Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Company

1879-present located in Louisville, Kentucky and made the DIXIE FLYER, HERCULES, and CROWN automobiles. Address: Kentucky Wagon Works. 2601 S. 3rd St. Louisville, Kentucky. By 1919, horse drawn vehicle production was curtailed except for farm wagons and in 1920 Studebaker sold their wagon works to The Kentucky Wagon Mfg Co of Louisville. In so doing, Studebaker became the only wagon maker to successfully transition to automobiles.

In 1916 the Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Company decided to go into the car manufacturing business and was renamed the Dixie Motor Car Company. It only lasted from 1916 to 1923. Only car manufactured here was the Dixie Flyer Firefly which had a Lycoming and Herschell-Spillman four cylinder engine. Company sold out to the National Automobile Company of Indianapolis.

In 1936, the company was acquired by R.C. Tway Sr. and turned into the Kentucky Manufacturing Company. It now is back to it's roots and manufactures Truck Trailers. Reportedly made car & trucks from 1915-1923. President William C. None died on January 24th, 1929 at the age of 83. Built Ford Model T& TT – Model A&AA Driver Salesman Truck bodies for Fords.

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OLD HICKORY (US) 1915-1923

(1)Kentucky Wagon Works, Louisville, Ky. 1914-1915

(2) Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Co., Louisville, Ky. 1915-1923

The original Old Hickory model was a 1 ½-tonner with worm-drive. In1916, only, a 3 ½-tonner was made with a 4­cylinder engine under a frontal hood with bevel-gear drive and pneumatic tires on a wheelbase of 9 feet, 4 inches. This model was continued to the end of 1919 and at least in 1918 it had a Lycoming engine. In 1919, a 1-tonner also was made with a 4-cylinder Continental engine. This com­pany also built the Urban electric commercial vehicle. GMN

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URBAN (US) 1911-1918

Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Co, Louisville, Ky

The Urban was a battery-operated electric. The initial model was a modest ½-tonner but in later years a number of chassis were offered, up to 2-tonners. Edison alkaline batteries were used in all models, and final drive was by double chains. Open and enclosed models of delivery vans were offered on chassis with wheelbases to 10 feet, 10 inches.

If your travel plans include an excursion through the Hershey region of southeastern Pennsylvania between now and April 30, you might want to stop by the AACA Museum and check out the rare 1922 Dixie Flyer Firefly Speedster on display, which is on temporary loan from Kentucky Trailer. Rare might be a bit of an understatement: It’s the only example known to exist.

The car was manufactured by the Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Company (established in 1879), which produced automobiles from 1917-1923. The Dixie pictured above was one of a special batch of right-hand-drive cars sent to Australia; it spent its usable life on a ranch in Taggerty, then was placed in a barn where the owner’s grandchildren disassembled the car in an effort to learn of its workings. According to the rest of the story – briefly – it was later rediscovered by a scrap metal dealer, who sold the mass to Melbourne collector Bernie Jacobson. The Dixie then spent the next three years undergoing a complete restoration.

Some of our Hemmings faithful may have seen it in Louisville, Kentucky, at the AACA’s 75th anniversary celebration; Bernie had shipped it back to the States in time for that gathering. He later sold the car to Kentucky Trailer, which is the current name of the old Kentucky Wagon Manufacturing Company.

After April 30, the Dixie will be returned to Kentucky Trailer‘s Louisville headquarters, where it will be placed on permanent display, joining their amassed collection of other historical artifacts forever linked to the company.