The Owen Magnetic

You may not be aware of the fact, but even back in the early days of automobile there were hybrids. These weren't the fuel pinching, switch from gas to battery cars we're familiar with today.  The early days of the automobile weren't only a time when manufacturers were trying to figure out the best way to fuel an automobile, they were also trying to find the best way to transfer the power from the engine.

Owen Magnetic was one such hybrid, a luxury car manufactured between 1915 and 1922 and notable for its use of an electromagnetic transmission and electric series hybrid drive train. The Owen was powered by a six cylinder engine, with the power transfer using the same kind of electromagnetic principle used to propel the battleship USS New Mexico.

From a quote attributed by Wikipedia to automotive author Henry B. Lent:

"The drive mechanism had no direct connection between the engine and the rear wheels. Instead of a flywheel, a generator and a horseshoe shaped magnet were attached to the rear of the engine's crank shaft. On the forward end of the car's drive shaft, was an electric motor with an armature fitted into an air space inside the whirling magnet. Electrical current, transmitted by the engine's generator and magnet attached to the armature of the electrical motor, providing the energy to turn the drive shaft and propel the engine's rear wheels. Speed for the car was controlled by a small lever adjacent to the steering wheel."

Owen introduced its first vehicle at the 1915 New York automobile show and the company's founder leased a three-story building at the corner of 5th Avenue and 142nd Street to build his new vehicles. The company's clientele included famous names of the time such as Enrico Caruso and John McCormack.

In December of 1915 the R.M. Owen Company moved to Cleveland, OH where it joined forces with Walter Baker of Baker Motor Vehicle as well as Rauch and Lang (another electric car company). Baker would build the automobile while Rauch and Lang would perform coach work. The trio produced cars through 1918 when Baker turned its production toward the American war effort.

Owen Magnetic Motor Car Corporation began manufacturing at a new facility based in Forty Fort, PA in January of 1920. The same year this ad ran, Owen Magnetic produced only 750 vehicles and in spite of an order from Crown Limited of Great Britain, the company soon went into receivership. If you would have ordered an Owen after reading this ad, it's likely you never would have received it.