User:Kumboloi/sandbox/H.H. Buffum Company

The Buffum was an American automobile manufactured from 1901 until 1907 by the H.H. Buffum Co. of Abington, Massachusetts.^[1] The company also built a line of powered launches.

Herbert H. Buffum

Herbert H. Buffum was born in Hanover, Massachusetts in 1861.^[2]^[3] Apparently lived for a time in San Francisco. He arrived in Abington, Massachusetts in 1890.^[4]

Early interest in steam engines.

Sold Cleghorn, Sherborn, and Buffum (C. S. and B.) Sprinkler Company.

was mainly concerned with the automation of shoe production^[5], for which he constructed a nail and a sewing machine.

In addition, he ran a small bicycle construction and carried out repairs on mechanical equipment. Among the numerous inventions of the inventor and designer is also the spray head of a sprinkler system. Buffum received numerous patents for his developments.^[6]^[4]

Six automobiles were created in his workshop before 1900 probably incidentally in his spare time. Each had improvements over its predecessor. Afraid that his ideas might be stolen from him, Buffum rarely drove those automobiles.^[5]^[6]

H.H. Buffum Company

The company was founded by Herbert H. Buffum.

It was founded in 1901 (another source says 1903^[4]) by Herbert H. Buffum and was based in Abington in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Over a period of 13 years, about 70 cars were built. This small manufacturer are some milestones in automotive history attributable: in 1895 Buffum built the first car with a four-cylinder engine. This car can be seen today in the Louwman Museum in The Hague. Later, his HH Buffum Company built a racing car with a Flat-8 engine, which became the first US-manufactured eight-cylinder road vehicle and first "production" race car because it was listed in the 1904 sales catalog.

Factory on Center Avenue in Abington.

It was not until 1900 that Herbert Buffum began accepting orders for automobiles; His clients mostly came from Abington and surrounding areas. Obviously, the business was doing well enough to envisage regular production. Buffum always sought independent technical solutions and was more interested in technical improvements than in regulated production, where historians see a possible reason for the company's later failure.^[7]

Patents

Buffum was awarded design patents for his automobile designs, including one for a "Speed Change Gear" and one for a "Tilting Steering Column".

Automobiles

Buffums built between 1901 and 1904 were powered by 4-cylinder engines.^[8]^: 160

Four-cylinder Stanhope - Believed to be the first Buffum automobile produced.
Model E - A touring car. The engine was a "double opposed" flat 4 that produced 13 hp (9.7 kW). Prices in 1904 ranged from US$1200.00 to US$1350.00.
Model F - A runabout. The engine was an inline four.
Model G - The first Buffum to carry this designation was a purpose-built race car called the Model G Greyhound, later renamed the Central Greyhound for the company that bought the car. This model was powered by two horizontal four-cylinder engines coupled together to make a flat-eight cylinder engine.^[1] Power output from the engine was 100 hp (74.6 kW). The engine was later detuned to 80 hp (59.7 kW) for road use. This is claimed to be the first ever 8 cylinder car built in the United States.
Model H - A large touring car. Powered by an inline-4 engine developing from 28 to 35 hp (20.9 to 26.1 kW). List price was US$4000.00.
Buffum produced the first V8-powered Touring car in the United States.^[9]^: 60 It went on sale in 1906.

Runabout. 40hp.^[10]^{: 139, 146}

^[10]^: 21 The (first) V8 in 1906. Sale to Hall

In 1904 they built the Model G Greyhound, which The Greyhound was the first 8-cylinder car offered for sale in the United States. In 1906 another eight-cylinder powered car was offered for sale, although this time the engine was a V-8.^[1]

The bodywork of some cars was of aluminum.

Stanhope (1895)

1895 Buffum Four Cylinder Stanhope in the Louwman Museum.

The Buffum Four Cylinder Stanhope is one of the oldest automobiles from American production in roadworthy condition.^[5] The work on his first car began Buffum already in 1894.^[11] The completed in the following year vehicle is remarkable in several respects and represents a milestone in automotive history dar. So it is considered the world's first car with a four-cylinder engine, which also specially made for this purpose. So it is not an adapted stationary engine. The valves are top- mounted ^[5], which represents a very early application of this principle. The engine is typically mounted transversely across the driver's seat and consists of individually cast cylinders with removable cylinder heads mounted on a common crankcase. The Buffum designed water cooler supplies each cylinder with its own cooling line.^[5]

Power is transmitted via a two-speed planetary gear and a drive chain directly to the rear axle, on which no differential is provided. The controls are innovative: The two forward gears are inserted by means of a lever on the right side of the seat. A knob at the top of this lever regulates the speed. For brake and reverse each foot pedal is provided.^[5]

Chassis and body were probably created with the help of the local coachman George Pierce (not identical with George N. Pierce, the founder of Pierce-Arrow ). The frame was made of steel tubes, the car body is suspended suspended above the actual chassis.

