- The Gearless Greyhound advertised in “The Automobile”, August 22, 1907
Much like today’s abandonment of the manual transmission by most modern motorists, in the first decade of the last century there was a need for a semi-automatic transmission that did not require the shifting of gears. Only the mechanically-inclined and patient driver could master the art of double-clutching, which would allow gears to be shifted with the primitive clutches and transmissions of the day.
- Three versions of the four Gearless units seen in patent drawings
Henry Ford capitalized on this by offering his version of the planetary transmission in his early models and on through to the end of the production of the Model “T” Ford. The Gearless Transmission Co. of Rochester, New York, subscribed to the semi-automatic transmission idea, but took it a step further and offered its designs in a series of upscale and powerful machines.
- The version chosen for the 1908 Gearless 60 h.p. four and the 75 h.p. six
The Gearless was only in production between the years of 1907 and the fall of 1909. During the first two years of production, the company focused on large high-horsepower four and six-cylinder models that ranged between fifty and seventy-five h.p., and the use of its unique transmission.
Four patented transmission designs were developed for the car and the version shown above was the one to be chosen for production in 1908. In low gear or reverse, six cone-shaped rolling fiber rollers (no. 40 in the drawing above) were pressed against one or the other of the two large cones (no. 33 and no. 18). Full details of its construction and operation can be found just below in The Automobile magazine.
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- Full details of the Gearless in the February 6, 1908 “The Automobile” and coverage of the Gearless Pilot Car for the New York to Paris Race
Despite the high-quality construction and the exposure resulting in the Gearless being chosen by the Chicago Auto Club as a Pilot Car for the New York to Paris Race, the company found it was unable to turn a profit. After a reorganization in the spring of 1908, and the addition of a lower-priced four-cylinder car with a conventional transmission, the company carried on through to 1909. The changes made to help save the automaker did not work, and it went bankrupt that fall. More information can be found here covering the 1908 Gearless Cars.
