Pungs-Finch

Pungs-Finch was an early American automobile marque manufactured in Detroit, Michigan, from 1904 through 1910. The company emerged from a business centered primarily on marine gasoline engines and boat construction rather than automobile production. Its cars were developed from an automobile created by the Sintz Gas Engine Company and were built under the Pungs-Finch Auto and Gas Engine Company name established in 1904. The marque was associated with William A. Pungs, a businessman involved in the purchase of the Sintz Gas Engine Company for the Michigan Yacht and Power Company, and E. B. Finch, an engineer educated at the University of Michigan who had built an automobile of his own in 1902. Pungs was Finch's father-in-law. After Pungs bought out his partner O. J. Mulford, Mulford went on to establish the Gray Marine Motor Company in 1905. This connection placed Pungs-Finch within Detroit's wider network of early marine-engine and vehicle manufacturers. The first Pungs-Finch, introduced for 1904, used a 14-horsepower, two-cylinder engine derived from the earlier Sintz design. In 1905, the company moved to larger and more powerful four-cylinder automobiles, including the Finch-designed Model D and Model F. These cars were positioned as substantial touring automobiles rather than inexpensive runabouts. Their large-displacement engines and comparatively high prices reflected the company's emphasis on power and mechanical robustness. Pungs-Finch displayed its vehicles at the New York, Chicago, and Detroit automobile shows in 1905. That same year, a fire destroyed the marine-engine and boat-building portion of the factory. Automobile production was delayed while the business rebuilt. Finch subsequently designed an especially ambitious automobile for 1906, the Finch Limited, which used an 8,652-cubic-centimeter single-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine. The car was advertised with a claimed 50 horsepower and a target speed of 50 miles per hour, at a price of $3,500. The relationship between Finch and Pungs deteriorated, and Finch left the business in 1906 after an argument with his father-in-law. He later became a Chalmers dealer in Cleveland. Pungs-Finch continued cataloging automobiles through 1910, offering models rated at 22 and 40 horsepower and briefly reoffering a 50-horsepower model in 1908. During its final years, however, the company increasingly concentrated on marine gasoline engines and boat building. Automobile production ended in 1910. The Finch Limited is believed to have been produced in only one example. It was found in a factory and restored during the 1950s by automobile historian Henry Austin Clark Jr. It is identified as the only known surviving Pungs-Finch automobile, giving the marque a continuing place in the history of early American automotive engineering and preservation.

Pungs-Finch developed in Detroit during the formative period of the American automobile industry. Its origins were closely tied to marine engineering. William A. Pungs arranged the purchase of the Sintz Gas Engine Company for the Michigan Yacht and Power Company. Sintz had also developed an automobile, and that vehicle became the foundation for the first Pungs-Finch model. In 1904, the business adopted the name Pungs-Finch Auto and Gas Engine Company. E. B. Finch supplied the principal automotive engineering connection. Finch had studied at the University of Michigan and had built an automobile in 1902. The 1904 Pungs-Finch used a 14-horsepower twin-cylinder engine. The company soon pursued larger cars: in 1905, the original twin-cylinder arrangement was replaced by Finch-designed four-cylinder engines. The Model D used a 5,808-cubic-centimeter engine, while the Model F used a 6,435-cubic-centimeter unit. Their listed prices were $2,000 and $2,500 respectively, placing them in the expensive touring-car segment of the period. Pungs-Finch promoted its vehicles at the New York, Chicago, and Detroit automobile shows in 1905. The company suffered a serious interruption when a fire destroyed the marine-engine and boat-building section of its factory. Rebuilding delayed production and underscored the importance of the marine business to the company as a whole. For 1906, Finch designed the Finch Limited, an advanced large automobile with an 8,652-cubic-centimeter single-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine. It was advertised as capable of 50 horsepower and 50 miles per hour, with a $3,500 price. The model appears to have been produced in only one example. In the same period, the standard range was revised. The 1906 Model F used a 3,707-cubic-centimeter engine, a 100-inch wheelbase, and revised bore and stroke dimensions. The Model F remained in production until automobile manufacturing ceased in 1910. A Model H appeared in 1907 with a 5,808-cubic-centimeter engine and a 110-inch wheelbase. The company's internal leadership changed in 1906. Finch left after an argument with his father-in-law, William Pungs, and subsequently entered the automotive trade as a Chalmers dealer in Cleveland. Pungs-Finch continued to list 22-horsepower and 40-horsepower models from 1906 to 1910, priced at $2,000 and $2,500. A 50-horsepower model was offered again in 1908. Nevertheless, the company increasingly directed its resources toward marine gasoline engines and boat construction, and automobile production ended in 1910. The marque's surviving historical significance is concentrated in the Finch Limited. Automobile historian Henry Austin Clark Jr. discovered the car in a factory and restored it in the 1950s. It is regarded as the only known surviving Pungs-Finch automobile. The brand therefore represents a short-lived but technically ambitious branch of Detroit's early automobile and marine-engine industries.

