Harroun

Harroun was an early American automobile brand established in Wayne, Michigan, and named for its founder, Ray Harroun. Harroun was an engineer, racing driver, and automobile designer associated with the development of early American motor vehicles. The company began operations in 1916 under the Harroun Motor Sales Corporation, after raising $10 million in stock to finance the enterprise. It acquired the former Prouty and Glass Carriage Company buildings for $40,000, obtaining an approximately 80,000-square-foot facility that was adapted for painting and upholstery. In 1917, the company added a much larger factory of approximately 1,220,000 square feet for other manufacturing operations. The Harroun automobile was positioned as a relatively affordable, standardized American car. Its initial range included a roadster, a touring car, and a sedan, all powered by the company's four-cylinder engine. The touring car was listed at $595 and the sedan at $850. The company sought to reduce the retail price below $500 while retaining profitability, reflecting the intense price competition and production efficiencies that shaped the American automobile market during the 1910s. The cars were sold with tightly constrained color specifications: the standard body was green with a brown roof, black fenders, and black upholstery, while the roadster was offered in midnight blue. For a period of roughly 12 to 18 months, the company reportedly produced as many as 200 cars per day. Its manufacturing plans were disrupted during the First World War. In spring 1918, the company received a government contract for 200,000 artillery shells. Harroun intended to produce shells and automobiles in the same industrial complex, but government restrictions limited automotive production to 25 cars per day. The company ultimately manufactured 23,899 155 mm howitzer high-explosive Mark I, Type B shells. The shells weighed 93 pounds and were marked with an R identifying the maker. They were transported by the Detroit United Railway streetcar system to Detroit for filling and capping. After the war, Harroun attempted to resume automobile production and developed a new model for 1920. Representatives toured a car from Detroit through Montana and onward to Denver as a demonstration of its reliability. The restart did not succeed, however, and the company was closed by 1920. Fewer than 3,000 Harroun automobiles were built in total, and only two were known to survive according to the cited reference material. The company's assets were sold in 1923, and the former factory was acquired by the Gotfredson Truck Company in 1924. Harroun also produced a notable safety-related innovation. In 1918, Ray Harroun invented and patented a shock-absorbing steering wheel intended to reduce driver fatigue. Although the marque was short-lived, its history illustrates the challenges faced by independent automobile manufacturers during the transition to large-scale production, the effects of wartime industrial control, and the consolidation of the American vehicle industry after the First World War.

The Harroun marque was created in Wayne, Michigan, in 1916 by Ray Harroun through the Harroun Motor Sales Corporation. The company was named after its founder and entered the American automobile market during a period of rapid expansion in motor-vehicle ownership and manufacturing. To finance the business, the Harroun Motors organization raised $10 million in stock. It purchased the buildings and equipment of the former Prouty and Glass Carriage Company for $40,000. The existing carriage facility covered about 80,000 square feet and was used primarily for painting and upholstery. A substantially larger factory, reported as approximately 1,220,000 square feet, was constructed next door in 1917 to accommodate additional manufacturing processes. Harroun offered three principal automobile types: a roadster, a touring car, and a sedan. All used the company's four-cylinder engine. The touring car was priced at $595 and the sedan at $850, while the company pursued a longer-term objective of bringing automobile prices below $500 without sacrificing profitability. The marque used a restricted color scheme. Standard cars had green bodies, brown roofs, black fenders, and black upholstery. The roadster was offered in midnight blue. During a production period of approximately 12 to 18 months, the company was reported to have reached output of 200 cars per day. The First World War interrupted this plan. In spring 1918, the company received a government order connected with wartime munitions production: a contract for 200,000 artillery shells. Harroun planned to manufacture shells alongside cars, but government direction limited automobile production at the factory to 25 vehicles per day. The company produced 23,899 155 mm howitzer high-explosive Mark I, Type B shells. Each shell weighed 93 pounds and carried an R as the identifying mark of its manufacturer. The finished shells were moved by Detroit United Railway streetcar through Wayne to Detroit, where they were filled and capped. Ray Harroun also developed a steering-wheel innovation during 1918. He invented and patented a shock-absorbing steering wheel designed to reduce driver fatigue, reflecting the company's connection to practical engineering improvements as well as vehicle manufacture. After the war, Harroun attempted to restart automobile production with a new model intended for 1920. To demonstrate durability, representatives drove a car from Detroit through Montana and to Denver. The effort did not restore the business, and the company was closed by 1920. Total production was fewer than 3,000 automobiles, with two known survivors reported in the reference material. In 1923, the company's assets were sold. The factory subsequently passed to the Gotfredson Truck Company in 1924. The surviving cars and occasional auction sales preserve the marque's legacy as a short-lived independent American automobile manufacturer.

