1908 Cartercar Model D Roadster
Byron Carter’s innovative friction drive system gave this automobile what the company advertised as “A Thousand Speeds” through two perpendicular friction disks. The Cartercar Model D Roadster eliminated many common mechanical headaches: no clutch to slip, no gears to strip, no universal joints to break, and no shaft drive to twist.
The friction drive used paper fiber rims that could be replaced at 4,000 miles for about five dollars, less than half the cost of grease packing in conventional geared transmissions.
The Model D featured brass Rushmore Searchlight headlamps that created a striking appearance, complemented by Corcoran brass side and taillamps. A Rushmore carbide generator was mounted on the left side of the seat.
Diamond-pattern buttoned black leather seats provided armchair-like proportions for the driver and passenger. A folding black canvas cape top could be raised for weather protection, though the roadster lacked a windshield.
Sales reached about 325 units by 1908, but Byron Carter’s death that April from pneumonia marked the beginning of the end for the company. General Motors acquired Cartercar in late 1909, continuing production through 1915. Fewer than 30 examples are known to survive today.
Source
