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The Saginaw 'Cyclecar' makes its debut at the Castle Museum
The Castle Museum of Saginaw County History opened its new exhibit of a rare 1914 automobile called the “Saginaw” Cyclecar on Thursday, July 8th. The Cyclecar, considered a first cousin of the American motorcycle or American bicycle, is significant in Saginaw’s emergence as an automotive parts manufacturing center.
About 125 different makes of Cyclecars were manufactured in the United States, most of them appearing between 1910 and 1916. During this era, extreme light weight automobiles that were equipped with motorcycle tires and wheels were popular. They consisted of two-cylinder, air-cooled engines, and four-cylinder, water-cooled engines. In some cases, belts were used, instead of chains for drive shafts.
Only a handful of these cars are known to still exist and some of them are in parts. It is estimated that about 35 of these rare “Saginaw” cars were produced in 1914, the only year of production, by the Valley Boat Engine Company located at 2721 S. Washington Avenue.
The Museum acquired this car from Mr. Jim Foglio of Milwaukie, Oregon, whose father had purchased from a neighbor named John Clark. In early 2010, Foglio contacted the Historical Society of Saginaw County in hopes of returning the car to Saginaw, where he believed it belonged.
As part of the display, pages from the original catalog and vintage photographs are available for viewing.
Foglio wrote to the citizens of Saginaw County, “I believe the best place for the car is Saginaw, Michigan. I sincerely hope the people of Saginaw take pride in their namesake auto.”
The Castle Museum of Saginaw County History is located at 500 Federal Avenue, in Saginaw. For more information, call 752-2861, or visit their website at www.castlemuseum.org.
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Copyright 2010 Lori Morningstar-Villarreal. All rights reserved.