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John Ford - Ford Publishing 5/05/03 johnford@2fords.net |
1940
American-Bantam
This cute little car is an American Bantam and if it looks familiar to you, maybe you have seen Walt Disney's version of it in the Donald Duck Magazine? Old Walt used it when he designed Donald's little red car with licence number 313, but even Mickey Mouse got to drive in an American Bantam and it is obvious that Walt Disney thought this was the perfect "Cartoon" car. The American Austin Car Co., was formed in 1930 to manufacture under licence, the English Austin Seven, though with U.S.-style bodywork. Its 4-cyl. engine displaced 45.6 cu.ins. and produced 13 hp. It sold for $445 out the door of the Butler, Pa., plant, and had a 75-in. wheelbase and a track of 40 ins. Advance orders for the sub-compact supposedly totalled 180.000 cars, but first-year production was only a dismally low 8500 units, the best year the company would have. Diving to less than 1300 cars buildt in '31, sales rose to 3850 for '32, the year American Austin went into receivership. The firm's assets were sold for a pitiful $5000 in 1935 to one of Austin's board members, Roy Evans, who recapitalized the company and titled it American Bantam Car Co. The first Bantams weren't ready until early in 1938, and when they appeared, they were similar to the preceding Austins in size, but enjoyed new bodies. The engine was the same as used before, but had been upgraded to 20 hp. Despite loud press acclains, only 1500 '38's were built, and the picture remained the same for '39 at about 1220 cars. New coachwork appeared for '40, and a new engine; 4-cyl, 22 hp. from 50 cu.ins. But Bantam was by now the recipient of a military contract and its passenger car efforts dwindled to zero by early in 1941. Before the war, Bantam invented the JEEP, but because of the companys bad economy, Willys and Ford produced the lionpart of all JEEP's made, during the WWII. So close, but never the winner. This car's legacy remains with Donald and Mickey.
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