"Krastin Automobile Company" A Latvian builds cars in US before Henry Ford
THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD
The car displayed is the only known surviving Krastin automobile. In 2012 the car was bought in the US by a Latvian vintage car collector.
Its design is several years ahead of the early 20th century American automobile standards: engine in front, rear-wheel drive by shaft instead of the then-common chain, a proprietary 3-speed gearbox. The engine has an unusual counter-clockwise rotation.
Tonneau type body with rear doors. A folding steering wheel to facilitate the driver's access to the narrow bucket seat.
A LATVIAN BUILDING CARS IN AMERICA
In 1901, shareholders invest 200,000 dollars in the Krastin Automobile Company in Cleveland. This is even more than when the Ford Motor Company is set up two years later.
Augusts Krastiņš was born in 1861 in Liepāja, Latvia. The baron sends his ingenious locksmith to study in Germany, but in 1892 Krastiņš heads even further - the "land of opportunities" of America.
While working at an electrical factory in Cleveland, he learns the latest technologies and designs his first car in his spare time in 1896. The undertaking is a success, and a new company is born.
Each Krastin Automobile Company car is unique and full of innovative technical solutions, such as the previously unseen "self-cleaning spark plugs", a steering-assisted gear shifter, a special carburettor. August Krastiņš registers 12 patents.
In 1904 the Krastin Automobile Company factory burns down and the company is shut down. Approximately 10 Krastin cars have been made.
Augusts Krastiņš passed away in 1942 without turning his dream into reality for the second time.
"Krastin Automobile Company" A Latvian builds cars in US before Henry Ford
THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD
The car displayed is the only known surviving Krastin automobile. In 2012 the car was bought in the US by a Latvian vintage car collector.
Its design is several years ahead of the early 20th century American automobile standards: engine in front, rear-wheel drive by shaft instead of the then-common chain, a proprietary 3-speed gearbox. The engine has an unusual counter-clockwise rotation.
Tonneau type body with rear doors. A folding steering wheel to facilitate the driver's access to the narrow bucket seat.
A LATVIAN BUILDING CARS IN AMERICA
In 1901, shareholders invest 200,000 dollars in the Krastin Automobile Company in Cleveland. This is even more than when the Ford Motor Company is set up two years later.
Augusts Krastiņš was born in 1861 in Liepāja, Latvia. The baron sends his ingenious locksmith to study in Germany, but in 1892 Krastiņš heads even further - the "land of opportunities" of America.
While working at an electrical factory in Cleveland, he learns the latest technologies and designs his first car in his spare time in 1896. The undertaking is a success, and a new company is born.
Each Krastin Automobile Company car is unique and full of innovative technical solutions, such as the previously unseen "self-cleaning spark plugs", a steering-assisted gear shifter, a special carburettor. August Krastiņš registers 12 patents.
In 1904 the Krastin Automobile Company factory burns down and the company is shut down. Approximately 10 Krastin cars have been made.
Augusts Krastiņš passed away in 1942 without turning his dream into reality for the second time.