K-R-I-T Motor Car Company

Former american car manufacturer 1909 to 1916
K-R-I-T Motor Car Company
Krit Motor Car Company factory located at 1608 East Grand Boulevard
Company typeAutomobile Manufacturing
IndustryAutomotive
GenreTouring cars, roadsters[1]
Founded1909
Defunct1916
Headquarters
Detroit, Michigan
,
United States
Area served
United States
ProductsVehicles
Automotive parts

K-R-I-T (or simply "Krit") was a small automobile manufacturing company (1909–1916) based in Detroit, Michigan.

History

Krit Motor Car Company's name probably originated from Kenneth Crittenden, who provided financial backing and helped design the cars. The emblem of the cars was a swastika (a symbol that was not yet associated with Nazism, Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, or antisemitism).[2]

Krit occupied two different sites during its history: the first one it took over from the Blomstrom car, and in 1911 moved to the works that had been used by R. M. Owen & Company who had moved to become Owen Magnetic.

In 1911 the KRIT Motor Company was purchased by Walter S Russel of the Russel Wheel and Foundry Company.[3]

The cars were conventional 4-cylinder models and many were exported to Europe and Australia. In 1913 a six-cylinder car was introduced and Krit tried to increase sales by engineering cars for other marques. The outbreak of World War I seriously damaged the company and it failed in 1915. A few cars were subsequently assembled from remaining parts.[2]

  • 1912 KRIT motor car Advertisement
    1912 KRIT motor car Advertisement
  • 1917 KRIT Motor Car Co. - Patterns available
    1917 KRIT Motor Car Co. - Patterns available
  • 1911 Krit Advertising
  • Logo prominently showing the swastika emblem
    Logo prominently showing the swastika emblem
  • swastika on car in National Automobile Museum
    swastika on car in National Automobile Museum

See also

  • 1913 K-R-I-T "KT" 5-Passenger Touring at the National Automobile Museum.

References

  1. ^ Imperial Automobile Company. Pawtucket, Rhode Island: The Automobile Journal Publishing Co. 1912.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ "Once teeming with auto plants, Detroit now home to only a few nameplates - Michigan History - the Detroit News". 16 January 2000.