Beginnings
In 1893 Elwood Haynes, a university-trained metallurgist and gas line superintendent, approached two machinists, Edgar and Elmer Apperson, with a project: make a self-propelled vehicle based on Haynes’ ideas, using a Sintz marine engine that he had purchased. Fate and common purpose had brought three men together to birth a new concept for America – the horseless carriage!
Elwood Haynes circa 1895, from a Haynes catalog
Haynes-Apperson Is Born
As mentioned in the prior post (see Apperson: America’s First Sports Cars, Dec 5, 2019), Edgar Apperson worked out how to make Elwood Haynes’ concept for an automobile function. The first Haynes-Apperson prototype ran successfully on July 4, 1894, and the three men then decided to work together to produce cars as a sideline.
1894 Haynes Pioneer, built by the Apperson brothers. photo courtesy Haynes Museum
The Appersons resumed their primary job, which was machine work for the farm industry, and Haynes continued supervising the construction of a gas pipeline that transported Indiana natural gas to Chicago.
At least a dozen Haynes-Apperson autos per year were produced at the Apperson’s Riverside Machine Works until the three formalized a partnership in 1898. Although they did not advertise, an unrelenting stream of orders for their car eventually required a separate factory to fulfill a steady production of about 250 units per year.
Riverside Machine Works interior circa 1902. For a view of the exterior, refer to the previous post on the Apperson brothers. photo courtesy Haynes Museum
Sensing an opportunity to increase recognition and brand the product, Elwood Haynes approached John Lambert, who had invented America’s first automobile in 1891, and secured a written agreement from Lambert to not contest Haynes’ assertion that the Haynes car was the first American automobile made. Haynes conveniently assigned the date of his idea for a motorized vehicle (mid-1893) to be the beginning of the Haynes-Apperson, rather than using the commonly accepted method of date-stamping its origin from an actual working model’s first successful outing. The reason why?
Haynes’ statements regarding his car’s origin were made after his successful July 4 run and conveniently predated the working Duryea car, which had made national news after being driven in September 1893 as reported in The Springfield Republican newspaper. Haynes’ assertion subsequently aroused the Duryeas’ enduring anger over who was actually “first,” a point that they debated for years afterward. The Duryeas may not have known about Lambert, as communication channels were relatively primitive at that time, because Lambert came before both. But that’s doubtful… there were newspapers, after all!
Discord and Divorce
Haynes was a proud man whose attitude toward his partners was considered problematic. Truth be told, he under-paid them and also made remarks that indicated Haynes did not think the Appersons to be equal partners. In 1901, after several heated discussions about the future direction of the company, the Appersons had a non-contested split with their partner Haynes. The Appersons re-opened their former Riverside Machine Works and started to produce their own vehicle, while Haynes turned management of his auto company over to others and returned to experimenting on metals in his lab. Neither Haynes nor the Appersons would ever credit the other with co-producing their first working car in America in their official company documents, and Haynes would go on insisting that he alone was the first American manufacturer of a working automobile, despite Lambert’s and Duryea’s documented prior achievements. Haynes’ slogan remained “America’s First Car” for the duration of the company.
The Haynes Speedsters
Haynes Automobile Company formally existed from 1898-1925. Like many auto companies of the early 1900s, they were initially involved in oval-track and road racing as a means to get attention for their products. The first such example of this was the 1907 Model V “Vanderbilt” Racer. The back-story on this model was that a Model R Touring was stripped of its fenders and body, fitted with a racing cowl and seats, and entered in the qualifying heat for the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup race in Suffolk County, Long Island. After qualifying to represent the American team, the Haynes entry was mysteriously disinvited by the race committee and replaced by a more powerful Christie; thus, the Haynes did not participate in the event. In 1906, a similar Haynes racer did get to race, but did not finish well against much larger and more powerful European contenders.
