From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
ALEXANDER WINTON: Pioneer of mass-production
Alexander Winton was born in Grangemouth, Scotland, on June 20th 1860, the seventh of ten children. His eldest sister Catherine married a local blacksmith and the pair emigrated to the United States. It was through Catherine's influence that Alexander also emigrated there settling in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879. In 1881, then working as a machinist in New York, he declared his intention to become an American citizen. In 1883 he married his childhood sweetheart and the couple moved back to Cleveland.
Around 1892 - the date is uncertain - he opened a bicycle repair shop. The Winton Bicycle Company proved successful but by 1894 it is likely that Winton had turned his attention to the development of a car. It was a further two years before he had an engine that performed to his satisfaction, which he installed in a carriage and showed to the press. The Winton Motor Carriage Company was incorporated on March 15th 1897. The young Alexander Winton quickly realised the value of testing his vehicles on road and track and exploited every publicity opportunity that came his way. Several journeys on his two-cylinder runabouts garnered valuable press coverage for the young manufacturer, including an 800 mile trip to New York completed in 78 hours. Roads in America were terrible at the time and this was a very impressive achievement for the period.
All of this publicity caused the products of the Winton Motor Carriage Company to be in demand and in 1899 they produced 50 cars. Good though this was by the standards of the time, Winton knew that a better method of production was needed to enable him to more effectively meet the demand for his vehicles.
In April 1902 The Winton Motor Carriage Company began work on a new factory on a 12-acre site just outside Cleveland. The factory was completed in just six months and by utilising what would become known as mass-production techniques, Winton's output rose to 803 cars in 1903. In doing so they anticipated Ford's achievements, the Ford Motor Company not being founded until July 1903. With such a level of output, the Winton Motor Carriage Company was now the most successful motor manufacturer in America. Alexander Winton was now world famous at just 42 years of age.
While building his new factory, Winton had also built a lakefront mansion for his family which he called 'Roseneath' after the town in Scotland. In 1900 Winton had been the first American to compete in European motor racing when he brought one of his cars to the inaugural Gordon Bennett race. The race was a disaster for Winton and he retired from European motor racing to lick his wounds but he didn't forget the huge interest in the sport in Europe. Thus in 1903, he brought two Winton racers to Europe to compete in the Gordon Bennett race which was held in Ireland in that year.
Although they had several advanced features, the Wintons were totally outclassed by their European rivals, neither car managing to make any impression in the race. It was a turning point in Alexander Winton's life for thereafter little seemed to go right. The following year his wife apparently committed suicide by jumping from the 75 foot high cliff behind Roseneath. In the following year Winton withdrew from racing for good following an horrific accident to their number one driver.
Between 1908 and 1916 the company concentrated on 6-cylinder cars of high quality but with the entry of the United States into WWI, production turned to producing Browning machine guns. By wars end the Winton Company was in financial difficulties and its end soon followed, the entire plant and all production machinery finally being sold off in 1924. Winton hatched many schemes for motor production in the years that followed but without success while finding the time to re-marry three times. In June 1932 Alexander Winton, died following a short illness aged 72.