Regal Motor Car Company
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1908; 116 years ago (1908)
FounderLambert brothers, Fred W. Haines
Defunct1918; 106 years ago (1918)
FateBankruptcy
HeadquartersDetroit, Michigan,
United States
Key people
Charles R. Lambert, J. E. Lambert, Bert Lambert, Fred Haines, Paul Arthur
ProductsAutomobiles
Production output
52,544 (1908-1918)
1912 Regal Underslung Coupé

The Regal was an American automobile produced by the Regal Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, from 1907 to 1918.[1][2]

History

The Regal Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan was established in 1908 as a partnership between brothers Charles R., J. E. and Bert Lambert and Fred W. Haines. The Regal was a medium-sized and medium-priced automobile designed by Paul Arthur. The car was widely publicized and a factory stock 30-hp Regal nicknamed "Plugger" crossed the country 5 times in 1909 and 1910 covering 22,000 miles. Regal four-cylinder engines were their own design while automobile bodies came from the Fisher coachworks of Detroit.[3]

Regal introduced an Underslung chassis model late in 1910 which added to its sporting image. In 1915 a V-8 engine and a light four-cylinder engine designed by S. G. Jenks were introduced that were manufactured by the Port Huron Construction Company.[2] Regal pricing was competitive, in 1911 pricing started at $900 (equivalent to $28,266 in 2022) for a Runabout to $1,650 (equivalent to $51,822 in 2022) for a Fore-Door Touring car. Regal was among the leaders in U.S. automobile exporting.[3]

Material shortages due to the First World War slowed production and Regal Motor Car Company ran out of operating funds. In February 1918, creditors elected to liquidate the company. The factory was purchased and kept open for a short while making spare parts.[3]

Regal Britain

In addition to American sales, from 1911 the cars were exported to Britain. The Seabrook Brothers who had a large automotive accessories business, branded the Regal as RMC and Seabrook-RMC for the British market. The First World War interrupted the supply from Regal and Seabrook turned to importing Napoleon trucks for the war effort.[1]

Regal Canada

In 1910 an attempt was made to assemble the Regal across the river from Detroit in Walkersville, Ontario, Canada, but very few were made.[1]

Henry Nyberg who had made cars under his own name, and was involved with the Madison automobile, set up Canadian Regal Motors, Ltd in Berlin (later Kitchener, Ontario) in 1914.[1]

The factory was the first in Canada to have a proper test track and test hill. It also had a club building with reading rooms, pool and dining rooms for factory workers with a separate one for white collar staff.[1]

A 30-hp four-cylinder Regal and the V8 Regal were produced. Local bodywork was used on the Regal components shipped from Detroit. Between 200 and 400 cars were sold up to the end of 1916 when supply problems arose with the Detroit factory. Due to World War I, Regal Motor Company in Detroit closed down.

Nyberg closed and sold the factory in 1918 and built another factory next door to build the Saxon automobile. When this didn't happen, he made the Dominion unit, which converted cars into light trucks.[1]

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Models

Year Model Type Cylinders Horsepower wheelbase (cm) Body Style
1908 Twenty-Five 4 25 254 Touring Car, Runabout
1909 Thirty 4 30 267 Touring Car, Runabout, Baby Tonneau
1910 Thirty 4 30 272 Touring Car, Runabout, Coupé, Limousine
1910 Forty 4 40 312 Touring Car
1911 Twenty Model N 4 20 254 Runabout
1911 Thirty Model L 4 30 279 Touring Car
1911 Thirty Model LF 4 30 279 Fore-Door Touring Car
1911 Forty Model S 4 40 312 Touring Car
1911 Forty Model SF 4 40 312 Fore-Door Touring Car
1912 Twenty-Five Model N 4 25 254 Runabout
1912 Twenty-Five Model NC 4 25 254 Colonial Coupé
1912 Thirty Model L 4 30 279 Touring Car
1912 Thirty Model LF 4 30 279 Fore-Door Touring Car
1912 Thirty Model LO 4 30 279 Torpedo
1912 Thirty-Five Model H 4 35 300 Touring Car
1912 Forty Model S 4 40 312 Touring Car
1912 Forty Model SF 4 40 312 Fore-Door Touring Car
1913 Twenty-Five Model N 4 25 274 Roadster
1913 Twenty-Five Model NC 4 25 274 Coupé
1913 Twenty-Five Model T 4 25 274 Touring Car
1913 Thirty Model C 4 30 295 Touring Car
1913 Thirty-Five Model H 4 35 300 Touring Car
1914 Twenty-Five Model N 4 25 274 Roadster
1914 Twenty-Five Model NC 4 25 274 Coupé
1914 Twenty-Five Model T 4 25 274 Touring Car
1914 Thirty-Five Model C 4 35 295 Touring Car
1915 Light Four 4 20 269 Roadster, Touring Car
1915 Four Model D 4 39 279 Touring Car
1915 Four Model R 4 39 279 Roadster
1915 Eight 8 40 284 Roadster, Touring Car
1916 Model D 4 39 292 Roadster, Touring Car
1916 Model E 4 27 269 Touring Car, Roadster
1916 Model F 8 44 318 Touring Car, Roadster
1917 Model F 8 29 318 Touring Car, Roadster, Limousine
1917 Model J 4 20 274 Touring Car
1918 Model J High Power Four 4 20 274 Touring Car

Production

1912 Regal Underslung Model NC Colonial Coupe

Annual production totals[3]

Year Production
1908 425
1909 2,134
1910 3,587
1911 4,526
1912 5,822
1913 7,627
1914 8,136
1915 8,227
1916 7,114
1917 4,123
1918 823
Totals 52,544

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Regal Motor Car vehicles.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  2. ^ a b Wise, David Burgress (2000). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles. Chartwell Books. ISBN 0-7858-1106-0.
  3. ^ 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.
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