• 1924

  Former factory is acquired by Gotfredson Truck Company

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  The former Harroun factory was bought by the Gotfredson Truck Company.

• 1923

  Company assets are sold

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  The assets of the defunct company were sold after the failed postwar restart.

• 1920

  Automobile production ends

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  An attempted postwar relaunch centered on a new 1920 model did not succeed, and the company closed.

• 1918

  Wartime shell production and steering-wheel patent

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  Harroun received a First World War shell-production contract and Ray Harroun patented a shock-absorbing steering wheel.

• 1917

  Large adjacent factory is constructed

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  The company built a much larger factory next to its former carriage-works facility to support broader manufacturing operations.

• 1916

  Harroun Motor Sales Corporation begins automobile production

  [1]Harrounen.wikipedia.org

  Ray Harroun's company began manufacturing automobiles in Wayne, Michigan, using facilities acquired from the former Prouty and Glass Carriage Company.

An early American automobile marque focused on standardized, relatively affordable four-cylinder passenger cars, with production later interrupted by wartime shell manufacturing.

• Passenger automobile · 1916

  Harroun roadster

  The Harroun roadster was one of the marque's three principal early models. It used the company's four-cylinder engine and was distinguished by its limited color availability: the roadster was offered in midnight blue rather than the green body scheme used for the other reported models.

• Passenger automobile · 1916

  Harroun touring car

  The touring car was part of Harroun's initial three-model range and was powered by the company's four-cylinder engine. Its listed price was $595, placing it as a relatively accessible open passenger car within the company's effort to compete on price and production efficiency.

• Passenger automobile · 1916

  Harroun sedan

  The sedan was the enclosed passenger model in Harroun's original range. It used the same four-cylinder power unit as the roadster and touring car and was listed at $850. The standard appearance included a green body, brown roof, black fenders, and black upholstery.

• Passenger automobile · 1919

  Harroun Model A-1

  The Model A-1 is a surviving example of the Harroun automobile line. A 1919 example was auctioned in September 2019, providing a documented instance of the marque's vehicles continuing to circulate among collectors after the company had ceased production.

• Wartime industrial product · 1918

  155 mm howitzer high-explosive shell, Mark I, Type B

  Under a First World War government contract, Harroun produced 23,899 155 mm howitzer high-explosive Mark I, Type B shells. The shells weighed 93 pounds and were marked with an R identifying the manufacturer. This was contract munitions production rather than a consumer brand product.

• 1920

  Attempted launch of a new 1920 modelGeneration change

  Background

  After the war, Harroun sought to resume automobile manufacturing and needed to demonstrate that its vehicles remained reliable.

  Action taken

  Representatives toured a new Harroun automobile from Detroit through Montana to Denver as a reliability demonstration.

  Aftermath

  The relaunch did not restore the company, which was closed by 1920.

  Source

• 1918

  Shift part of factory capacity to wartime shell productionStrategy

  Background

  During the First World War, Harroun received a government contract for 200,000 artillery shells while its automobile business was still operating.

  Action taken

  The company planned to manufacture automobiles and artillery shells in the same factory. Government restrictions subsequently limited automobile production to 25 cars per day, and Harroun produced 23,899 155 mm howitzer shells.

  Aftermath

  The wartime production program disrupted the company's automobile output and complicated its postwar return to the passenger-car market.

  Source

1. 1Harrounen.wikipedia.org