Images(4)

Automobile

Object number2022.56.1 a-f

Manufacturer Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Manufacturer General Electric Company

Manufacturer Sylvania

Manufacturer Carlisle Companies Inc.

Manufacturer American Bosch Magneto Corporation

Manufacturer The Hickok Electrical Instrument Company

Manufacturer Yankee

Manufacturer Independent Lock Company

Datec. 1965

OriginCleveland, OH

OriginNorwalk, CT

OriginFitchburg, MA

OriginChicago, IL

MediumMetal; Aluminum; Chrome metal; Wood; Paint; Rubber; Vinyl; Foam padding; Glass; Electrical wiring; Electrical tape; Plastic

Credit LineGift of N. David Campbell

DescriptionElectric car with ignition key, two battery access panel keys, and two battery frames. Two-doors with metal body, metal hardtop, wood floorboard, and chrome metal details. Bottom half of car is blue and top half is white. Black metal fender and bumper. DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a): 61.5 x 59.125 x 115.5 in. (156.2 x 150.2 x 293.4 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (b - key with key chain): 3.375 x 1.375 x 0.75 in. (8.6 x 3.5 x 1.9 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (b- key only): 1.813 x 0.938 x 0.125 in. (4.6 x 2.4 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (c-d – with key chain): 2.875 x 1.25 x 0.5 in. (7.3 x 3.2 x 1.3 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (c – key only): 1.75 x 0.813 x 0.125 in. (4.4 x 2.1 x 0.3 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (d – key only): 1.75 x 0.813 x 0.125 in. (4.4 x 2.1 x 0.3 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (e): 41.188 x 6.875 x 1.125 in. (104.6 x 17.5 x 2.9 cm)
Length x Width x Depth (f): 41 x 6.938 x 1.125 in. (104.1 x 17.6 x 2.9 cm)
Inscriptions(a)
On the proper left side of the driver seat's platform above the far right electrical socket is blue tape with handwritten text in ink "12 VOLT".

(b)
Key chain has engraved/imprinted text “WESTINGHOUSE / PROTO”.
Marks(a)
Front of car has maker plate "MARKETTE [Westinghouse logo] ELECTRIC".

Proper right headlight lens has text "L69 / 2 / General [General Electric logo] Electric / SEALED BEAM".

Proper left headlight lens has text "A20 / 2D1 / SYLVANIA PERFORMANCE / SEALED BEAM".

Rim around each of the front turn indicator lenses has text "YANKEE-975".

Each brake light lens has text "GUIDE TO SAE STD 66 / 5957933-1".

Reverse light lens has text "SAE LP2PC 91" and text on mount "21-1185".

Each tire has text including "CARLISLE...SPORT TRAIL...5.70-8".

Windshield wiper mechanism has text "AMERICAN BOSCH".

Speedometer reads "00332" and has MPH measurements in increments of 10 from "0-60".

Instrument on dashboard reads "THE HICKOK ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENT CO., CLEVELAND, OHIO / PERCENT OF CHARGE / [meter] / HICKOK / CHARGICATOR / MODEL / 46..."

Turn signal mechanism mounted on steering wheel has text "TURNFLEX / YANKEE / NORWALK / CONN. U.S.A. 730/6".

Inside driver door frame is maker plate with text "Westinghouse Electric Corporation / Marketeer / ... / SERIAL No. 20174 / MODEL No. [illegible or no text]".

(b)
One side of key head has text above hole “INDEPENDENT LOCK CO.” and below hole is logo with text “ILCO”.

Other side of key has text surrounding hole “FITCHBURG, MASS U.S.A.” and at viewer’s left center “H / 1054 / B”.

(c-d)
One side of head has engraved text “FORT LOCK / CHICAGO, ILLINOIS / [castle]”.

Other side of head has engraved text “54G / 217”.
Historical NotesWestinghouse Markette prototype electric car. The family of the late Don Burnham gave this car to Hall Industries (Harold and Johnathan Hall) who completed a complete restoration in 2011-2012. Burnham was a past president of Westinghouse. Donor N. David Campbell purchased the car from Hall Industries. Label TextInventors have experimented with electric powered vehicles in the U.S. since the 1830s, but widespread use dates to the 1890s and the early 20th century, when electric cars competed for road space with horse-drawn carriages, and steam- and gasoline-powered vehicles. As infrastructure developed and people began to drive long distances, the challenge became finding an affordable, available power source for automobiles. The difficulty in creating a small and efficient battery that could hold a charge over distance—as well as the lack of electricity in rural areas, the invention of the Model T Ford, and the discovery of abundant fossil fuels—led to the dominance of the gasoline-powered car. Concern over air pollution and rising oil prices during the 1960s and ’70s revived interest in electric-powered vehicles. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, with a history of not only supplying electricity but developing electric-powered consumer products, put its first electric car into production in 1967. Marketed for highly congested urban areas, the 2-passenger electric car had a ticket price of $2,000, reached a speed of up to 25 miles per hour, had a range of 50 miles between charges, and ran on a dozen 6-volt batteries. Westinghouse Electric developed this prototype at their Pittsburgh laboratories in 1965 before producing the final product at the company’s Marketeer plant in Redlands, CA, two years later. Sources list noted architect and industrial designer Eliot Noyes, the design consultant for Westinghouse Corporate Design Center at the time, as overseeing the design of the Markette. Only 50 cars were produced; one of those vehicles is displayed in the Visible Storage gallery on the fourth floor.

Previous owner N. David Campbell

Previous owner Hall Industries, Inc.

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