Private company

Elcar

Logo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company, owned by William and George Pratt, of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing its first car.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1915Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1
  • HeadquartersElkhart1
1916Elcar
Photo: the Automobile department of McClure's magazine, The McClure Publications , inc, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons5

The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company, owned by William and George Pratt, of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing its first car.2

Products and brands

Production

They initially produced carriages and, from 1909, automobiles that were manufactured under the brand name Pratt-Elkhart until 1915. After 1915, the company name changed to Pratt Motor Car Company and the brand name to Pratt. This first car was the 30/35 hp Elkhart, which began production in 1905 and remained on the market until 1909. In 1909 the 4·2 liter Sterling appeared (it ceased production in 1911), followed in 1911 by the Komet. The four-cylinder engine of the Pratt-Elkhart 40 had 4417 cc with a bore of 107.95 mm and a stroke of 120.65 mm. The engine output was 40 HP. The transmission had three gears. The wheelbase was 117 inches = 2982 mm. The rear axle was driven by a driveshaft. In top gear, speeds of 5 km/h (3.1 mph) up to the maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) could be achieved. The rims with a diameter of 34 inches had 10 spokes on the front axle and 12 spokes on the rear axle. The fuel tank held 15 gallons = 57 liters. The Pratt-Elkhart 40 was available in the model variants T, F, R, and L. The T was a touring car, the F an open vestibule (four-door open car), the R was a roadster and the L a closed limousine.

The Elcar appeared in 1915, and was first offered in two models, a Lycoming-engined four and a Continental-engined six. A straight-eight, again with a Continental engine, was produced beginning in 1925. In 1930, the company began to use the complex Lever engine produced by Alvah Leigh Powell, although only four Elcar-Levers were completed.

Production model specifications

Elcar Seven Passenger Sedan-8-80

From Wikipedia’s article on Elcar, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1936Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1915Founded Founded1

Sources

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

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