Rauch and Lang

Rauch and Lang was an American transportation manufacturer whose origins lay in the carriage trade and whose best-known products were early electric automobiles. Jacob Rauch and Charles E. J. Lang incorporated the Rauch & Lang Carriage Company in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1884. The firm developed a reputation for producing high-quality, expensive carriages, establishing the craftsmanship and body-building capabilities that later supported its entry into motor vehicles. The company entered the automotive market in 1903 by becoming an agency for Buffalo Electric vehicles. In 1905 it introduced an electric stanhope of its own manufacture. Its initial automotive output included stanhopes, coupes, and depot wagons, with approximately 50 vehicles built during the first year. Rauch and Lang competed in a period when electric automobiles were valued for quiet operation, ease of use, and suitability for urban travel. Unlike many early manufacturers that depended heavily on outside suppliers, it progressively integrated production. In 1907 the company acquired the Hertner Electric Company, which had supplied its motors and controllers, and John H. Hertner became chief engineer of the automobile department. From that period, Rauch and Lang made all major vehicle parts in its own factory. The company expanded production during the following years, but the electric-vehicle market was already facing increasing competition from gasoline automobiles. In 1911, Baker Motor Vehicle Company sued Rauch and Lang over an alleged patent infringement involving the mounting of rear springs. The companies later moved toward cooperation rather than prolonged independent competition. In 1915, amid declining electric-car sales, Baker and Rauch and Lang combined their operations as the Baker R. & L. Company. The cars were commonly identified as Baker-Raulang, although the Baker name was used only through 1916. Rauch and Lang vehicles were available in several body styles, including four-door configurations that were unusual among electric cars of the era. Some models offered a choice of front- or rear-seat steering, reflecting the variety of body and control arrangements then being tested in the market. The combined business broadened beyond passenger cars. Its plants produced Owen Magnetic vehicles from 1916 through 1919, and the company developed coachbuilding and electric industrial-truck activities. In 1919, about 700 Rauch and Lang electric cars were built, while the organization also operated a coachbuilding business known as the Raulang Body Division of the Baker R. & L. Company. In January 1920, Ray S. Deering, president of Stevens-Duryea, acquired the electric passenger-car business of Baker R. & L. and reorganized it as Rauch & Lang, Inc. A new factory was established beside the Stevens-Duryea plant in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. The reorganized company entered the taxicab market in 1922, producing both electric and gasoline taxis under the R & L initials. Electric taxis sold less successfully than their gasoline counterparts, and electric passenger-car production fell to small quantities. From 1923, taxicabs became the company’s principal product line. Rauch & Lang, Inc. encountered financial difficulty from 1924 onward. The company received an extension of time while attempting to continue operations, but its passenger-car business did not recover. In late 1928, half of the Chicopee Falls factory was leased to Moth Aircraft Corporation, and passenger-car production ended later that year. Shortly before the 1929 stock-market crash, Rauch and Lang worked with General Electric engineers on an experimental 60-horsepower gasoline-electric vehicle. One prototype was sold to Colonel E. H. R. Green, but the crash prevented the project from developing into series production. A third hybrid vehicle built in 1930 has survived. Sporadic taxicab and coachwork production continued until 1932, after which the company ceased as an automobile manufacturer. Its historical significance rests on its transition from elite carriage production to integrated electric-vehicle manufacturing and on its role in the early American electric-car industry.