Stanhope is a body design from the early days of the automobile. The name goes back to the same named coach. As a motor vehicle, she refers to a slightly larger and more comfortable motor buggy or runabout.

There are indications that Herbert Buffum has temporarily used the vehicle as a test vehicle for his ideas. He kept it until his death. It is preserved and is now located in the Louwman Museum in The Hague ( Netherlands ).^[12]

20 HP

The first model of the HH Buffum Company was introduced in 1901 and heavily influenced by French designs 20 HP. This vehicle is one of the first in the United States produced with front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive ("Système Panhard"). Power was provided by was a water-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine with a centrally located flywheel. The rear wheels were driven by means of drive chains. The wheelbase was 94.5 in (2,400 mm).^[7] Among the innovations was a pedal-operated starter.^[5] The 20 HP was only available with a Roi-des-Belges body. The handmade aluminum structure Buffum made himself; he weighed only 120 lb (54.4 kg).^[7] The car was located with a price of US$2500 in the former upper middle class. He remained until and with the model year 1903, the only regular model on offer.^[7]

One source calls a model with four-cylinder boxer engine and 16 HP in 1902.^[4]

Model G Greyhound

Buffum 80 HP Model G "Greyhound" racer car with flat-eight engine (1904).

As first produced in the US road vehicle with an eight-cylinder engine applies the 1903 presented to the public race car Buffum Model G "Greyhound" (sometimes also: Central Greyhound called ^[5]). He was short time after the Winton Bullet no. 2 completed, which is powered by two consecutively mounted four-cylinder engines (the vehicle is preserved). Both were due to start the Gordon Bennett Cup in Ireland in 1903, but the Greyhound did not finish in time. The two reported Winton, the Bullet No. driven by Alexander Winton. 2 as well as the four-cylinder Bullet No. 3 disappointed and retired.

In 1904, Buffum offered the Greyhound as a regular model in the sales catalog, making it the first production racing car in the world.^[4]

As a possible "contender" on the first mass-produced passenger cars with V8 engine is occasionally called the Rolls-Royce V8 of 1905. From this, however, only three copies were produced; the only one that was delivered to a customer later also withdrew the plant. V8 engines gained some popularity for propulsion of aircraft. A prominent manufacturer was the French Société Antoinette, which in 1906 also presented a car with a V8 engine with 7270 cc displacement. This was probably only built to order. Instead of transmission and differential this vehicle had hydraulic clutches.^[13] Antoinette engines were rebuilt by Adams Manufacturing Company of Bedford ( Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom and Ireland ) under license. Adams also introduced in 1906 the 35/40 HP with a slightly smaller Antoinette V8.^[14]

In 1910, both Renault and De Dion-Bouton launched V8 commercial vehicles. The latter company also launched a corresponding car, which was sold in up to three sizes until 1923. That's why the CJ and DM models (35 and 20 CV, respectively) are the first regular-production V8 passenger cars. A license replica of this engine was made at the General Motors Corporation subsidiary Northway, which supplied such engines to Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Oakland. The introduced in 1914 for the model year 1915 Cadillac Type 51 is therefore usually called the first US production car with V8 engine.

No less complex was the development of the first V8 passenger car of US production. There were already two serious attempts in 1906 to launch such a vehicle on the market.^[15] Which of the two actually was the first, can not be clarified from today's perspective.^[7]^[16] The one supplier was the Hewitt Motor Company, a car and commercial vehicle manufacturer from New York City. Its owner, Edward Ringwood Hewitt, had excellent connections to Europe and the aforementioned Adams Manufacturing Company. From there, he obtained the license version of the 7.4 liter Antoinette engine, which he used in the 1907 featured Hewitt 50/60 HP.^[16] While for the French original mechanically controlled intake valves, they were in the Adams version "atmospheric", ie regulated by negative pressure ( sniffer valves ).^[17]

Models H, K, E and F

Buffum ad from 1905. The Model E was new and the Model H was redesigned. Both vehicles are called "Touring", although Tonneaus are shown with rear entry.

The model lineup for 1904 included a successor to the 20 HP. The new engine was rated at 28 HP, but was not necessarily larger than that of the 20 HP because only the cylinder bore was used for the calculation, not the stroke. The wheelbase and price were initially unchanged from that of its predecessor. A Tonneau replaced the Roi des Belges bodywork.

In 1905 the Greyhound was no longer listed. A revised version of the Model H with a longer wheelbase of 105 inches (2667 mm) and a significantly higher price of US$4000 was offered. This version was called "Touring" by Buffum, although pitcures show a rear-entry tonneau.^[18] Another source ^[7] refers to a Model K Touring with the same specifications and price.

Buffum Model F 3-passenger Runabout (1905).

New was a smaller model with a wheelbase of ^{[convert: invalid number]} and a power rating of 12 HP. Its. Apparently, several versions were offered. Period advertizing mentions a Model E available as a two-seater roadster for US$1200. An optional detachable tonneau made the vehicle into a four- or five-seater; the price for such a vehicle including a fixed roof was US$1350.^[18] The other source ^[7] instead cites a Model F Roadster at U 1,200 without mentioning a tonneau.

Buffum Model F 3-passenger Runabout (1905).

40 HP V8

The HH Buffum Company had with the new 40 HP almost at the same time a V8 model in the offer, also 1906 for the model year 1907 had been presented. Like all Buffum vehicles, this one had its own engine. This had a square bore / stroke ratio of 4 inches (101.6 mm), resulting in a displacement of 402.146 ci (6590 cc). The rating of 40 HP seems occupied, but may have been individually determined because only around 1915, the ALAM successor organization National Automobile Chamber of Commerce (NACC) listed V8 engines in their rating list. The wheelbase was 100 inches (2540 mm).^[19]^[10]^: 62

Boats

Buffum built a boat that was designed by Swazey, Raymond, and Page.^[20] It was called the Buffum Automobile Boat or Autoboat. The body of the craft was 31 ft (9.4 m) and was of mahogany wood. Advertising for the craft mentions the availability of engines of 2 cylinders and 10 hp (7.5 kW) and larger.

^[20]

After leaving the H.H. Buffum Company, Herbert Buffum is reported to have continued his interests in marine engines, developing a flat-12 marine engine.

Bankruptcy

Sold to Bicknell Hall. Production of the 40 HP continued as the Hall 40 HP.

The HH Buffum Company built cars until 1907, with the last model being the 40 HP. Then she went bankrupt. In October, she was acquired by Bickney Hall of Taunton and reorganized as a Hall Manufacturing Company. Planned was the continuation of the Buffum eight-cylinder as Hall 40 HP, but it seems to have come only to the sale of stock and assembled from existing components vehicles. The production was finally stopped before the end of the year 1907.^[7]^[21]

Later projects

V12 aircraft engine. Weight was ???

Laconia Cyclecar. 1914?

Built pier at Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, at the Weirs. Also had boat rental business there. Pier lasted for 15 years.

"The wealthy themselves also continued to have flings in producing for their own kind. In 1907, Edward Ringwood Hewitt, who had begun driving a Locomobile steamer in the nineteenth century, tried to market a luxury car that shared first American V-8 honors with Buffum of Massachusetts but discovered it was too costly to produce even for the top market.^[22]^: 357

Herbert Buffum then moved to Laconia ( New Hampshire ) and spent some years concentrating on the construction of motorboats. In 1914 he built the Laconia a high-quality Cyclecar, of which less than 100 copies were produced in the first and only year of production. He did not set up his own company for boat building or automobile production.^[23]

Herbert Buffum died in 1933 on the west coast.^[4]^[5]

Herbert Buffum died in Oregon in 1930.

