Moon Motor Car Company
TypeAutomobile Manufacturing
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1905 (1905)
FounderJoseph W. Moon
Defunct1930 (1930)
Fateceased trading
Headquarters
St. Louis, Missouri
,
United States
Key people
Joseph W. Moon, Stewart MacDonald, W.D. Hemenway
ProductsVehicles
Automotive parts
Production output
59,485 (1905-1930)
BrandsMoon, Diana, Windsor
Car #32 - Moon - winning the 1909 Wheatley Hills Race

Moon Motor Car Company (1905 – 1930) was an American automobile company that was located in St. Louis, Missouri. The company had a venerable reputation among the buying public, as it was known for fully assembled, easily affordable mid-level cars using high-quality parts. Often this meant the manufacturing process required more human intervention, leading to operating losses. The company was founded by carriage maker Joseph W. Moon.[1] Moon produced both cars and trucks.[1]

History

The first Moon, Model A was shown at the New York Automobile Show in January 1906.[2] It was a four-cylinder Rutenber engined car. In 1906 former Peerless engineer Louis P. Mooers joined Moon. Mooers designed a 4-cylinder overhead camshaft engine and with a four-speed transmission and aluminum bodywork, the Moon was a luxury car at $3,000 (equivalent to $94,221 in 2022). In 1908 Moons were sold in the eastern United States using the Hol-Tan name.[2]

By 1910 more mid-priced cars in the $1,500 to $2,000 range that were competitive with Buick and Oldsmobile, became more common.[3][2] In 1916 Moon was using six-cylinder engines exclusively and in 1919 introduced their Parthenon style radiator. Joseph Moon died in 1919 and was succeeded by his son-in-law and Vice President Stewart McDonald.[2] The St. Louis management included officers Stewart McDonald; W.D. Hemenway; A.F. Moberly; Stanley Moon; E.F. Nelson; C.W.A. Voge. Moon automobiles could get custom coachwork from designers such as Pullman, Rubay and Murray.[2] Moon exports increased in the 1920s when they reported they were delivering to 47 different countries.[2]

Beginning in 1924, Moon was increasingly unable to meet dealership orders. Factory capacity would be an issue for the next several years. Moon Motor's peak production year was 1925 when the company produced 10,271 vehicles and the prices ranged from $1,195 to $2,540 (equivalent to $42,385 in 2022).[1] Moon produced the Diana via its subsidiary the Diana Motors Company in 1925–1928.[3] Diana motor repair claims and the need to refund government payments from World War I caused a near million dollar loss in 1926. Howard "Dutch" Darrin designed a new car for Moon which would become the Moon Aerotype. In 1928 Moon introduced its first eight-cylinder car.[2]

Another subsidiary produced the Windsor in 1929-1930, the last branded Moon became a Windsor in April 1929. Effects of the Great Depression hampered the company. The company decided to build the Ruxton automobile but boardroom troubles resulted in Windsor and Ruxton both ending production in 1930. The Moon Motor Car Company ceased trading in 1930, but resolving the finances of the moribund company would take more than two decades.[1] [3][2]

Models

Trucks
ModelYearsNote
A1913–19Delivery Vehicle/Light Truck
B1913–19Heavy Truck
Cars
ModelYearsEngineNote
A1906Rutenber 4 cylindera five-passenger touring car
C1907–09Moon 4 cylinderMooers designed engine with OHV and cams
D1908–09Moon 4 cylinderAlso sold as Hol-Tans in the Eastern US
301910–12Moon or Continental 4 cylinderGeorge Heising designed engine
391913Moon or Continental 4 cylinder
401912Moon or Continental 4 cylinder
451910–12Moon or Continental 4 cylinder
481913Moon or Continental 4 cylinder
651913Continental Straight-6first Moon six cylinder
4-381915Continental 4 cylinderlast Moon four cylinder
4-421914Continental 4 cylinder
6-301916Continental Straight-6
6-361918Continental Straight-6
6-381919Continental Straight-6
6-401915, 1922Continental Straight-6
6-421921Straight-6
6-431916–17Continental Straight-6
6-441916Continental Straight-6
6-451917–18Continental Straight-6
6-461919Continental Straight-6also called 'Victory'
6-481920–22Continental Straight-6wire or disk wheels replace wood wheels
6-501914–15, 1924Continental Straight-6
6-581923Continental Straight-6
6-601927–28Continental Straight-6also called the 'Jubilee'
6-621928–29Continental Straight-6
6-661916–19Continental Straight-6
6-681920–22Continental Straight-6
6-721928–29Continental Straight-6nearly identical to Windsor 6-72
8-751928–29Continental Straight-8first Moon eight cylinder
8-801928–29Continental Straight-8'Aerotype' body
Series A1924–28Continental Straight-6
Series U or U6-401924Continental Straight-6
Newport1925Continental Straight-6
Metropolitan1925Continental Straight-6
London1925–26export model
Note: This table is derived from the Curt McConnell reference[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McConnell, Curt (1995). Great Cars of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-3163-6
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  3. 1 2 3 Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
  4. ↑ "Moon". Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2006-09-02. Moon - St. Louis Missouri (1905-1929) Founder Joseph W. Moon
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