1911 Brush Model E Runabout

1911 Brush Model E

1911 Brush Model E Front view

 The 1911 Brush Model E featured in the Schwanke Museum was added to the museum’s collection in May of 2000 it was one of many purchases from the Carl Johnk family after the passing of Mr. Johnk in 1988.  

side view

Alanson P. Brush (February 10, 1878 in Michigan – March 6, 1952 in Michigan) would form the Brush Runabout Company in 1906 in Detroit, Michigan. Alanson P. Brush would become a much respected technical innovator in the automobile industry even though he did not have any formal technical training. He works with Henry Leland on designing and building the original one cylinder Cadillac engine in 1902. He decided to move on and start his own company where he could build a low cost one cylinder car under his own name. At the time there was a car craze that was sweeping the nation and in the early 1900’s and there was an eagerness for the type of car Brush would design and build.

Like many other manufactures that were trying to meet the demand from the public Brush would design and build a runabout. After several attempts and designs he would come out in 1909 with his Brush Model B which would feature a one cylinder engine with 7 hp and a 74” wheel base. He desired to build a car that was light so he used a wooden chassis. For the cars undercarriage it would use wooden rails and iron cross members for stability. The Brush would use a friction drive transmission with a suspension that used under slung coil springs that used tension. That way Brush wouldn’t need to use compression on both sides of each axle. With so many other makes and models of small runabouts on the market many having one to four cylinder engines, none could compare to the Brush, mainly due to the unique and unusual design and detail that showed off the inventiveness of it maker.  The Brush was powered by a large single-cylinder water cooled engine. At night the Brush’s had two gas-powered headlights that provided light, along with a gas-powered light in the rear. The frame, axles, and wheels were made of oak, hickory or maple, many times left plain or painted that way it would match the trim. A squeeze bulb horn with a long metal tube was located next to the driver and this was located next to the engine cover. A small storage area was provided in the rear, with a drawer accessible under the rear of the seat.

In 1910 Brush would make some small changes to his design, this would make the runabout more affordable and would make the car one of the more successful cars during that period. Brush made the car so that the average person could afford the car, the 1910-1911 models range in cost from $350 to $850 dollars. Part of the reason the cars were affordable was because the car used mainly Michigan hardwoods in its construction, the axles and wheels were fabricated from hickory, with the frame and flooring made from oak, the seat structure were made from poplar for its flexibility.  Brush manufactured several models of their Runabout, starting with the model A, B, BC, C, D, E, F, and the Liberty. The Model D sat on an 80-inch wheelbase and powered by a single-cylinder engine offering 10 horsepower. The car weighed 950 pounds and cost $485. This model could and would be use as part of their truck line many were used as mail trucks and delivery trucks, the company boasted in their advertisement that the truck could handle loads up to 500 lb.  The Model D had the distention of being their only enclosed model.

a look at the interior

The one thing that gave the Brush an advantage over its competitors was that its engine ran counter-clockwise instead of the usual clockwise. Now I don’t have to you reminded in those days they still had not invention the electric start and Brush came up with an idea which was intended to make the car safer for a right-handed person to crank-start by hand. Before his idea all car engines ran clockwise. There were many injuries that were sustained, mostly dislocated thumbs and broken forearms. The hand crank would kick back on starting, especially if the car was not properly adjusted before starting, or if the person cranking did not follow correct safety procedures this would include fully retarding the manual spark advance. The person was require to keep the thumb alongside the fingers instead of around the crank, and pulling the crank upward in a half turn, never in a full circle or pushing down. This design proved to be one of the most significant changes in all of the designs on the market at that time. Today you would be hard press to find any engine that ran clock wise because all engines run counter-clock wise rotation.

 In 1913, Alanson P. Brush along with Frank and Benjamin Briscoe would use Maxwell-Briscoe, Brush, Stoddard-Dayton and others to form the United States Motor Company. Unfortunately the United States Motor Company would fail and by 1914. This was due to the fact the competition from Ford made it difficult keep up with the numbers Ford was producing and still being able to their cars affordable. It has been reported that the total production of the Brush Runabout from 1907 to 1913 at 13,250 units. While researching the Brush runabout a few web sites are reporting that there may be as many as 200 Brush runabout in existents today.

Alanson P. Brush would leave his beloved car in the hands of the United States Motor Company and would pursue other ventures, many of his credits, working for the early Cadillac company on the engine and transmission, also working on Buick and Pontiac’s. He was considered one the great innovator of the early 20^th century.