Preston Motors Corporation
The Preston Motors Corporation was organized in 1919 to manufacture automobiles in Birmingham. R. A. Skinner was president and chief engineer. With $1,000,000 in capital, the company built its Preston Motors Plant No. 1 on Vanderbilt Road where it built five-passenger touring cars.
Preston Motors Plant No. 2 opened in 1921 on the northwest corner of 27th Avenue and 24th Street North in North Birmingham. The second plant accommodated production of a 6-cylinder roadster.
Preston's Premocars were built on steel frames with water-cooled Falls engines, 3-speed manual transmissions, Timken axles, Borg and Peck clutches, Wagner starters and lights, Connecticut ignitions, Spicer universal joints, Stromberg carburetors, Muncie gearsets, Willard batteries, and Stewart vacuum feed assemblies. The standard color was maroon with cream-color wheels, but custom colors were available as an option. Because it was built on the same 117" wheelbase chassis, the roadster had a roomy rear compartment which could enclose steamer trunk under the fold-down roof. Standard wheels were 32" diameter by 3 1/2" wide.
During his 1921 visit to Birmingham, President Warren Harding toured the city in a white-painted 1921 Premocar Touring Car. The 1922 models featured an improved "Magic Six" valve-in-head motor.
Models
- Premocar 4-80 A Touring Car (4 cylinder, 5 passenger)
- Premocar 6-40 A Touring Car (6 cylinder, 5 passenger)
- Premocar 6-40 C Coupe
- Premocar 6-40 S Sedan
- Premocar 6-40 R Roadster (6 cylinder, 3 passenger)
- Premocar 6-40 X California Top (6 cylinder, 3 passenger)
References
- "Premocar Roadster" (December 1921) Motor Record
[[Category:Vanderbilt Road]