Rauch & Lang began in Cleveland in 1884 as a carriage company founded by Jacob Rauch and Charles E. J. Lang. Its carriages became known for expensive construction and high-quality workmanship. This experience later gave the company a foundation in vehicle body design and construction. The company’s first direct automotive activity came in 1903, when it took an agency for Buffalo Electric. In 1905 it began manufacturing its own electric stanhope. The early range also included electric coupes and depot wagons, with roughly 50 vehicles produced during the first year. Rauch and Lang expanded its manufacturing independence in 1907 by acquiring Hertner Electric Company, its supplier of motors and controllers. John H. Hertner subsequently became chief engineer of the automobile department. From that time, the company produced all parts of its vehicles within its own factory. Growth continued during the following years, although the company faced legal pressure from Baker Motor Vehicle Company in 1911 over an alleged patent infringement involving rear-spring mounting. As electric-car sales weakened across the United States, Baker and Rauch and Lang combined in 1915. The resulting Baker R. & L. Company was more commonly associated with the Baker-Raulang name, while the Baker name remained in use only until 1916. The business produced electric cars in multiple body styles, including relatively unusual four-door models, and offered alternative steering positions. It also built Owen Magnetic vehicles between 1916 and 1919, operated a coachbuilding division, and produced electric industrial trucks. In 1919 approximately 700 Rauch and Lang electric cars were built. In January 1920, Ray S. Deering acquired the electric passenger-car business from Baker R. & L. and reorganized it as Rauch & Lang, Inc. The new company moved its operations to a factory beside the Stevens-Duryea plant in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. From 1922 it produced both electric and gasoline taxis. The electric taxi was commercially weaker, while passenger-car output declined to only occasional examples. Beginning in 1923, taxis became the company’s main line. Financial trouble emerged by 1924. Although the business received additional time to continue, it could not restore its former passenger-car position. In late 1928, half of the factory was leased to Moth Aircraft Corporation and passenger-car manufacturing stopped. Before the 1929 market crash, Rauch and Lang collaborated with General Electric engineers on a 60-horsepower gasoline-electric experimental car. The crash prevented the hybrid from entering planned production; one prototype was sold to Colonel E. H. R. Green, and a third vehicle built in 1930 survives. Sporadic taxi and coachwork production continued until 1932, marking the end of the company’s automotive operations.

• 1932

  Final sporadic production

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Sporadic taxicab and coachwork production continued through 1932 before the company disappeared as an automobile manufacturer.

• 1928

  Passenger-car production ends

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  The company ceased passenger-car production after financial problems and leased part of its factory to Moth Aircraft Corporation.

• 1922

  Taxicab production begins

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Rauch and Lang began producing electric and gasoline taxis marketed under the R & L initials.

• 1920

  Reorganization in Chicopee Falls

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Ray S. Deering acquired and reorganized the electric passenger-car business as Rauch & Lang, Inc. in Massachusetts.

• 1915

  Combination with Baker

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Declining electric-car sales led Baker and Rauch and Lang to combine as the Baker R. & L. Company.

• 1911

  Patent litigation

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Baker Motor Vehicle Company sued Rauch and Lang over the alleged infringement of a rear-spring mounting patent.

• 1907

  Hertner Electric acquired

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition brought the supplier of Rauch and Lang motors and controllers into the company.

• 1905

  First Rauch and Lang electric car

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Rauch and Lang introduced an electric stanhope and built approximately 50 early vehicles across several body types.

• 1903

  Entry into automobiles

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  The company entered the automotive field by becoming an agency for Buffalo Electric.

• 1884

  Carriage company incorporated

  [1]Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org

  Jacob Rauch and Charles E. J. Lang incorporated the Rauch & Lang Carriage Company in Cleveland, Ohio.

Historically positioned as a premium, craftsmanship-oriented American carriage and electric-vehicle manufacturer, Rauch and Lang emphasized refined bodywork, quiet urban transportation, and vertical manufacturing integration. Its later business shifted toward practical commercial transportation, especially taxis and coachwork, as electric passenger cars lost ground to gasoline vehicles.

• Electric automobile · 1905

  Electric stanhopes

  Rauch and Lang’s first self-manufactured automobiles included electric stanhopes introduced in 1905. These compact early vehicles reflected the company’s transition from carriage building to motor manufacturing and were among the approximately 50 vehicles produced during its first year of automotive production.

• Electric automobile and commercial vehicle · 1905

  Electric coupes and depot wagons

  The company expanded its early electric range beyond open stanhopes to include enclosed coupes and depot wagons. These body styles used Rauch and Lang’s carriage-building capabilities and served both private transportation and practical local-commercial purposes.

• Electric automobile · 1915

  Baker-Raulang electric automobiles

  Following the 1915 combination with Baker, Rauch and Lang cars were commonly associated with the Baker-Raulang name. The range included several body configurations, including four-door cars and vehicles offering front- or rear-seat steering, features that distinguished them within the early electric-car market.

• Taxicab · 1922

  R & L taxis

  From 1922, Rauch & Lang produced taxis in both electric and gasoline forms under the R & L initials. Electric taxis did not achieve the same sales as gasoline versions, but taxicabs became the company’s main business from 1923 as passenger-car production declined.

