Inside Cleveland's Crawford Auto Museum

The Winton Motor Carriage Company, founded in 1897 in Cleveland, was the first American company to sell a motorcar. Created by Scottish bicycle maker, Alexander Winton, the company produced "horseless carriages", which were made by hand and assembled piece by piece. Winton carriages were noted for their padded seats, leather roofs, and gaslamps. The Goodrich Rubber Company of Akron made the tires.

The Phaeton pictured above was one of 100 cars the company produced that year, making the world's largest auto manufacturer. It cost $1000. One of the buyers that year was James Packard, who later made his fortune in the Detroit auto industry as owner of Packard Motors.

Cleveland Historical Footnote: Alexander Winton and his family lived on Lake Avenue against Lake Erie, west of downtown Cleveland. His former property was divided after his death. A portion of it is home to the luxury Lakewood highrise condo building, Winton Place, for whom it is named.

^{(Last updated on 11-09-07)}