Alexander Winton and the horseless carriage

The Winton Motor Carriage Company went into business on March 15, 1897 The founder of the company was a Scottish immigrant named Alexander Winton, owner of the Winton Bicycle Company. Their first automobiles were built by hand. Each vehicle had fancy painted sides, padded seats, a leather roof, and gas lamps. B.F. Goodrich made the tires for Winton.

By this time, Winton had already produced two fully operational prototype automobiles. In May of that year, the 10 horsepower model achieved the astonishing speed of 33.64 mph on a test around a Cleveland horse track. However, people were still skeptical of the new invention. To prove his automobile's durability and usefulness, Alexander Winton had his car undergo an 800-mile endurance run from Cleveland to New York City.