A.O. Smith Flyer
Cars were made in Milwaukee but not the conventional, four wheeled, covered automobiles that emerged out of Detroit after the turn of the century. It was a lightweight, open car that still holds the record as the most inexpensive automobile of all time. Costing a mere $125-$150 in 1922, the Smith Flyer, nicknamed the “Red Bug”, was an engineering marvel that was at the center of one of Milwaukee’s largest industrial companies.
The Flyer was designed as a simple, two-seat automobile with a wooden frame and a small gasoline engine. What made it unique, was that the engine itself was mounted on a fifth wheel, or motor wheel, which drove the Flyer. To start the car, the driver had to lift the motor wheel off the ground, start the engine, and then release the wheel back to the ground. A.O. Smith initially marketed the motor wheel for use on bicycles, but later added on the buckboard frame.
When Briggs & Stratton purchased the manufacturing rights to the Flyer from A.O. Smith in 1919, it improved the engine’s output, raising it to two horsepower. The marketing for the Flyer was taken nationwide, which included the creation of a publication, Motor Wheel Age. Even though Briggs & Stratton sold the rights to the Flyer in 1925, they kept the motor design that was the nucleus of the Flyer. While insignificant at the time, the Flyer’s motor design paved the way for other Briggs & Stratton motors to follow, allowing the company to become one of the most successful small engine companies in America.
The Society’s Smith Flyer, serial no. 2129 was donated in 1963 and restored by its original owner. While no longer operational, the Flyer is an excellent example of early automobile ingenuity and one of the first of many landmark products produced by Briggs & Stratton.
