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The Moline Automobile Company (1904 - 1919) was an American brass era automobile manufacturer in Moline, Illinois known for the Moline-Knight.

History

Moline-Knight

The Moline Automobile Co. 
East Moline, Illinois 
1904-1913

The Moline-Knight was an American automobile manufactured by the Moline Automobile Companylocated at 74 Keokuk Street in East Moline, Illinois, from 1904 to 1919. The car used a Knight engine.

In 1911, the Moline 35 was a two-seat roadster with a 4×6-inch (114×152-mm) gasoline engine and self starter, still a rarity then. It came complete with folding top, windshield, and Prest-O-Lite acetylene tank (for the headlights), all for US$1700. By contrast, a Brush Runabout was US$485, the Gale Model A roadster US$500. the high-volume Oldsmobile Runabout US$650, a Colt Runabout US$1500, an Enger 40 US$2000, and American's base model was US$4250.

The 35 was joined in Moline's 1911 lineup by a four and a five passenger tourer and a four-passenger "toy tonneau", "all with self-starting", the ads bragged.

Features found in a Moline-Knight included sleeve valves and a quiet engine. Some drawbacks were its large oil consumption and its carburetor's sensitivity to altitude.

The Moline Automobile Company

The Moline Automobile Company was an American Automobile produced by William H. VanDerVoort and Orlando J. Root. They began manufacturing gasoline engines in 1900 under the name, R&V Engineering Co.

The first Moline automobiles were a side entrance light Touring Car and a larger Touring Car.

The Model D light Touring Car with a side entrance and detachable tonneau making it a two or four passenger automobile.  It was equipped with a two cylinder opposed engine developing 12 horsepower. The Model D sold for $1,000.00.

The Model B was a larger Touring Car priced at $1,600.00. It was equipped with a forward mounted four cylinder engine rated at 20 horsepower with shaft drive.

The Moline line of automobiles enjoyed wide spread popularity from 1906 to 1909. During these years The Moline Automobile Co. produced a 100 inch wheelbase Model C light Touring Car with a four cylinder engine developing 18-20 horsepower. It had a three speed sliding gear transmission and priced at $1750.00.

The Moline Model A had the same general lines as the Model C but larger and priced at $2,500.00. The four cylinder engine was also larger and rated at 30-35 horsepower. Priced at $1,000.00 was a popular model G Touring Runabout. This early American Automobile had a two cylinder engine rated at 16 horsepower.

The 1906 British battleship HMS Dreadnought had such an impact on the early 1900 battleships that all others built after were referred to as Dreadnoughts. In 1910 The Moline Automobile Co. took advantage of the Dreadnought popularity and named it's new American Automobiles the "Moline Dreadnaught".

In the 1911 the 112 inch wheel base Moline Dreadnaught was referred to as "King of the Road" and priced at $1,700.00. This 1911 Moline was equipped with a new 35 horsepower 4 X 6 long stroke engine. Moline was among the first manufacturers to use a long stroke engine. engine.

By 1912, advertising introduced three self starting Dreadnaught Moline 35 Horsepower automobiles. A five passenger Touring Car, four passenger Toy Tonneau and a Roadster all illustrated above. "See it go at the show" refers to the 1912 New York Auto show and the Chicago show where the Moline had displays. By 1914 the Moline became the Moline-Knight and in 1920 the name was changed to R&V Knight.