Reliance (automobile)

Reliance Automobile Manufacturing Company
Reliance Motor Car Company
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1904; 120 years ago (1904)
Defunct1911; 113 years ago (1911)
FateAcquired by General Motors in 1909 and merged with Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in 1911 to form General Motors Truck Company (renamed GMC in 1913)
SuccessorGMC
HeadquartersDetroit, Michigan,
United States
Key people
E. O. Abbott, W. K. Ackerman, Fred O. Paige
ProductsAutomobiles, Trucks

The Brass era Reliance automobile was manufactured by the Reliance Automobile Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan from 1904 to 1907.[1][2]

History

The Reliance was a two-cylinder, 3.2 liter water-cooled engine car with selective transmission and shaft-drive. It was designed by E. O. Abbott and W. K. Ackerman, both formerly with Cadillac.The body style was a side-entrance tonneau and the company wanted to advertise they were the first in the United States to introduce it, and pre-dated production to 1903 instead of 1904. Peerless and Orlo both introduced a side-entrance body in 1904.[2][1]

The Reliance had a King of Belgium tonneau body style for 1905 and was priced at $1,250, equivalent to $42,389 in 2023. The company was under-capitalized and was reorganized in 1904 as Reliance Motor Car Company, with Fred O. Paige taking charge shortly after. A commercial truck was added in 1906 and from February 1907 only trucks were manufactured.[1][2]

Reliance sold the passenger car production and it would later become the Crescent automobile. Reliance was purchased in 1909 by General Motors and the Reliance truck evolved into the first GMC truck. Fred Paige departed to build his Paige automobile.[1][2]

Advertisements

  • 1904 Reliance Model Two Touring car advertisement in the Horseless Age magazine
    1904 Reliance Model Two Touring car advertisement in the Horseless Age magazine
  • 1906 Reliance automobile and truck advertisement in the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal
    1906 Reliance automobile and truck advertisement in the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reliance vehicles.

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.