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The Ross was a Brass era automobile manufactured in Detroit, Michigan from 1915 to 1918 by the Ross Automobile Company.

History

John L. Ross of Ross & Young Machine Company entered the automobile field by incorporating his Ross Automobile Company in 1915. The Ross automobile had a Herschell-Spillman V-8 engine with body styles including sedans and town cars and were priced at $1,350 and $1,850, equivalent to $55,719 in 2023.

The "Ross Eight" won fame briefly in 1916 for being the first automobile to climb San Francisco's famous Fillmore Street hill in high gear, where grades reach a maximum of 251⁄2%.

New York capitalists took over the company in late 1916 and changed the car from an 8-cylinder to a Continental six-cylinder. In 1917 the V-8 engine was reinstated, but not for long. The Company entered receivership and in February 1918, the Ross plant had been sold.

References

1. ^ Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87341-428-9.
2. Spooner, F. Ed. (November 17, 1916). "Ross 8 breaks all climbing records". Triplicate. Retrieved 27 December 2021.

• American companies established in 1915
• Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States
• Defunct manufacturing companies based in Detroit
• Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan
• Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1915
• Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1918
• 1915 establishments in Michigan
• 1918 disestablishments in Michigan
• Brass Era vehicles
• 1910s cars
• Cars introduced in 1915