Sandusky Automobile Company
The Sandusky Automobile Company was an early car maker based in Sandusky, Ohio. It operated from 1902 to 1904 (bankruptcy in 1905) at 1114 Camp Street. It was founded by James J. Hinde, a former paper manufacturer who believed a small, affordable car could sell to many people. His idea influenced Henry Ford, even though Ford wasn’t yet a major car producer at the time.
The company built two-seat open runabout cars. The 1903 Sandusky Runabout had a piano-box body with a rounded front, a 5-horsepower single-cylinder water-cooled engine, and rear-wheel drive by two chains; it weighed about 600 pounds and was shown at the 1903 New York Auto Show.
The 1904 model featured a one-cylinder, 7-horsepower water-cooled engine, planetary transmission, sliding-gear suspension, and a 65-inch wheelbase, with a top speed around 25 mph. The basic Sandusky model was advertised around $650, while a more expensive Courier version with a steering wheel instead of a lever was priced higher, around $700–$800.
In 1905, the Courier F appeared: a two-seat roadster weighing about 1,100 pounds, with a 70-inch wheelbase, wooden body, steel frame, a 1-cylinder 7-horsepower engine, and a two-forward-speeds-and-reverse transmission.
The company did not last and went bankrupt in 1905, selling cars under the Sandusky and Courier brands.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:23 (CET).