison had founded Presto-O-Lite and Robert Hassler was a shock absorber manufacturer. However, Hassler was less committed than the other directors, so most of the day-to-day work fell to him.

Nonetheless, the 1909 Empire car was introduced, looking somewhat like an embellished Hudson 20 and offering prospective buyers a choice of two ‘sporting’ models in what it called its ‘Twenty’ (for 20hp) series, also known as ‘The Little Aristocrat’. The Model A was a runabout for three occupants and the Model B racer had two bucket seats and higher gearing for faster speeds.

When the directors launched the Empire at the Speedway, they boasted that sales would be in the thousands and prospective buyers had better get their orders in quickly.

On December 17, 1909, Governor Marshall laid the last of the 3,200,000 bricks, a gold-plated one, on the Speedway Finish Line. The first car to score a record on the new track was an Empire, driven by Newell Motsinger, speeding through the quarter-mile in 18.73 seconds. During the 4th July races in 1910, Charlie Merz drove an Empire through the flying mile in 63.38 seconds, establishing a world record for cars of its piston displacement.

John Stanley with his 1911 Empire at the national veteran car rally at Forbes, NSW in 2018

Visually, the Model A had more upright bodywork and steering wheel angle, and a shorter bonnet, making room for a ‘rumble’ seat or luggage space. The Model B was lower, with a raked steering wheel angle and longer bonnet. It was also fitted with higher-speed gearing.

T-head, single-cylinder engine – (Army Service Corps Training, Mechanical Transport, 1911)

Both models were powered by a 2.5-litre, T-head engine that developed 20bhp, driving through a two-speed transmission to a chain-drive rear axle. The engine origin is disputed somewhat, but was probably a Teeter-Hartley-built, Continental design. (Incidentally, the ‘Teeter’ name is another brush with fame for Empire, because Ralph Teeter went on to invent cruise control.)

Both cars sat on a 96-inch wheelbase and tipped the scales around 1350lb (612kg).

Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club, Northern Territory

Pricing was US$800 for the runabout and US$850 for the racer, which was less than the US$900 ask for a Ford Model T at the time, but mass production soon saw Ford’s prices drop to less than half that.

Empire sold only around 290 vehicles in the first full marketing year, so, seeking to upgrade the Empire offerings, the company hired Harry Stutz (another brush with automotive fame) in 1911. Harry was already running his own Stutz Auto Parts Company that produced his patented transaxles.

Stutz redesigned the Empire, resulting in the Model C that incorporated a Stutz transaxle in place of chain drive and the price went up to US$950.

By mid-1911 it was obvious that Empire sales were not about to improve as originally expected, despite Harry Stutz’ input, so the directors made the decision to sell the company and concentrate on their own core businesses. Only 343 Empires were sold that year and Harry moved on to greater things.

In late-1911, the company was sold to a group of investors, who had to find new premises, because the factory was planned produce Presto-Lite lighting products. The new Greenville Metal Products Co moved Empire production to Greenville, PA, before it moved to Connersville, IN and then to Indianapolis again in 1915.

A Model 31 Empire participated in the Indiana-Pacific Coast Tour sponsored by the Indiana Automobile Manufactures’ Association in July 1913. This marathon of 20 cars, all with ‘Made in Indiana’ emblazoned on the doors, toured cross-country to promote the idea of a transcontinental highway.

An Empire Model C competed in the 1913 Melbourne to Sydney race that was won by a 50hp American Underslung and is believed to have come second.

The Empire 25 and 31 range was expanded to widen its market appeal, but the two-seat roadster version was retained. In addition were 108-inch wheelbase, four-cylinder, five-passenger touring cars, plus a five-passenger touring car and four-passenger, four-door roadster, powered by six-cylinder engines.

1912 Empire Model 31 Tourer – Russell Ward

Engines were simplified, lighter and lower-cost L-heads, from Teeter-Hartley and Continental. The Stutz transaxle was replaced by a bevel-drive differential and the three-speed transmissions and clutch were bolted directly to the engine.

1912 Empire Model 31 Tourer – Russell Ward