Lozier had them scratching their heads

0 0 July 25, 2025 Edit this post

by Bill Buys

THERE were some very attractive cars on sale in Auburn, Indiana, a few weeks ago when Worldwide Auctioneers conducted their biggest auction yet with an eclectic offering of 250 classic vehicles.

Notable sales included a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B by Sindelfingen, which fetched $852,000, or $929,000 in Australian terms and there was also a well documented 1995 Ferrari F512 M -- one of just 501 examples ever made, that brought $428,000 (AU$675,000).

Other stunners included a 1933 Reo Speedwagon from the Zimmerman Museum Collection, which sold for an astonishing $139,440 (AU$215,000), a fully refurbished, numbers-matching 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage that went for $307,000 (AU$192,000), a 1937 Cord 812 SC Sportsman Cabriolet, one of just 64 supercharged examples ever produced and a rare 1935 Packard Twelve Dual Cowl Phaeton, one of just four ever made for 1935, that brought $268,800 (AU$418,000) .

There were many more classics, but one in particular had many enthusiasts scratching their heads.

It was a 1915 Lozier, a brand few had ever heard of.

And with a name like Lozier, it had to be French, right?

Henry Lozier was probably the son of French migrants, but he was born in New Jersey in 1814, so his product was as American as apple pie, and at the time, it was the most expensive and prestigious car in the US.

Before he launched his first cars in 1900, Henry Abram Lozier, was best known for introducing seamless steel tubing to the US.

He’d been an agent for sewing machines, but saw a better market in the then thriving bicycle industry.

However, the steel tubing for bike frames had to be imported since no company in the US could produce it.

So the entrepreneurial Henry took himself to the UK, worked for a short while in a steel tubing company and returned to the US with the right milling equipment and, with business partner Joseph Yost, founded the Lozier-Yost Seamless Steel Tube Company.

That was in 1891.

The company, in Shelby, Michigan, was renamed the Shelby Steel Tube Company and pioneered the production of seamless steel tubing in the US.

Within months the Shelby Cycle Company was formed and Lozier’s expertise later also found applications in the armaments, aircraft and car industries.

By the mid-1890s, Lozier’s companies were among the largest bicycle manufacturers in the US.

But as the bicycle boom waned, Lozier and Yost ended their partnership.

Next, Lozier sold his holdings to the American Bicycle Company Trust and delved into the burgeoning engine production industry, starting with a steam-powered car before opting for the internal combustion system.

Unfortunately the enterprising Henry died in 1903, before his first model reached production stage. He was 89 years old.

His son, Harry, took control of the company and the first Lozier car made an impressive debut at the Madison Square Show of 1905.

It had a four-cylinder engine that produced 35 hp, a four-speed transmission and double chain drive and it cost $5000 – for the chassis alone.

Shaft drive came in 1907, as did a high performance 9.3-litre six-cylinder 50 hp model.

Auction . . . 1915 Lozier Type 82 Seven-Passenger Touring

The company developed a braking system using pressurised water to cool hollowed brake drums and claimed it was impossible to burn out a Lozier's brakes.

In 1910 the company claimed a world record when one of its stock 49 hp (37kW) models, driven by Teddy Tetzlaff, covered 100 miles (160km) in 1:14:29.

Loziers did well in motorsport too, winning the 1910 stock car championship, the Vanderbilt Cup in 1911 and, with Ralph Mulford at the wheel it placed second at the first running of the Indianapolis 500.

Many thought Mulford had won, but a controversial scoring decision deemed Ray Harroun the winner.

With that sort of achievement it’s all the more wonder that few people today know anything of the marque.

Even Floyd Clymer, doyen of US motoring publications, never mentioned Lozier in any of his many books.

Various models were produced in the early 1900s, the most popular being sports tourers, some with exotic names like Meadowbrook, Briarcliff and Lakewood, but sedans were also available.

In 1911 a smaller straight-six, the 6-77, was produced at a lower price.

It was the work of the company’s top designer, Frederick Chandler, and was aimed at attracting new buyers, since Lozier’s marketing niche was fairly limited.

Trouble loomed when Chandler left the company in 1913 and formed the Chandler Motor Company which produced cars similar to the Lozier but at a substantially lower price.

Chandler took several top company executives with him producing a brain drain and to make matters worse, Cadillac had arrived on the luxury scene with its V8 engine in 1914 and sold more than 13,000 cars that same year.

Lozier, by comparison, had only produced a few thousand cars since day one.

It then tried to expand into the mid-priced market with a four-cylinder car priced at US $2000, but it failed to attract enough buyers, so Lozier offered a merger deal with Ford, but it was rejected.

With dwindling funds and stronger competition, Lozier declared bankruptcy in 1915.

There were several subsequent attempts to revive the company and a few models were made up to 1918 when Lozier finally joined the other 1430 brands of American motor manufacturers that went belly-up.

The Lozier Type 82 seven-passenger Touring model sold at the recent auction in Indiana fetched $114,800 (AU$178,000).

Company founder Henry Lozier died suddenly of a heart attack at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on May 26, 1903.

At the time of his death, he held executive positions in multiple companies, including the Standard Power Company and the St. Louis Manufacturing Company.

His legacy lived on through the continued operation of the Shelby Steel Tube Company and, for a few years, the Lozier Motor Company.

His business acumen and innovative spirit left a lasting impact on the American manufacturing landscape.

Oh, and of the 1431 US motor companies that have perished over the years, the standout was called Dodo. It never even reached production stage.