James Cunningham, Son & Company

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CUNNINGHAM MOTOR CARS

As compiled by W. G. Yengst, Rochester, NY, May 1, 1973. Original in Cunningham files at the Rochester Public Library.

MODELS

Models were alphabetical designations of chassis and after 1910 they were roughly yearly approximations.

During 1909 and into 1910 there were six “models” designated A, B, C, D, E, and F.  These had various combinations of motors and axles and transmissions.  In 1910 Model H appeared.  This was the first model using the 4 cylinder Cunningham built, overhead valve engine and Cunningham built transmissions.  This chassis went through various yearly changes designated JH-J-M-R and S.  Model M was the first with left hand drive and Model S was built with a Brown-Lipe transmission.

There were two models which were strictly experimental.  They had 4 and 6 cylinder T head motors and were built between 1913 and 1915, and were the first long and slim models without running boards.  They were designated Models O and T and were used by officials of the company.  In 1914-1915 a 3 ton truck was built and gave many years of service around the factory.  It was a Model W.

In September 1915 the first V-8 cylinder motored Cunningham was built and this power plant was continuously improved and continued to be used into 1931.

The V-8 cylinder models were roughly as follows:  

 

The last of the Cunningham chassis designated as W-1 was built between November of 1931 and the end of 1933.  It had a wheelbase of 149” and was powered by a Continental Red Seal straight 8 engine.  There were 15 body styles offered for this model all of them being funeral cars or ambulances.  About 10 or 12 were built.

In 1907 the design of an electric runabout was started and a few of these (possibly 4) were build in 1908.  There was no model number and they were designated as style No. 731

After 1920 the various V models and years intermingled.  The first noticeable change came on the V-4 which had the straight front radiator as contrasted with the V-1, V-2 and V-3 thick round shouldered radiator.  In 1924 the third type of radiator was used on some styles.  It had a more gabled appearance and extra height.  In 1922 the 4-speed overdrive transmission was made available for pleasure cars and in 1924 the counterbalanced crankshaft was introduced also for pleasure cars.  There were some strange combinations of radiator, transmissions, and counterbalanced engines especially in the ambulance models.  Some V-1 radiators were used as late as 1923.

BODY NUMBERS

The bodies were consecutively numbered starting in the horse drawn era with No. 1.  I do not believe that this series goes back as far as 1839.  this numbering probably started when the Canal Street factory was enlarged, about the time of the Civil War.  This series of numbers ran continuously through the mix of horse drawn and motor vehicles from 1909 through 1914 and to the end of the custom building era just into 1937.  The highest body number known was 33174 in 1936.  Many of the earlier records were lost about 25 years ago (approx. 1948), but some record books from January 1910 to October 1915 cover the transition period from horse drawn vehicles to motor cars.

During the years 1909 to 1912 many bodies ere made in sizeable lots for other motor manufacturers such as Empire Electric Co, Cadillac, Chalmers, Gaeth, Peerless, Velie, etc.  These were mostly couples, landaulets, and taxi cabs.  The final body production was confined to a limited number of hearse bodies on Cadillac, LaSalle, Oldsmobile, Lincoln, Buick, Franklin, and other chassis.  Also a few town cars, broughams, and limousines on Fords 1935, 1936, & 1937 chassis.

BODY STYLE NUMBERS

The body style numbers for motor cars were the continuation of the style series for the horse drawn vehicles.  I think that this series started in 1870 when the production of funeral equipment started.

I have found pictures of very old vehicles numbered in the 2000s and even 3000s and some of these were cross indexed to the then current series.  The numbers started with No. 1 and finished at No. 770, with the exception of No. 731, and electric runabout built in 1908.

The first gasoline automobile style number was 77? , a mock-up framing for a Model T ford coupe.  Numbers from 77 to 1035 were all automobile styles.  Some were for chassis other than Cunningham (No. 793 on White chassis).

With the advent of the eight cylinder chassis the 1033 touring car become style No. 1A and this designation ran to style 389A, an ambulance on a 1936 Cadillac chassis.  Many numbers were never used.

For some unknown reason, there were gaps between style numbers and there were instances of modifications to style numbers (i.e. 371/2 A, 92 ½ A, etc)  Some ambulance and hearse styles were continued from the 4 cylinder  models from 1910 into the V-8 cylinder models.  An extreme example was a Style No. 987 ambulance made for J. T. Hinton & Son, of Memphis, Tenn.  This was mounted on a V-4 model chassis in 1922.

It was a strange coincidence that the first recorded gasoline automobile style No. 77? Was a Ford Model T coupe and that No. 384A was a limousine for a Ford 1936 chassis.

CHASSIS NUMBERS

The chassis numbers started with models A, B, C, D, E, and F.  There is a record of chassis Number H-72 but several earlier models were higher numbered.

The 8 cylinder Model V-1 started with V991 and there was at least one 4 cylinder chassis numbered as high as 993.  There were a few duplications of numbers but I believe that these were due to clerical errors.

At least one straight 8 model W-1 ambulance combination still exists.  It is Number 5617 and can well be the last Cunningham chassis, or at least within the last ten.  This brings the total count to no more than 5621 Cunningham built chassis.

 

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