Gallery

John William Lambert

John was born in 1860 and died in 1952, at the age of 92 and with over 600 patents, mostly from the automotive industry and in particular the gasoline engine. He was married and had two children, Ethel Mae and Alvin Ray. Ray was my grandfather.

The Union

John is with his brothers in this advertisement for their first successful model, the Union, 1902. The engines were manufactured at the Buckeye Manufacturing Company in Anderson, Indiana and then sent by rail to be assembled in the body in Union City, Ohio.

Site of the First Auto Wreck

It happened in 1891 in Ohio City, Ohio. John was operating his three-wheeled buggy when the front small wheel hit a protruding tree root. The vehicle jolted to the side of the road and hit a horses' hitching post.

My Dad owned two models, a 1908 and a 1910. Here I am with my son.

1908 Lambert

The cover of Antique Automobile magazine shows this beautiful red1908 Lambert roadster. It appeared in the fall of 1960 and elucidated the claim that John Lambert built America's first car.

Hans "Honas" Wagner bought this model to drive the hills of Pennsylvania.

Hans wrote a testimonial letter about this car that the Lamberts used for promotion. He was a shortstop for the Pittsburg Pirates from 1897 to 1917 and a league leader in hitting and stolen bases. He was in the first class to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mae's Car

John Lambert told his 16 year-old-daughter Ethel Mae he would build her a car and then he did it. She was the first woman in America to drive a gasoline automobile. He took this automobile to a very early Chicago car show and gained enough orders to go home and start production.

America's First Gasoline Automobile, 1891

John Lambert designed, built and drove this vehicle. It weighed 560 pounds and was offered for sale for $550. This photo along with a sworn statement by photographer Walter Lewis that he had ridden in it and photographed the car in August 1891 is on file at the Smithsonian Institution.

Saw Mill in Ohio City

Was it at his lumber mill that John began to surmise about the potential of spinning disks?