Elmore
Elmore Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of veteran and brass era automobiles and bicycles (1893–97), headquartered at 504 Amanda Street, Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 until 1912. The company took its name from a small parcel of land in Clyde with the name Elmore associated with it where a stave mill was established originally, then evolved into bicycle production. The village of Elmore, Ohio is located 20 mi to the east.
Also recorded as Elmore automobile
Elmore

Karl W. Barnes · Work is a scan of a page from the 1908 Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles by Karl W. Barnes. · Public domain
- Name
- Elmore Manufacturing Company
- Founded
- 1893.
- Headquarters
- Elmore.
- Activity
- automotive industry.
- Products
- car.
- Dissolved
- 1912.
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Documentary summary
Elmore Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of veteran and brass era automobiles and bicycles (1893–97), headquartered at 504 Amanda Street, Clyde, Ohio, from 1893 until 1912. The company took its name from a small parcel of land in Clyde with the name Elmore associated with it where a stave mill was established originally, then evolved into bicycle production. The village of Elmore, Ohio is located 20 mi to the east.
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wikidata · Q1272541
In this article
Overview
Overview
Founded by Harmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James and Burton, the Elmore used a two-stroke engine design, in straight twin or single-cylinder versions. They later produced a straight-3 followed by a straight-4 beginning in 1906 until production ended in 1912. The company advertising slogan was "The Car That Has No Valves", referring to the two-stroke engine.
It is associated with United States. The record gives 1893 as its date of establishment or first appearance. Activity is recorded as ending in 1912. Its recorded seat is Elmore. The recorded field of activity is automotive industry. Recorded products are car.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Elmore Manufacturing Company • Type — Division • Founder — Harmon Von Vechten Becker and his two sons, James & Burton • Fate — Purchased by General Motors in 1908, became a division • Hq Location City — Clyde, Ohio • Hq Location Country — United States • Area Served — United States • Industry — Automotive • Products — Automobiles, parts • Parent — General Motors • Illustration — Elmore Plant (1906) • Illustration — Elmore Model 9 (1904) • Illustration — 1905 Elmore Model 9
History
History
• Illustration — 1908 Elmore Model 40 • Illustration — 1908 Elmore at Crawford museum in Cleveland • Illustration — Elmore Model 33 and Model 44 advertisement (1909) The first car was offered in 1900 with two body styles seating either two or four passengers with a single cylinder engine producing 6 hp with a 62" wheelbase. The roadster was listed for US$750 ($ in dollars) By 1904 the Model 9 was the Elmore Convertible Runabout. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat four passengers and sold for just US$850 ($ in dollars), making it one of the least-expensive vehicles on the market. The flat-mounted single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 6.5 hp (4.8 kW). A 2-speed transmission was fitted. The car weighed 1050 lb (476 kg). The Elmore Runabout was next in line. It could seat two passengers and sold for US$800 ($ in dollars). The vertically mounted Straight-twin engine, also situated at the center of the car, produced 8 hp (6 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 1400 lb (635 kg). The top model was the Elmore Tonneau. It could seat four passengers and sold for US$1400 ($ in dollars). The flat-mounted straight-twin was situated at the front of the car, produced 12 hp (8.9 kW). A 3-speed transmission was fitted. The angle iron-framed car weighed 1500 lb (680 kg). One 1908 Elmore is on display at the Crawford Museum in Cleveland Ohio.
General Motors
General Motors
In 1908, Elmore's three-cylinder two-stroke caught the attention of William C. Durant, founder of General Motors. He purchased the company the following year for US$500,000 ($ in dollars), with Elmore becoming one of General Motors' divisions. After Durant was forced out of General Motors in 1910, the Elmore marque was soon cut, along with several other underperforming brands, to help General Motors achieve financial stability. The factory location was then bought from GM and the Clydesdale Motor Truck Company was in operation from 1917 to 1939. The Clydesdale Factory was then the site of Clyde Porcelain Steel Company until the factory burned down November 11, 1945. The factory was rebuilt and the Bendix Corporation operated a factory at this location which made front load washing machines under the Bendix Home Appliances until the business was sold to Avco Manufacturing Corporation in 1951, and combining Bendix Appliances with Crosley Appliances. In 1956, Avco sold Bendix Home Appliances to Philco. The current location is now Whirlpool Corporation where Maytag, Whirlpool, and Amana washing machines are manufactured and is the largest factory in America that manufactures washing machines.
Models
Models
For specifications on various Elmore Manufacturing Company models: • Elmore Model 9 • Elmore Model 10 • Elmore Model 11 • Elmore Model 14 • Elmore Model 15 • Elmore Model 16 • Elmore Model 18 • Elmore Model 40 • Elmore Model 30 • Elmore Model 33 • Elmore Model 36 • Elmore Model 44 • Elmore Model Landaulet • Elmore Model Roadster • Elmore Model Taxicab • Elmore Model 46
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1893–1912
The full dated record · 5 entries
1893
Elmore established.
1893
Elmore is recorded from 1893.
1893
Elmore was established or created in 1893.
1912
Elmore ceased.
1912
Elmore was dissolved or ceased in 1912.
Context
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which Elmore stands. Recorded as automobile manufacturer. Established or created in 1893. Dissolved or ceased in 1912. Elmore operates in automotive industry. Elmore has its headquarters at Elmore. Situated in United States.
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Elmore is held.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."From Bicycles to Automobiles" . Sandusky County Scrapbook. Last updated 23 August 2001. Accessed 26 May 2013.
- 2.Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.205.
- 3.Kimes, Beverly. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942. Krause Publications. 529–531. 1996. 0-87341-478-0.
- 4.Hand book of automobiles (1908). Model 40. 1908-01-15.
- 5.Judson S. Sayre. The New York Times. 12 May 1986.
- 6.Bendix Sale by Avco to Philco Affirmed. New York Times. 1956-11-14.
- 7.Hand book of automobiles (1905). Model 10. 1905-01-15.
- 8.Hand book of automobiles (1905). Model 11. 1905-01-15.
- 9.Hand book of automobiles (1906). Model 14. 1906-01-15.
- 10.Hand book of automobiles (1906). Model 15. 1906-01-15.
- 11.Automotive industries v. 14 (Jan.-June 1906). Model 15. 1906-01-04.
- 12.Hand book of automobiles (1907). Model 16. 1907-01-15.
- 13.Hand book of automobiles (1907). Model 18. 1907-01-15.
- 14.Hand book of automobiles (1908). Model 40. 1908-01-15.
- 15.Hand book of automobiles (1908). Model 30. 1908-01-15.
- 16.Hand book of automobiles (1909). Model 33. 1909-01-15.
- 17.Hand book of automobiles (1910). Model 36. 1910-01-15.
- 18.Hand book of automobiles (1909). Model 44. 1909-01-15.
- 19.Hand book of automobiles (1909). Model Landaulet. 1909-01-15.
- 20.Hand book of automobiles (1909). Model Roadster. 1909-01-15.
- 21.Hand book of automobiles (1910). Model Taxicab. 1910-01-15.
- 22.Hand book of automobiles (1910). Model 46. 1910-01-15.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly (January, 1904)
- Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925. New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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