Staver

The Staver and Staver-Chicago was an American Brass Era automobile manufactured at 76th and Wallace Streets in Chicago, Illinois, by the Staver Carriage Company from 1906 until 1914.[1][2]

For the lawyer and dean of Liberty University School of Law, see Mathew Staver.
Staver Carriage Company
IndustryCoachbuilder, Automotive
Founded1899 (1899)
FounderHenry C. Staver
Defunct1914 (1914)
FateClosed
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois,
United States
Key people
Henry C. Staver, Harry B. Staver, Dan C. Teetor
Productsautomobiles
Production output
7,092 (1906-1914)

History

Staver Carriage Company was organized after the 1896 bankruptcy of the Staver-Abbott Carriage Company, by Henry C. Staver in 1899. In 1905 Staver began an expansion of their carriage factory and also began developing a high-wheel automobile that would be introduced in late 1906. Henry C. Staver died in 1907 and his son Harry B. Staver became president of Staver Carriage Company.[3][4][5]

The company's initial Staver automobile was an 18/20-hp high wheeler, with a stanhope body. Larger, more powerful and more expensive at $1,000 (equivalent to $31,407 in 2022) than most high-wheelers, it was fully equipped with top, side curtains, storm front, lights and toolbox. As Models C and D, it debuted at the 1907 Chicago Auto Show and approximately 200 were sold into 1908.[6][7][8]

Production was turned over to conventional automobiles with a two-cylinder 20-hp roadster in 1909 and four-cylinder models beginning in 1910.[1] Staver purchased 500 American & British Manufacturing Company four-cylinder engines designed by Charles F. Herreshoff. Poor manufacturing resulted in a lawsuit that lasted until 1914.[9] Teetor engines from the Light Inspection Car Company designed for Staver, were used from 1910. In 1912, Dan C. Teetor became chief designer for Staver until 1914.[4]

Harry L. Curran in a Staver automobile in the autodrome at Riverview Exposition, Chicago

With the introduction of the 4-cylinder automobiles, Staver's were advertised as Staver-Chicago models.[10] Staver became very active in motorsports and reliability runs and participated in the Elgin National Road Races, Algonquin Hill Climb, Chicago's 1,400 mile Reliability Run, many board races and culminating in the Around Lake Michigan runs in 1911 and 1912. Gus Monckmeier, Chester Cheney, Emery Knudsen, Harry L. Curran and Ralph Ireland were all drivers for Staver. Ralph Ireland died in a practice run when his Staver-Chicago burst a tire at Elgin.[11][12][13][14] Munckmeier had a perfect score for Staver in the 1911 Around Lake Michigan trial, but was later suspended along with Staver from AAA events for a year, when it was found the winning Staver-Chicago car was not stock.[15]

For 1912 Staver-Chicago was dropped and all cars were again advertised as Staver.[16] Staver's were mid-priced in the $1,650 to $2,250 (equivalent to $68,229 in 2022) range with limousines priced up to $3,500.[1]

1914 Models were introduced early in March 1913 and included the new six-cylinder Staver of 70-hp, priced as a touring car at $2,750, equivalent to $80,344 in 2022.[15][1] Production for cars ended in June 1914, and carriages later in the year.[1] Staver Carriage Company continued as a property company for a few years, leasing the Staver factory to Partin Manufacturing Company and other automobile manufacturers.[1] The factory and automobile equipment transferred to Studebaker in 1917 in a property swap.[17]

