Ben Hur (automobile)

The Ben-Hur Motor Company was incorporated in 1916 in the state of Delaware, with the cars being built by L. L. Allyn in Willoughby, Ohio.

Share of the Ben-Hur Motor Company, issued 26. October 1916

The Ben Hur Touring Car from McClure's Automobile Yearbook 1917–18.

Features

• Chassis with a wheelbase of 126 inches
• Buda six cylinder engine with splash and forced feed oiling system
• Bosch high-tension ignition magneto
• Westinghouse separate motor for starting
• Disc clutch and selective sliding gear set with three speeds forward and reverse
• 19 gallon gasoline tank is mounted on rear with a two-gallon reserve tank
• Timken axles are used in front and rear with wire wheels on which 35x4 tires are mounted.^[1]

Prices

• Five and seven-passenger touring - $1875 (equivalent to $46,018 in 2024)
• Seven-passenger Sedan - $2750 (equivalent to $67,493 in 2024)
• Four-passenger Roadster - $1875^[2]

Ben-Hur exhibited a cloverleaf roadster at the 1917 New York Auto Show.^[3] In February 1918 Allyn announced that between 30 and 40 cars had been shipped to dealers, and that plans called for five to ten cars a week for the time being, owing to the difficulty in securing bodies. The company had a factory with a capacity of building 20 cars per day. A meeting was scheduled in March to increase capitalisation, but by May 1918 the company was in receivership.^[4]