Moon Motor Car
 | |
| Automobile Manufacturing | |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Genre | Touring cars |
| Founded | 1905 |
| Founder | Joseph W. Moon |
| Defunct | 1930 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products |
Vehicles Automotive parts |
Moon Motor Car (1905 - 1930) was a United States automobile company that was based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company had a venerable reputation among the buying public, as it was known for fully assembled, easily affordable mid-level cars using high-quality parts. Often this meant the manufacturing process required more human intervention, leading to operating losses.
The company was founded by carriage maker Joseph W. Moon.[1] Moon produced both cars and trucks.[1] Moon Motor's peak production year was 1925 when the company produced 10,271 vehicles.[1]
History
In addition to the Moon name, Moons were sold under the Hol-Tan name in 1908. Moon produced the Diana via its subsidiary the Diana Motors Company in 1925 - 1928. Another subsidiary produced the Windsor in 1929-1930.
The firm also produced a Cotton picker built under contract from the American Cottonpicker Corporation.[2]
Beginning in 1924, Moon was increasingly unable to meet dealership orders. The company went out of business at the start of the Great Depression; the Moon factory was purchased by Ruxton automobile.
Moon automobiles are on display at the Missouri History Museum and Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. The amusement park Six Flags St. Louis also features a ride using the Moon automobile body.
Models
| Model | Years | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1913-19 | Delivery Vehicle/Light Truck |
| B | 1913-19 | Heavy Truck |
| Model | Years | Engine | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1906 | Rutenber 4 cylinder | a five passenger touring car |
| C | 1907-09 | Moon 4 cylinder | Louis Mooers designed engine with overhead valves and cams |
| D | 1908-09 | Moon 4 cylinder | Also sold as Hol-Tans in the Eastern US |
| 30 | 1910-12 | Moon or Continental 4 cylinder | George Heising designed engine |
| 39 | 1913 | Moon or Continental 4 cylinder | |
| 40 | 1912 | Moon or Continental 4 cylinder | |
| 45 | 1910-12 | Moon or Continental 4 cylinder | |
| 48 | 1913 | Moon or Continental 4 cylinder | |
| 65 | 1913 | Continental Straight-6 | first Moon six cylinder |
| 4-38 | 1915 | Continental 4 cylinder | last Moon four cylinder |
| 4-42 | 1914 | Continental 4 cylinder | |
| 6-30 | 1916 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-36 | 1918 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-38 | 1919 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-40 | 1915, 1922 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-42 | 1921 | Straight-6 | |
| 6-43 | 1916-17 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-44 | 1916 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-45 | 1917-18 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-46 | 1919 | Continental Straight-6 | also called 'Victory' |
| 6-48 | 1920-22 | Continental Straight-6 | wire or disk wheels replace wood wheels |
| 6-50 | 1914-15, 1924 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-58 | 1923 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-60 | 1927-28 | Continental Straight-6 | also called the 'Jubilee' |
| 6-62 | 1928-29 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-66 | 1916-19 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-68 | 1920-22 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| 6-72 | 1928-29 | Continental Straight-6 | nearly identical to Windsor 6-72 |
| 8-75 | 1928-29 | Continental Straight-8 | first Moon eight cylinder |
| 8-80 | 1928-29 | Continental Straight-8 | 'Aerotype' body |
| Series A | 1924-28 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| Series U or U6-40 | 1924 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| Newport | 1925 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| Metropolitan | 1925 | Continental Straight-6 | |
| London | 1925-26 | export model |
Note: This table is derived from the Curt McConnell reference
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 McConnell, Curt (1995). Great Cars of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-3163-6
- ↑ http://members.core.com/~mcbeed/autos/directory/history/moon.htm Moon - St. Louis Missouri (1905-1929) Founder Joseph W. Moon
External links
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