December 2020
CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY BRANCH of the VINTAGE CAR CLUB of NZ (Inc) Lamb Country Branch Email: centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz
POSTAL ADDRESS
CHB Branch of the Vintage Car Club (Inc) c/-18 Wilder Street, Waipukurau. 4200
Club Nights—7.30pm 3rd Wednesday of every Month
Remembering Auto Pioneer—Thomas B. Jeffery—by Robert Tate, Automotive Historian & Researcher Thomas B. Jeffery was a great automotive pioneer that helped place America on wheels during the early 1900s. He built his first experimental Rambler model in his machine shop, which was a bicycle factory in Chicago during the late 1800s. Born in England in 1845, Jeffery immigrated to the United States when he was 18 and settled in Chicago. He was long noted for his many contributions to the bicycle industry during his early career. Jeffery achieved great fame and success with his invention of the popular clincher tyre during the 1880s, which led to the development of the G & J pneumatic tyre. However, he was best known for the popular Rambler bicycles that were manufactured from 1879 to the turn of the century. When the 20thcentury began, Jeffery First experimental Rambler with Thomas B. Jeffery shifted his focus to building new automobiles in response to this growing industry. He sold his bicycle business and purchased a plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he and his son Charles began manufacturing one-cylinder Rambler automobiles in 1901. The 1901 Rambler Model A was the first model designed by Charles T. Jeffery. The model was built at the Kenosha plant with the engine located in the front of the vehicle and the steering wheel on the left side. The first Rambler models were offered for sale in March 1902 for a cost of $750. It was an immediate success among consumers who wanted to do more travelling. More than 1,500 runabout and Stanhope models were built and manufactured in 1902. This would make the Rambler automobile the world’s second mass-produced car, one year after the Olds and a year ahead of Ford.
Thomas B Jeffery
In 1904, Thomas Jeffery started to manufacture two-cylinder vehicles along with a four-cylinder Rambler that was introduced to the public in 1906. One of the most prestigious and factual magazines at the time was called Motor Age. This publication had the following to say about the marketability of steering from the left side of the vehicle: “whether this will become popular remains to be seen??