Models
  • 1906 Staver 18/20-hp Model D
    1906 Staver 18/20-hp Model D
  • 1911 Staver-Chicago 30-hp Model T
    1911 Staver-Chicago 30-hp Model T
  • 1913 Staver 35-hp Inglewood Touring Car
    1913 Staver 35-hp Inglewood Touring Car
  • 1914 Staver 70-hp Model 65 Touring car
    1914 Staver 70-hp Model 65 Touring car
Year model style cylinder Power (hp) Wheelbase (in) Body
1907-1908 Model D 2 18/20 78 Stanhope buggy 2 seater
1909 Style 20 2 24 86 Runabout 2-seater
1910 30 HP Model H 4 30 112 Touring car 5-seater
1910 30 HP Model I 4 30 112 Torpedo 5 seater
1910 30 HP Model J 4 30 112 Surrey 4 seater
1910 30 HP Model K 4 30 112 Baby tonneau 4-seater
1910 45 HP Model L 4 45 116 runabout
1910 45 HP Model M 4 45 117 touring car
1911 30 HP Model B 4 30 112 Baby tonneau 4-seater
1911 30 HP Model F 4 30 112 Fore-Door Touring Car 5 seater
1911 30 HP Model R 4 30 112 Torpedo Roadster 5 seater
1911 30 HP Model RR 4 30 112 Racing roadster 2 seater
1911 30 HP Model T 4 30 112 Touring car 5-seater
1911 35 HP Model I 4 35 112 roadster
1911 35 HP Model I 4 35 117 5-seater touring car, 5-seater fore-door touring car
1911 40 HP Model R 4 40 124 7-seater touring car, 7-seater fore-door touring car, coupé , sedan
1912 35 HP Model B 4 35 112 Fore-Door Touring Car 5 seater
1912 35 HP Model B.T 4 35 112 Baby tonneau 4-seater
1912 35 HP Model C 4 35 112 Coupe
1912 35 HP Model D 4 35 112 limousine
1912 35 HP Model F 4 35 120 Fore-Door Touring Car, Special
1912 35 HP Model R 4 35 112 Torpedo Roadster 5 seats
1912 35 HP Model RR 4 35 112 Racing roadster 2 seater
1912 40 HP Model F 4 40 124 Fore Door Touring Car
1912 40 HP Model L 4 40 124 limousine
1912 40 HP Model RR 4 40 124 Racing roadster 2 seater
1912 40 HP Model T 4 40 124 Touring cars 5-seater and 7-seater
1913 30 HP 4 30 120 Algonquin Speed Roadster
1913 35 HP 4 35 124 Englewood Touring Car 5-seat, Englewood Limited Touring Car 5-seat, Edgewater Touring Car 5-seat, Newport Touring Car 5-seat, Greyhound Speed Roadster 4-seat, Beverly Touring Car 5-seat, Berkley Tonneau 4-seat, Lakeport Roadster, South Shore Colonial Coupe, North Shore Sedan
1913 40 HP 4 40 124 Dictator touring car 5-seater
1914 45 HP Model 45 4 45 118 5-seater touring car, 2-seater roadster
1914 55 HP Model 55 4 55 120 Touring car 5-seater, Speedster 2-seater
1914 65 HP Model 65 6 70 138 Touring cars 5-seater and 7-seater

Production

Production figures total 7,092 vehicles.[1]

Year production
1907 213
1908 374
1909 426
1910 816
1911 1,110
1912 1,316
1913 1,410
1914 1,427
total 7,092

About five Staver vehicles still exist.

Advertisements
  • 1910 Staver-Chicago advertisement in Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal
    1910 Staver-Chicago advertisement in Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal
  • 1911 Staver-Chicago advertisement with Harry B. Staver in Motor World
    1911 Staver-Chicago advertisement with Harry B. Staver in Motor World
  • 1912 Staver advertisement in Motor Field
    1912 Staver advertisement in Motor Field

References
  1. Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
  2. Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  3. The Hub. Trade News Publishing Company. 1905.
  4. Adolphus, David Traver (September 23, 2018). "The Staver Carriage Company". www.hemmings.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  5. The American Vehicle. Chas. B. Sherron. 1907.
  6. Automobile Trade Journal and Motor Age. Chilton Company. 1906.
  7. The Automobile. Chilton Company. 1907.
  8. Motor. Hearst Corporation. 1907.
  9. Court, Illinois Appellate (1915). Official Illinois Appellate Court Reports. Legal Division, Pantagraph Printing.
  10. The Motor World. Motor World Publishing Company. 1910.
  11. The Automobile. Class Journal Company. 1910.
  12. The Motor World. Motor World Publishing Company. 1910.
  13. Motor Age. Class Journal Company. 1910.
  14. Motor World. Chilton Company. 1911.
  15. Motor World Wholesale. Chilton Company. 1912.
  16. Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal. Chilton Company. 1912.
  17. Chicago Commerce. 1916.
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