Etnyre

Etnyre was an early American automobile brand associated with the Etnyre Motor Car Company of Oregon, Illinois. The company was founded by Edward D. Etnyre and built automobiles for only a brief period, from 1910 through 1911. Its car represented the ambitious but highly competitive environment of the American automobile industry before mass production had fully consolidated the market around a small number of large manufacturers. The Etnyre automobile used a large four-cylinder engine designed by the company. The engine displaced 7.7 liters and was rated at 50 horsepower, placing the car among the substantial, high-powered American automobiles of its period. Vehicles were built on a 128-inch wheelbase and were offered in several body configurations, including touring and roadster forms. The range indicates that Etnyre attempted to present the car as a full-size automobile rather than as a narrowly specialized or low-cost vehicle. Production appears to have been extremely limited. According to an account attributed to Harriet, the daughter of founder Edward D. Etnyre, only ten cars were made. Four of those cars were reportedly used up by members of the Etnyre family during testing. This small output helps explain why the marque had little lasting commercial presence and why surviving information about the automobile is limited. The Etnyre name has sometimes been misspelled as “Entyre” in automobile references and lists, but “Etnyre” is the correct spelling. The automobile company should also be distinguished from the later and continuing ED Etnyre & Co., which remained based in Oregon, Illinois and became associated with equipment for asphalt road construction. The Wikipedia subject identified by this dossier is the early automobile, not the modern road-construction-equipment business as a whole. Etnyre is therefore best understood as a defunct pioneer automobile marque with a very small production run and a short operating life. Its historical importance rests less on market scale than on its representation of regional American automotive experimentation during the 1910s, as well as on the survival of the Etnyre industrial name in a different equipment sector.

The Etnyre automobile emerged in Oregon, Illinois during the formative period of the American motor industry. At the beginning of the 1910s, automobile manufacturing was still dispersed among many small companies, and regional entrepreneurs could attempt to enter the market with independently engineered vehicles. Edward D. Etnyre founded the Etnyre Motor Car Company as part of this early wave of American automotive experimentation. The company’s automobile was designed as a substantial car rather than a light runabout. Its own four-cylinder engine had a displacement of 7.7 liters and an output of 50 horsepower. The car used a 128-inch wheelbase, giving it the proportions associated with large touring automobiles of the era. Touring and roadster bodies were available, along with other body styles mounted on the same basic chassis. This combination of a large engine, long wheelbase, and several body choices suggests an effort to compete in the premium and full-size portions of the early automobile market. Etnyre’s manufacturing life was brief. The marque is documented as having been produced from 1910 until 1911, and its total output was extremely small. Harriet, the founder’s daughter, reportedly stated that ten cars were made in all. Four were said to have been worn out by her brothers while they were being used for testing. Whether viewed as development vehicles or family-operated test cars, these losses would have further reduced the number of automobiles available to later collectors and historians. The limited production run meant that Etnyre did not develop into a sustained national automobile manufacturer. Like many small early American marques, it disappeared before the industry’s later consolidation and before high-volume production methods made it possible for a few firms to dominate the market. The brand’s short life also left a relatively narrow documentary record, with surviving accounts focused on its location, engine, body styles, production dates, and exceptionally small output. The name has occasionally appeared incorrectly as “Entyre” in automobile lists. The correct historical spelling is Etnyre. The automobile marque is related by name to the Etnyre industrial family and business tradition, but it should not be confused with ED Etnyre & Co., the company that continued to operate in Oregon, Illinois and later built equipment for asphalt road construction. The latter continuity preserves the Etnyre name in American manufacturing, even though the automobile brand itself was defunct after its brief 1910–1911 production period.

• 1911

  Automobile production ends

  [1]Etnyreen.wikipedia.org

  Production of the Etnyre automobile ends after a short run spanning approximately two model years.

• 1910

  Automobile production begins

  [1]Etnyreen.wikipedia.org

  The Etnyre Motor Car Company begins producing the Etnyre automobile in Oregon, Illinois under founder Edward D. Etnyre.

• Later industrial continuity

  [1]Etnyreen.wikipedia.org

  ED Etnyre & Co. remains associated with Oregon, Illinois and later manufactures equipment used in asphalt road construction, distinct from the discontinued automobile marque.

A low-volume, full-size American automobile emphasizing a large proprietary engine, substantial power, and multiple passenger-car body styles.

• Passenger automobile · 1910

  Etnyre automobile

  The principal and apparently only Etnyre automobile line was a large American car built on a 128-inch wheelbase. It used a company-designed 7.7-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 50 horsepower. Touring, roadster, and other body styles were offered on the same chassis. Production was extremely limited, with a reported total of ten cars, and the line was manufactured only from 1910 to 1911.

1. 1Etnyreen.wikipedia.org