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 Arkansas'
chapter in Automotive History
began early in 1919 with the forming of the
Climber
Motor Corporation in No. Little Rock. The factory was
built on a 20
acre tract of land located at 1800
East Seventeenth Street.
Capitalized
at $1,000,000, stock sold initially at
$10 per share. The incorporators
were William Drake, Clarence Roth and Davis
Hopson with Drake as the President
of the Firm. However, in October 1919,
a reorganization brought Henry
Buhler, who had been Sales Manager, in as President.
Promoters
of the Climber Motor Company went to Detroit
and hired George Schoeneck as Chief
Engineer. He was given the responsibility of purchasing material and parts
that would be needed in producing the Climber Automobile. Production was
scheduled to begin in the Spring of 1919.
He was soon joined by Ernest
Taylor, Chief Electrician, who later was promoted to Plant Superintendent.
Schoeneck
went North and purchased and shipped to Little Rock
all the equipment, materials
and parts to begin production. Unable to
acquire all the "finished
parts", its was necessary to design and
manufacture some components along
with the equipment necessary
to install them. This delayed production
until late 1919.
 The
name Climber is appropriate.
It would climb like a tractor, yet run well
on the highway. To prove its stamina and climbing ability, a Climber was
once driven up the steps of the State Capitol Building in Little Rock.
From
its beginning, the Climber Motor Corporation was in financial trouble and during
its few years of production, 1919-1923, built approximately 275 cars.
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This site created and maintained by The Museum of Automobiles, Inc. September 2000. For Questions or Comments Please contact the Webmaster. |