Weblinks

External links

"HH Buffum Shoe Machinery (and Automobiles!!!) of Abington, 123 Centre Avenue and Surrounding Areas". rocklandathletics.com.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Georgano, Nick (2000). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: Stationery Office. p. 1792. ISBN 0117023191.
^ McL, J. (30 November 2012). "Herbert H. Buffum". www.findagrave.com.
^ "A Short History of Abington, Massachusetts". www.dyerlibrary.org. 6 November 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Buffum Automobile & The H. H. Buffum & Co". www.american-automobiles.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bonhams - Lot 215, The first Buffum motor car produced, Buffum family ownership for nearly 40 years, ex- Princeton Auto Museum Collection, 1895 Buffum Four-Cylinder Stanhope". www.bonhams.com.
^ ^a ^b Vaughan, Daniel (November 2012). "1895 Buffum Stanhope". www.conceptcarz.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 160 (Buffum)
^ Kimes, Beverly Rae; Austin Clark Jr., Henry (1996). Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 1805-1942. (THIRD EDITION). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0873414784.
^ Madden, W. C. (1 May 2003). Haynes-Apperson and America's First Practical Automobile: A History. McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0786413973.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dluhy, Robert D. (23 September 2013). American Automobiles of the Brass Era. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786471362.
^ conceptcarz.com: Buffum Stanhope (1895)
^ Louwman Museum: Buffum four cylinder stanhope (1895)
^ Grace’s Guide: Antoinette
^ Grace’s Guide: Adams Manufacturing Co
^ Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels, (2005), S. 357
^ ^a ^b Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 701–702 (Hewitt)
^ Georgano: Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present (1979), S. 74 (Hewitt)
^ ^a ^b Buffum-Anzeige von 1905
^ Carfolio: 1907 Buffum 8 Cylinder Runabout 40 hp technical specifications.
^ ^a ^b Atkin, John (May 1951). "The Evolution of Hull Forms". Motor Boating. p. 36.
^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 668 (Hall)
^ Kimes, Beverly Rae (1 December 2004). Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels - The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Warrendale PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. p. 357. ISBN 0-7680-1431-X.
^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 833 (Laconia)

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Category: Former Automobile Manufacturer (United States) Category: Former enterprise (Massachusetts) Category: Company (Plymouth County, Massachusetts) Category: Former Shipyard (United States) Category: Founded 1901 Category: Dissolved 1907 Category: Abington (Massachusetts) Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Category:Abington, Massachusetts Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Massachusetts

[Georgano-1] Georgano, Nick (2000). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: Stationery Office. p. 1792. ISBN 0117023191.

[grave-2] McL, J. (30 November 2012). "Herbert H. Buffum". www.findagrave.com.

[dyerlib-3] "A Short History of Abington, Massachusetts". www.dyerlibrary.org. 6 November 2013.

[americanautomobiles-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "The Buffum Automobile & The H. H. Buffum & Co". www.american-automobiles.com.

[bonhams-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Bonhams - Lot 215, The first Buffum motor car produced, Buffum family ownership for nearly 40 years, ex- Princeton Auto Museum Collection, 1895 Buffum Four-Cylinder Stanhope". www.bonhams.com.

[conceptcarz-6] Vaughan, Daniel (November 2012). "1895 Buffum Stanhope". www.conceptcarz.com.

[Kimes(1996)160-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 160 (Buffum)

[kimes-stdcatbook-8] Kimes, Beverly Rae; Austin Clark Jr., Henry (1996). Standard Catalogue of American Cars, 1805-1942. (THIRD EDITION). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0873414784.

[maddenbook-9] Madden, W. C. (1 May 2003). Haynes-Apperson and America's First Practical Automobile: A History. McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0786413973.

[dluhybook-10] Dluhy, Robert D. (23 September 2013). American Automobiles of the Brass Era. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786471362.

[conceptcarz_Buffum-11] tcarz.com: Buffum Stanhope (1895)

[Louwman_Buffum-12] Louwman Museum: Buffum four cylinder stanhope (1895)

[Graces_Antoinette-13] Grace’s Guide: Antoinette

[Graces_Adams-14] Grace’s Guide: Adams Manufacturing Co

[Kimes_Scoundrels(2005)357-15] Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels, (2005), S. 357

[Kimes(1996)701-702-16] Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 701–702 (Hewitt)

[Georgano(1973)74-17] Georgano: Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present (1979), S. 74 (Hewitt)

[Buffum-Anzeige1905-18] Buffum-Anzeige von 1905

[Carfolio_07Buffum8-19] Carfolio: 1907 Buffum 8 Cylinder Runabout 40 hp technical specifications.

[mb-may_1951-20] Atkin, John (May 1951). "The Evolution of Hull Forms". Motor Boating. p. 36.

[Kimes(1996)668-21] Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 668 (Hall)

[kimes-dawnbook-22] Kimes, Beverly Rae (1 December 2004). Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels - The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Warrendale PA: Society of Automotive Engineers. p. 357. ISBN 0-7680-1431-X.

[Kimes(1996)833-23] Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, (1996), S. 833 (Laconia)

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