White (automobile)

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White Sewing Machine Company was a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Auto production was handled by founder Thomas White's son, Rollin. At first, Rollin H. White's steam-powered cars were sold under the Rollin Motors brand, with another company, Cleveland Tractor, producing a steam-powered tractor. However, the White name eventually became associated with automobiles, lasting in auto-related production through 1981.

The 1904 White was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat 4 passengers and sold for US$2500. The vertical compound 2-cylinder steam engine, situated at the front of the car, produced 10 hp (7.5 kW). The steel-framed car weighed 1650 lb (748 kg). Throttle control was equipped, a novelty at the time.

By the teen years, White switched to making gasoline powered trucks. White was successful with their heavy machines which saw service the world over with the First World War. White remained in the truck industry for decades.

In 1944, Cleveland Tractor merged with Oliver Corporation, another producer of farm equipment. This was purchased by the White Motor Company in 1960, just before Rollin White died in 1962.

[edit] References

• Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)