Rickenbacker (car) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Rickenbacker Motor Company
A Car Worthy of the Name
Industry	Automotive
Fate	Bankruptcy
Founded	1921; 104 years ago (1921)
Defunct	1927; 98 years ago (1927)
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Key people	Barney Everitt, Eddie Rickenbacker, Walter Flanders, William E. Metzger
Products	Automobiles
Production output	27,419 (1922-1927)

Rickenbacker was a car company that made automobiles in Detroit, Michigan. They built cars from 1922 to 1927. Rickenbacker cars are famous for being among the first to use four-wheel brakes.

The Story of Rickenbacker Cars
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The Story of Rickenbacker Cars

A share from the Rickenbacker Motor Company, issued in 1926

The Rickenbacker Motor Company was started by Barney Everitt and Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Eddie Rickenbacker was a hero from World War I. He was in charge of sales for the company.

Rickenbacker used his old fighter squadron's symbol on the cars. This symbol was a top hat inside a ring. You could see the 'Hat in a Ring' emblem on both the front and back of the cars.

Designing the First Rickenbacker Cars

Engineers Harry L. Cunningham and E.R. Evans designed the Rickenbacker cars. The first models had a six-cylinder engine. This engine had 58 hp and ran very smoothly. This was because it had two flywheels, one at each end of the crankshaft.

The first Rickenbacker cars were shown to the public in January 1922. This happened at the New York International Auto Show. One of the cars on display had experimental four-wheel brakes. This was a new and exciting feature at the time.

Car Models and New Features

A 1925 Rickenbacker D6 Sedan

The company made many different types of cars. These included sporty coupés, touring cars, sedans, and roadsters. In 1923, they started adding four-wheel brakes to all their cars.

In 1923, a Rickenbacker car could cost from $1,485 for a phaeton to $1,985 for a sedan. This was a lot of money back then.

Challenges for the Company

Many car companies started using four-wheel brakes. But some companies that did not have them began to say they were unsafe. This might have hurt Rickenbacker's sales. Also, one of the company's partners, Walter Flanders, died in a car accident in 1923. This slowed down the company's progress.

In 1924, Rickenbacker introduced a new type of enclosed car called a coach-brougham. This style became very popular. It made up 60% of all Rickenbacker car sales.

More Powerful Engines

In 1925, the six-cylinder engine was made more powerful, reaching 60-hp. They also added a new, bigger engine. This was an eight-cylinder engine with 80-hp. This model was called Vertical Eight Super Fine. This name showed that the engine was advanced and the cars were very high quality.

The End of Rickenbacker Cars

Eddie Rickenbacker left the company in 1926. This was because of disagreements among the leaders. In 1927, Rickenbacker released new models. These were called the 6-70, 8-80, and 8-90. However, the prices of Rickenbacker cars had gone up. Because of this, sales were very low.

The company went out of business due to bankruptcy in 1927. Before it closed, Rickenbacker had built more than 27,000 cars.

After the company closed, its manufacturing equipment was sold to Audi. Audi is a car company in Germany. Audi used Rickenbacker's six- or eight-cylinder engines in some of their own cars.