1907 Haynes Model V, the Vanderbilt Cup Racer. Note the lack of lights, fenders, etc. needed for licensed road use. However, this was sold to Joe Public if desired. catalog image courtesy AACA Library
This racing prototype was the inspiration for the production1907 Model V Racer. The 1907 Haynes sales brochure referred to it as “a handsomely designed runabout body” sporting a 50-horsepower Haynes four-cylinder engine on a 106-inch wheelbase. It was a spartan but well-built 3,000-pound racer, $3,500 F.O.B. Kokomo. Typical of speedsters of this era, two bucket seats were affixed to the floorboards directly in front of a drum gas tank. The engine cowl was a simple wrap covering the engine compartment, and the non-collapsing steering wheel offered free impalement of the seatbelt-less driver should a quick stop happen. Of course, with only rear brakes, this car did not stop quickly – speedsters were meant to go, not stop. This Haynes, like most other first generation speedsters, were primal examples inspired by and often used as race cars, but also sold to the public.
A 60-horsepower street version of the Model V was produced as a three passenger runabout. However, Haynes also offered a smaller speedster with lights, fenders, and 30-horsepower engine, the 1907 Haynes Semi-Racer, which also had three seats in a more upright runabout configuration. It was this smaller speedster that won the Silver Cup for Excellence from the New York Auto Club, a 200-mile mudbath endurance run that ended in Albany, finishing first in class on its first outing!
1907 Haynes Semi-Racer, outfitted for street use. ad courtesy AACA Library
Haynes officially discontinued oval track racing after 1907, although some privateers continued on as gentleman racers without factory support. This action seemed rather contrary, as oval track racing would attract upwards of 50,000 race fans at major events. Racing was wild, it was exciting, and it provided loads of free advertising.
Instead, Haynes focused on a different competition - reliability runs - to showcase the strength and endurance of their touring models. And to its credit, this strategy served them well; by 1921 the company’s annual production would peak at over 6,000 cars.
1909 Haynes X-4 Hiker. catalog image courtesy AACA Library
In 1909 the Series X models had among them a 112-inch wheelbase speedster called the Hiker. It had two seats, an open cockpit, and produced an A.L.A.M.-rated 36 horsepower from 354 cubic inches using a twin-plug four cylinder proprietary engine. It sported pin-striped fenders, running lights, and a raised platform seat for a better view. Nevertheless, at $2900 F.O.B. it was still an open car designed like speedsters of the period, with no weather or safety protection for the driver or passenger. Given the prevailing spirit of open-aired adventure back then, not much thought was given to rollovers, impalements, or exploding gas tanks.
1909 Haynes T-Head, a common engine configuration for high-powered engines of the period. catalog image courtesy Haynes Museum
In 1912 Haynes issued a Model 20 Bohemian, an open-cockpit speedster with a longer wheelbase (114 inches), less horsepower (28), and reduced cost ($1,650), all in an effort to find its place in a market that would soon be clogged with Stutzes, Marmons, and other race-bred speedsters. After this model year Haynes discontinued speedster production and concentrated on its touring line.
1912 Haynes Bohemian Roadster The tilted seat and raked-back steering wheel often meant that it was a speedster, but naming conventions were up to the manufacturer. catalog image courtesy Haynes Museum
Touring car production at the Haynes plant continued to swell, even after the post-war slowdown of 1919. Haynes had peaked in 1916 with 9,800 cars sold, had several years with 3,000 to 6,000 in unit sales, and was considered a successful independent by most standards of the day. So Haynes made the bold move of marketing a new line of six- and 12-cylinder speedsters in 1921 to recapture hearts and minds that were recovering from the horrors of The Great War.
The full-page lifestyle ad that ran in the May 1921 issue of The Saturday Evening Post portrayed the affluent and on-the-go crowd. The ad called the Haynes Special Speedster “The New Car of Life and Youth” and spoke to that crowd. It also called out to those who wanted to be in that crowd:
The snap, the vim, the “go,” … all the qualities and characteristics demanded and enjoyed by the young folk who set the pace and create the style for today – all these are embodied in the new Haynes Special Speedster.
The picture accompanying the ad, which also appeared in its sales catalog, framed an upscale and carefree life with this car. To close the deal, the Post ad ended with this advice: “The production of the Haynes Special Speedster is necessarily limited and immediate reservations are urged.”
1921 Haynes Special Ad. Ad courtesy Horseless Carriage Foundation
The Special Speedsters were offered in the Model 47 and 48 lines. The Model 47 Light Six used a Haynes six-cylinder engine that produced 50 horsepower; the Model 48 sported a Haynes V-12 that pumped out 70 horsepower, a handsome number in 1921 for a street model. Both power plants were mature versions that had been online since 1914 and 1917 respectively, with few changes except in locations of starter, wiring, etc.
Haynes Light Six and Light Twelve engines. catalog image courtesy Haynes Museum
These cars were neither little nor cheap: the Light six rolled on a 132-inch wheelbase and retailed at $3,500, and the Light Twelve at $4,200. However, Haynes gambled that speedsters would appeal as a popular sporting option for the moneyed class, a niche into which many carmakers sought to fit.
The depression of 1921, however, killed demand for the Light Twelve, and in 1922 an improved 6-cylinder engine, now producing a healthy 75 horsepower for the 1922 Model 75 Special Speedster, quietly assumed the former Twelve’s place and at a lower price point by 1923. Despite the upmarket styling and handsome appointments of this refined semi-enclosed car, sales continued trending down from 1921, a problem dogging many a carmaker.
1922 Haynes 75 Special Speedster. catalog image courtesy AACA Library
The 1923 Model 77 Blue Ribbon Speedster supplanted both prior models with its slightly detuned 6-cylinder engine producing 70 horsepower, but it also featured a true folding top and plaited Spanish leather seats. It came with an improved aluminum step plate for cabin access, and six wire wheels were standard. The rear deck sported a luggage carrier and trunk; this was in addition to the rear deck trunk that also featured a side-opening golf club access door. The target market was again stated in the Haynes brochure for 1923:
This Haynes creation is just the type of car for the youth, the sportsman, the clubman, the golfer, the salesman, the athletic type, and the rest who are desirous of riding in a distinctly chic and charming bodyline and one which takes to the road like a thoroughbred.
1923 Haynes Blue Ribbon Speedster. ad image courtesy AACA Library
Magazine ads also offered a glimpse of the life one would have by owning any of the 1921-1923 Haynes Speedsters. “Chic and sporty” defined this speedster, and race driver Howdy Wilcox guaranteed its speed, but behind the curtain still loomed the depression of this period.
Falter, Then Failure
Due to materials shortages and lack of sales, independent carmakers were dropping out like canaries in a coal mine from the 1920s boom-and-bust economy. Haynes had unsuccessfully tried to merge with Winton and Doris, but both of those companies were having their own set of economic problems, so the speedster line was dropped for 1924 as Haynes reined in and hunkered down. Faced with falling sales and increasing debt, creditors pulled the plug on Haynes in 1925, forcing it into bankruptcy.
1920 Elwood Haynes and his Speedster. photo courtesy Haynes Museum
Although Elwood Haynes owned and drove his own Special Speedster, he had long since extricated himself from the automobile company and its approaching debacle. Haynes had developed and was quite successfully producing advanced metals, including stainless steel, stellite (a cobalt-based steel alloy), and other materials that are widely used to this day. He was an advocate for the metric system, had dabbled in politics, and had also served on the Indiana State Board of Education.
Elwood Haynes died prematurely at the age of 67 shortly after the demise of his automobile company. He was much beloved by his community for his service work as well as having been a major employer in Kokomo. Even if he did fib about his role (and date of origin) in the actual birth of the American automobile, Elwood Haynes was truly a self-made genius of the early twentieth century. And he never let anyone forget about it either!
The Haynes-Apperson story, an ill-fated marriage of contrary minds, is more fully covered in my book, Classic Speedsters: The Cars, The Times, and The Characters Who Drove Them. Stay tuned for news on that!