• Hybrid automobile prototype · 1929

  Gasoline-electric experimental vehicle

  Rauch and Lang worked with General Electric engineers on an experimental 60-horsepower gasoline-electric vehicle shortly before the 1929 stock-market crash. The project did not proceed to series production, although multiple experimental vehicles were built and one survives.

• Coachbuilding · 1919

  Automotive coachwork

  The Raulang Body Division developed vehicle bodies and coachwork after the Baker combination. Coachbuilding remained one of the company’s activities after passenger-car production ended and continued sporadically alongside taxi work into 1932.

• Industrial vehicle · 1919

  Electric industrial trucks

  The Baker R. & L. organization established a department for electric industrial trucks, extending the company’s electric-drive expertise into commercial and industrial transportation rather than limiting it to passenger cars.

• Automobile · 1916

  Owen Magnetic vehicles

  The Owen Magnetic was produced in Baker R. & L. facilities from 1916 through 1919. Its manufacture represented the company’s broader involvement in alternative propulsion and vehicle production during the period when electric and hybrid concepts competed with conventional gasoline automobiles.

• 1929

  Develop a gasoline-electric prototypeProduct launch

  Background

  Rauch and Lang collaborated with General Electric engineers on an alternative-power vehicle as the company’s conventional passenger-car business weakened.

  Action taken

  The partners built an experimental 60-horsepower gasoline-electric automobile.

  Aftermath

  The Wall Street crash prevented planned production. One prototype was sold to Colonel E. H. R. Green, and a third vehicle built in 1930 remains extant.

  Source

• 1928

  End passenger-car manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Financial problems and poor demand for Rauch and Lang passenger cars made continued production unsustainable.

  Action taken

  The company stopped passenger-car production and leased half of its factory to Moth Aircraft Corporation.

  Aftermath

  Only sporadic taxi and coachwork production continued, ending by 1932.

  Source

• 1922

  Launch electric and gasoline taxisProduct launch

  Background

  Passenger-car demand was insufficient to sustain the reorganized company, creating pressure to focus on commercial transportation.

  Action taken

  Rauch & Lang entered the taxicab field with electric and gasoline models marketed under the R & L initials.

  Aftermath

  Gasoline taxis performed better, and taxicab production became the company’s mainstay from 1923.

  Source

• 1920

  Reorganize the passenger-car business in MassachusettsStrategy

  Background

  The Baker R. & L. electric passenger-car operation was separated from the broader business after years of weakening electric-car demand.

  Action taken

  Ray S. Deering acquired the electric passenger-car business and reorganized it as Rauch & Lang, Inc. in Chicopee Falls.

  Aftermath

  The company pursued taxis and coachwork, but electric passenger cars were produced only in small numbers.

  Source

• 1915

  Combine with Baker Motor Vehicle CompanyM&A

  Background

  Electric-car sales were declining nationally, making independent operation more difficult for both manufacturers.

  Action taken

  The firms combined as the Baker R. & L. Company, with the resulting vehicles commonly known as Baker-Raulang.

  Aftermath

  The combined organization continued electric-car production, added broader vehicle and body-making activities, and produced Owen Magnetic vehicles.

  Source

• 1907

  Acquire Hertner Electric CompanyM&A

  Background

  Motors and controllers for Rauch and Lang vehicles had been supplied by Hertner Electric.

  Action taken

  Rauch and Lang bought Hertner Electric and brought key electric-drive components inside the organization.

  Aftermath

  John H. Hertner became chief engineer, and the company moved toward manufacturing all vehicle parts in its own factory.

  Source

• 1903

  Enter the automobile business through Buffalo ElectricStrategy

  Background

  The established carriage maker sought an entry point into the emerging motor-vehicle industry before manufacturing its own cars.

  Action taken

  Rauch and Lang took on the agency for Buffalo Electric and subsequently developed its own electric automobile.

  Aftermath

  The agency relationship preceded the launch of Rauch and Lang electric vehicles in 1905.

  Source

1. 1Rauch and Langen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rauch & Lang at ConceptCarzconceptcarz.com
3. 3Baker, Rauch & Langcoachbuilt.com
4. 4Rauch and Lang company historysecondhandgarage.com