Great Southern Automobile Company
The Great Southern Automobile Company was the first automobile manufacturer in the central South. It was incorporated in Birmingham in 1909 and manufactured automobiles, automobile parts, and buses from its plant in Ensley, where it also maintained a repair department. Its founding officers were Eugene Enslen, president; Ike Adler, vice-president; John Kyser, secretary and treasurer; and Eugene Enslen, Jr general manager.
In early 1910, it announced a Model "50" touring car with a wheel base of 124 inches, a 5.25x6 inches bore and stroke engine, capable of 60 brake horsepower.
In 1912, it opened salesrooms in the Empire Building, then the tallest building in Birmingham. The manager was W. O. Fields.
In 1913, it was manufacturing two models:
- Great Southern 30, available in two-seater roadster and five-seater touring bodies for $1400.
- Great Southern 51, available in a six-seater touring body for $2100.
In 1914, it dropped the Great Southern 30, and concentrated on the manufacture of just the Great Southern 50 chassis, formerly titled the Great Southern 51. The new 50 model was a seven passenger touring body.
By 1915, it was manufacturing a chassis and body for a "one-man, pay-enter" motor bus that was 22 feet long, 8 feet 9 inches high, 7 feet 6 inches wide, rated at 2.25 tons capacity, and could carry 25 passengers.
The company went bankrupt in 1917.
References
- 1909-10-25 |journal=Hardwood Record |volume=29 |issue=1 |page=43 |location=Chicago |publisher=The Hardwood Company |editor1-first=Henry |editor1-last=Gibson |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/hardwoodrecord29chic#page/n50/mode/1up
- 1909-11-18 |title=Great Southern Incorporates |journal=The Automobile |volume=21 |page=886 |location=New York City, NY |publisher=The Class Journal Company |editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Beecroft |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=q9YqAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA886&lpg=PA886&source=bl&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAg
- 1912-03-12 |title=In The Retail World |journal=The Motor World |volume=30 |issue=11 |page=1033 |location=New York City, NY |publisher=The Motor World Publishing Company |editor1-first=R. G. |editor1-last=Betts |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iiMfAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1033
- 1913-03-10 |title=Great Southern Incorporates |journal=The Automobile Journal |volume=35 |issue=3 |page=886 |location=Pawtucket, Rhode Island |publisher=The Automobile Journal Publishing Company |editor1-first=William |editor1-last=Black |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=q9YqAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA886&lpg=PA886
- 1914-01-01 |title=Great Southern |journal=Motor Age |volume=25 |issue=1 |page=63 |publisher=The Class Journal Company |location=Chicago, IL |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BTwfAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA63
- year=1915 |month=April |title=One-man, Pay-enter Motor Bus Design |journal=The Hub |volume=57 |issue=1 |page=34 |publisher=The Trade News Publishing Company |location=New York City, NY |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=g33mAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA34