Fal-Car

Fal-Car emerged during the experimental and highly fragmented period of the American automobile industry. The vehicle was first manufactured in 1909 in Chicago and was initially promoted as A Car Without A Name. Its advertising identified the producer only as Department C at 19 North May Street, an address previously associated with the construction of the Reliable-Dayton automobile. The use of an anonymous or generic identity was central to the concept: customers could supposedly assign their own name to the automobile without incurring the cost or inconvenience of creating an independent automobile company. Although other early motor vehicles were sometimes sold through unusual branding arrangements, most manufacturers still disclosed a recognizable company name, making Fal-Car’s initial presentation particularly distinctive. The automobile was advertised as a practical yet appealing vehicle, characterized in promotional language as trim, classy, speedy and efficient. Its mechanical specification consisted of a 30-horsepower engine and a three-speed transmission. Buyers could choose among a roadster, coupe-tonneau or touring-car body. The price was advertised at less than $1,700 per car. These details place the vehicle within the developing market for American-produced passenger cars in the years immediately before the First World War, when manufacturers competed through combinations of body-style variety, usable performance and price. In 1910, the automobile received a formal name, F.A.L., commonly written as Fal-Car. The name came from the surnames of its backers, Fauntleroy, Averill and Lowe. This transition from a deliberately unnamed product to a named marque gave the car a more conventional market identity while preserving the association with its original promoters. Norton H. Van Sicklen managed the enterprise as production continued in Chicago. Fal-Car’s records do not provide a dependable total for production. The lack of a conventional name during the earliest period, the limited surviving documentation and the company’s small scale make exact output difficult to determine. The brand operated in a crowded market populated by many short-lived automobile concerns, and there is no indication that it developed into a large national manufacturer. Production continued through 1914. In that year the company’s assets were liquidated at auction, ending the brand’s manufacturing activity. The former business site later became an empty lot. Fal-Car is consequently remembered as a defunct American automobile marque and as an example of the inventive, sometimes unconventional branding and financing practices found in the early automotive industry.

• 1914

  Assets liquidated

  [1]Fal-Caren.wikipedia.org

  Fal-Car production ends after the company’s assets are sold at auction.

• 1910

  The Fal-Car name is adopted

  [1]Fal-Caren.wikipedia.org

  The vehicle receives the official F.A.L. or Fal-Car name, derived from the surnames of its backers, Fauntleroy, Averill and Lowe.

• 1910

  Management under Norton H. Van Sicklen

  [1]Fal-Caren.wikipedia.org

  Norton H. Van Sicklen manages the renamed Fal-Car operation as production continues in Chicago.

• 1909

  Automobile production begins

  [1]Fal-Caren.wikipedia.org

  An automobile initially marketed as A Car Without A Name begins production in Chicago. Advertising identifies the producer as Department C rather than a publicly named automobile company.

An early American automobile positioned as a stylish, capable and comparatively economical complete car, initially differentiated by its deliberately generic identity and later sold under the Fal-Car name.

• Passenger automobile · 1909

  Fal-Car passenger automobile

  The core Fal-Car automobile used a 30-horsepower engine and a three-speed transmission. It was offered in three body styles—roadster, coupe-tonneau and touring car—and was advertised at a price below $1,700 per unit. Early examples were marketed as A Car Without A Name before receiving the Fal-Car identity in 1910. Because production records are incomplete and the earliest cars lacked a conventional marque, the total number built cannot be established reliably.

• 1910

  Adopt the F.A.L. and Fal-Car marqueStrategy

  Background

  After an initial period of anonymous or generic marketing, the automobile required a recognizable identity for continued commercial production.

  Action taken

  The company adopted F.A.L., commonly rendered Fal-Car, using the surnames of its backers Fauntleroy, Averill and Lowe.

  Aftermath

  Production continued under management by Norton H. Van Sicklen until the company’s assets were liquidated in 1914.

  Source

• 1909

  Launch the automobile without a conventional nameStrategy

  Background

  The promoters operated in an early automobile market where many small manufacturers were seeking ways to enter production without the costs associated with building a large corporate identity.

  Action taken

  The vehicle was advertised as A Car Without A Name, with the producer identified only as Department C at a Chicago address. The concept invited buyers to treat the generic automobile as something they could name themselves.

  Aftermath

  The strategy was later replaced by a conventional marque when the vehicle became known as F.A.L. or Fal-Car in 1910.

  Source

1. 1Fal-Caren.wikipedia.org