• 1950

  Finch Limited restored

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  Automobile historian Henry Austin Clark Jr. restored the surviving Finch Limited after it was discovered in a factory.

• 1910

  Automobile production discontinued

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  Pungs-Finch ended automobile production while concentrating on marine engines and boat building.

• 1907

  Model H introduced

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  The Model H joined the range with a 5,808-cubic-centimeter engine and a 110-inch wheelbase.

• 1906

  Finch Limited developed

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  E. B. Finch designed a large 8,652-cubic-centimeter overhead-camshaft four-cylinder automobile marketed as the Finch Limited.

• 1906

  E. B. Finch departs

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  Finch left the company after a dispute with William A. Pungs and later became a Chalmers dealer in Cleveland.

• 1905

  Four-cylinder models introduced

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  The company replaced its initial twin-cylinder car with larger Finch-designed four-cylinder Model D and Model F automobiles.

• 1905

  Pungs-Finch appears at major automobile shows

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  Pungs-Finch automobiles were displayed at the New York, Chicago, and Detroit automobile shows.

• 1904

  Pungs-Finch Auto and Gas Engine Company established

  [1]Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org

  The company adopted the Pungs-Finch name and introduced a 14-horsepower twin-cylinder automobile derived from a Sintz design.

A small, engineering-led American manufacturer of powerful, high-priced touring cars, operating alongside a larger marine-engine and boat-building business.

• Automobile · 1904

  1904 Pungs-Finch

  The first automobile sold under the Pungs-Finch name was based on an earlier Sintz vehicle. It used a 14-horsepower twin-cylinder engine and established the marque's initial presence in the American touring-car market.

• Touring automobile · 1905

  Model D

  Introduced in the company's move toward larger cars, the Model D used a Finch-designed four-cylinder engine with 5,808 cubic centimeters of displacement. It represented Pungs-Finch's emphasis on substantial power and touring-car performance.

• Touring automobile · 1905

  Model F

  The Model F was one of the marque's principal four-cylinder cars. The early version used a 6,435-cubic-centimeter engine, while the extensively revised 1906 version used 3,707 cubic centimeters and a 100-inch wheelbase. Production continued until 1910.

• Luxury touring automobile · 1906

  Finch Limited

  The Finch Limited was an ambitious 1906 automobile designed by E. B. Finch. It used an 8,652-cubic-centimeter single-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine and was advertised with 50 horsepower and a 50-mile-per-hour capability. It is believed to have been built in only one example and is the only known surviving Pungs-Finch.

• Touring automobile · 1907

  Model H

  The Model H, introduced for 1907, used a 5,808-cubic-centimeter engine and a 110-inch wheelbase. It belonged to the marque's large, powerful touring-car range.

• 1910

  Withdrawal from automobile productionStrategy

  Background

  Although Pungs-Finch continued to catalog several automobile models, its broader business remained strongly connected to marine engines and boat building.

  Action taken

  The company discontinued automobile production and concentrated its efforts on marine gasoline engines and boat construction.

  Aftermath

  The Pungs-Finch automobile marque became defunct after a six-year production period.

  Source

• 1906

  Launch of the Finch LimitedProduct launch

  Background

  E. B. Finch pursued an advanced and substantially more powerful automobile for the 1906 season.

  Action taken

  The company developed and marketed the Finch Limited with an 8,652-cubic-centimeter single-overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine.

  Aftermath

  The model appears to have been produced only once, making it an exceptionally rare example of the marque's engineering ambitions.

  Listed price. $3,500 (1906 model year)

  Source

• 1905

  Shift from twin-cylinder to four-cylinder automobilesGeneration change

  Background

  The first Pungs-Finch automobile used a 14-horsepower twin-cylinder engine, but the company sought larger and more powerful touring cars.

  Action taken

  Pungs-Finch introduced Finch-designed four-cylinder Model D and Model F automobiles.

  Aftermath

  The change established the marque's identity around high-power, large-displacement touring cars.

  Source

1. 1Pungs-Finchen.wikipedia.org