Sign in

Private company

Ames

Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Ames company, originally established in 1881 by Frederick A. Ames, was a buggy manufacturer and later an American automobile manufacturer in Owensboro, Kentucky, from 1910 to 1925. A beetle-backed "gentleman's roadster" and a five-passenger tourer were the first models offered for sale by the company. The company also produced replacement bodies for the Ford Model T. At its peak, the company produced about 30,000 vehicles.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1887Founded1
  • HeadquartersOwensboro1

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, 1910, Plate 0007
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Ames company, originally established in 1881 by Frederick A. Ames, was a buggy manufacturer and later an American automobile manufacturer in Owensboro, Kentucky, from 1910 to 1925. A beetle-backed "gentleman's roadster" and a five-passenger tourer were the first models offered for sale by the company. The company also produced replacement bodies for the Ford Model T. At its peak, the company produced about 30,000 vehicles. The last model the company made was called the "Kentucky Thoroughbred". In 1922, the company again remade itself, manufacturing furniture under the name F. A. Ames Corporation until 1941, when the company filed for bankruptcy and most of its assets were purchased by the Whitehall Furniture Co. of Owensboro.2

Products and brands

Ames Model 30 (1911–1912)

Ames Model 40 (1912)

Ames Model 42 (1912)

Ames Model 52 (1912–1913)

Read the full text

Ames Model 44 (1913–1914)

Ames Model 45 (1913–1915)

From Wikipedia’s article on Ames (automobile), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1970Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1887Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4