Bi-Autogo

The Bi-Autogo was an experimental American cyclecar built in Detroit between 1908 and 1912 by artist and engineer James Scripps Booth. It occupied an unusual position between the motorcycle and the automobile: the vehicle normally traveled on two large wooden-spoked wheels, while two pairs of smaller outrigger wheels could be retracted into the body to help support it when stationary or at low speed. Its name reflected this dual-purpose concept. Rather than using a conventional motorcycle frame, the Bi-Autogo had a large three-seat body and automobile-style wheel steering. Power came from a 45-horsepower V8 engine with a displacement of approximately 384.8 cubic inches, or 6,306 cubic centimeters. The engine was notable in the context of the project because it was described as the first V8 produced by a Detroit company. An external copper-tube radiator formed a prominent part of the vehicle's engineering and appearance. The prototype used two main wheels measuring 37 inches, or approximately 940 millimeters, and weighed about 3,200 pounds, or 1,500 kilograms. The vehicle was not developed into a mass-produced commercial model. Only one Bi-Autogo was built, making it a significant survivor from the experimental period when inventors and manufacturers were testing many possible relationships between motorcycles, cyclecars, and automobiles. Its substantial weight, unusual balance system, complex construction, and lack of a documented production program limited it to prototype status rather than establishing a new market category. The surviving Bi-Autogo is held in the collection of the Detroit Historical Society. In 2017, it underwent restoration by Mobsteel in Detroit. The restoration helped preserve the vehicle as an artifact of early twentieth-century transportation design and Detroit's emerging automotive culture. Today, the Bi-Autogo is best understood not as an operating commercial brand but as a historically important one-off vehicle and an example of prewar experimentation with vehicle architecture, propulsion, and stability.

The Bi-Autogo emerged during the formative years of the American motor vehicle industry, when the boundaries between motorcycles, cyclecars, and automobiles were still unsettled. It was designed and built in Detroit by James Scripps Booth, an artist and engineer associated with the city's developing automotive culture. Construction took place from 1908 to 1912, a period in which inventors were exploring lightweight bodies, unconventional wheel layouts, and new approaches to combining personal mobility with engine power. The design attempted to solve the stability and practicality problems of a large motorcycle by placing the rider and passengers in a three-seat body and adding retractable outriggers. In normal movement, the vehicle used two principal wheels, each made with wooden spokes and measuring 37 inches in diameter. When additional support was needed, two pairs of smaller wheels could be extended from the body. This arrangement gave the vehicle a motorcycle-like wheel configuration while providing some of the practical characteristics associated with a small car. Unlike a conventional motorcycle, the Bi-Autogo used wheel steering rather than relying on handlebar steering. Its powertrain was unusually ambitious for such an experimental vehicle. The Bi-Autogo was fitted with a 45-horsepower V8 engine displacing approximately 384.8 cubic inches, or 6,306 cubic centimeters. The engine was identified as the first V8 from a Detroit company. Cooling was handled by an external copper-tube radiator, which was both a functional engineering element and a visible part of the vehicle's distinctive design. The complete vehicle weighed roughly 3,200 pounds, or 1,500 kilograms, making it considerably heavier than an ordinary motorcycle and emphasizing its hybrid character. Despite its technical interest, the Bi-Autogo remained a single prototype. There is no evidence in the available reference material of a production run, commercial sales program, corporate successor, or broader model range. Its scale and complexity appear to have kept it from becoming a practical mass-market alternative to the increasingly standardized automobile. As the automobile industry consolidated around four-wheel designs, the Bi-Autogo's two-wheel layout and retractable support system remained an experimental solution rather than a lasting product architecture. The sole example survived as part of the Detroit Historical Society's collection. In 2017, Mobsteel restored the vehicle in Detroit, preserving an important artifact of the city's early engineering and automotive history. The restored prototype is significant because it documents a moment before automotive design conventions had fully stabilized. It demonstrates how early builders tested hybrid forms that did not fit neatly into later categories such as motorcycle, automobile, or cyclecar. The Bi-Autogo therefore has historical value primarily as a one-off engineering experiment and design object, rather than as a conventional commercial brand.

• 2017

  Restoration completed

  [1]Bi-Autogoen.wikipedia.org

  Mobsteel restored the surviving Bi-Autogo in Detroit.

• 1912

  Prototype completed

  [1]Bi-Autogoen.wikipedia.org

  The one-off Bi-Autogo prototype was completed after a construction period extending from 1908 to 1912.

• 1908

  Construction begins

  [1]Bi-Autogoen.wikipedia.org

  James Scripps Booth began building the experimental Bi-Autogo in Detroit.

An early experimental vehicle concept combining motorcycle-style two-wheel operation with automobile seating, bodywork, and engine power.

• Experimental cyclecar

  Bi-Autogo

  The sole Bi-Autogo prototype was a three-seat vehicle built around two large 37-inch wooden-spoked wheels, with two pairs of smaller retractable outrigger wheels. It used wheel steering and a 45-horsepower, 384.8-cubic-inch V8 engine, together with an external copper-tube radiator. Weighing approximately 3,200 pounds, it represented an unusually large and powerful attempt to combine motorcycle and automobile characteristics. It was never mass-produced and survives as a museum-held historical vehicle.

1. 1Bi-Autogoen.wikipedia.org