The Smith Flyer Cyclecar & The A. O. Smith Co.

1955 Chevrolet Nomad
1955 Nomads for Sale
Nomad Station Wagons
Original and Restored

1956 Chevrolet Nomad
1956 Nomads for Sale
Nomad Street Rods
Numbers Matching

1957 Chevrolet Nomad
1957 Nomads For Sale
265 and 283 engines
Fuel Injection

Smith Flyer Cyclecar
The A. O. Smith Co.
Milwaukee, WI
1917-1920

The Smith Flyer was an American made Cyclecar produced by A. O. Smith Co. in Milwaukee, WI from 1917 to 1920 and later by Briggs & Stratton. The Flyer had a body made of hard wood slats that from a distance you might easily mistake it for a kids pedal car. If fact it wasn't much larger than a kids pedal car. However, it had twin bucket seats and a breezy open air design.

Besides its buckboard body, the Flyer was distinguished by having five wheels on the ground. The fifth wheel supplied the power and was called the Smith Motor Wheel.

1918 Smith Flyer appearing in Motor Wheeling Magazine

The Smith Motor Wheel was mounted on the rear and carried it's one cylinder engine, 2 1/4 inch stroke, 2 3/8 inch bore. The little engine developed only 1 1/2 horsepower. A shift lever up front allowed the operator to lift the little engine off the ground so it could idle without stopping. To start the fifth wheel was lowered. To stop a pair of braked lined fenders was pressed against the rear wheels by a brake pedal up front.

Vintage Photo of 1918 Smith Flyer

Only a single model of the A. O. Smith Flyer Cyclecar was produced. It was a two passenger open buckboard type automobile with small bicycle type wheels. Shown above is a vintage photo with adults at the wheel.

1917 Eddie Foy and The Seven Little Foys

In 1917 Eddie Foy, actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian, purchased a Smith Flyer and use it in his vaudeville acts. Between 1910 and 1913, he formed a family vaudeville act called "Eddie Foy and The Seven Little Foys" which quickly turned into a national institution.

The forerunner of the Smith Flyer was this gas driven Smith Motor Wheel designed for bicycles. Many were made before the Smith Flyer. The last of the Flyers was this electric version shown above on the right that was made up to 1925 by the Automotive Electric Service Co. and called the Auto Red Bug and widely used in Amusement Parks. They also made Motor Wheels after buying the patent from Briggs and Stratton.

Find Antique Cars, Collector Cars, 1950s-1960s Classic Cars, 1960s-1970s
Muscle Cars, Hot Rods, Rat Rods, Street Rods and Vintage Military Vehicles!
1900-1929 Antique Cars For Sale
1930-1939 Antique Cars For Sale
1940-1949 Collector Cars For Sale
1950-1959 Classic Cars For Sale
1960s 1970s Muscle Car For Sale
Hot Rods & Rat Rods For Sale
Pro Street & Street Rods For Sale
Collectibles Automobilia For Sale
Vintage Auto Advertising For Sale
Auto Manuals & Literature For Sale
Auto Books & Manuals For Sale
Auto Brochures & Catalogs
1929 Studebaker
Find Auto Related Collectibles, Automobilia, Advertising, Auto Manuals,
Auto Books, Auto Brochures and Vintage Auto Literature For Sale!