Louis Semple Clarke (1866 - 1957) of USA was in the business of steam boat services. Early in 1890s he started experimenting with motorization. In 1897, he formed the company Pittsburgh Motor vehicle Company. The first attempt was a Gasoline powered tricycle in 1897 and later, in 1899, a proper 4 wheeled car called "Pittsburgher" was introduced.
In 1899 , the company was renamed as The Autocar Company and was experimenting with cars and trucks.
A 1901 Autocar car -
Autocar was known for innovation and inventions. LS (Louis Semple), as he was known, invented the Porcelain insulation for spark plugs. The patent was later sold to Champion and is still the main element of a modern spark plug. LS also was the first to put the steering on the left hand side which led to standardization of RH traffic. He was also the first to use oil circulation system for lubrication of engines.
By 1907 , Auto car decided to concentrate on manufacture of trucks. Some of the early Autocar trucks - a 1910 Autocar truck and a 1932 Autocar Tanker.
By 1912 , Autocar stopped manufacture of cars and concentrated on the manufacture of trucks.
The Autocar Logo -
Autocar was taken over by White Motor Company in 1953 and trucks were manufactured under both White and Autocar brands. In 1981 , Volvo acquired White Motor Company and Volvo also continued to manufacture trucks under Autocar brand. In 2001 , Volvo stopped manufacture of Autocar trucks sold the Autocar brand to General Vehicle Holdings.
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