Carter Town Shopper - 1942
From their website: "The Little Red Car is a Carter Town Shopper – a 70 year-old “Survivor” built by the Carter Motor Company in 1942. The car is rust-free and mostly original with exception of adding minor components such as rear lights and replacement seats. The vehicle has a front engine and chain drive to the rear wheels and is licensed and street legal. It also has mechanical brakes, generator and electric starter. We believe that the Carter was intended to be a practical runabout for shopping and errands during tough times in the USA when we went from the Great Depression to WWII. At this time, vehicles were difficult to obtain by civilians — many of whom became soldiers and were away fighting in the war. And materials and fuel were also being rationed. The Carter would have been economical to operate with the 7 ½ HP engine. However, it did have a price tag of $595, which would have been expensive at this time in history.
We believe that our car was an early prototype called the Town Shopper. Photos of a later model (the 1946-1947 Towne Shopper) featured rear engine and a few additional features. The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN is currently restoring such a model. According to our findings to date, Carter failed to raise adequate capital to establish distributorships to manufacture and market these vehicles. So the Carter, like many vehicles, is a part of America’s motoring past. We are excited to now be the caretakers of this unique and rare vehicle and enjoy sharing it. Our favorite part of doing so is watching the smiles on the faces of everyone who sees it.If you can provide any additional information regarding the Little Red Car, please contact us.Thank you for visiting,Casey Moir and Philip Bres."
Carter Town Shopper - 1942
From their website: "The Little Red Car is a Carter Town Shopper – a 70 year-old “Survivor” built by the Carter Motor Company in 1942. The car is rust-free and mostly original with exception of adding minor components such as rear lights and replacement seats. The vehicle has a front engine and chain drive to the rear wheels and is licensed and street legal. It also has mechanical brakes, generator and electric starter. We believe that the Carter was intended to be a practical runabout for shopping and errands during tough times in the USA when we went from the Great Depression to WWII. At this time, vehicles were difficult to obtain by civilians — many of whom became soldiers and were away fighting in the war. And materials and fuel were also being rationed. The Carter would have been economical to operate with the 7 ½ HP engine. However, it did have a price tag of $595, which would have been expensive at this time in history.
We believe that our car was an early prototype called the Town Shopper. Photos of a later model (the 1946-1947 Towne Shopper) featured rear engine and a few additional features. The Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN is currently restoring such a model. According to our findings to date, Carter failed to raise adequate capital to establish distributorships to manufacture and market these vehicles. So the Carter, like many vehicles, is a part of America’s motoring past. We are excited to now be the caretakers of this unique and rare vehicle and enjoy sharing it. Our favorite part of doing so is watching the smiles on the faces of everyone who sees it.If you can provide any additional information regarding the Little Red Car, please contact us.Thank you for visiting,Casey Moir and Philip Bres."