LOZIER

Lozier Motor Co.
Plattsburgh, New York (1905-1910)
Detroit, Michigan (1910-1918)

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1914-c1916)    mjs
Size: 49mm wide 38mm high   MM: Unknown

Henry Abram Lozier was a major bicycle manufacturer, who became bored with his business and asked his engineers to design a motor vehicle. In 1898 they built a steam car and a tricycle powered by a De Dion gasoline engine. Lozier sold his bicycle business, including the tricycle design, to the American Bicycle Company and in 1900 he set up the Lozier Motor Company in Plattsburgh to manufacture marine engines and launches.

A couple of steamers and a gasoline car were built between 1898 and 1901. In 1903 Henry Lozier died and his son Harry Lozier took over the business. Lozier and his engineers were not satisfied with the performance of American cars and made a detailed study of European motor cars and engines before building their new car.

The first Lozier automobile was a well designed and well built 30/35 hp five-passenger touring model, which made its appearance at the New York Automobile Show in January 1905  In 1907, the Lozier started racing, most notably with Ralph Mulford as driver. No other car at the time would win so many 24 hour races or break so many records. In 1908, a six-cylinder model joined the line of Lozier cars, which were offered in a variety of body styles. In 1910, Lozier won the Elgin road race and in 1911 Lozier took the Vanderbilt Cup and came second in the Indianapolis 500. The Lozier was one of America's most expensive cars and also one of the best.

By 1910, Lozier production had reached about 500 a year and Harry Lozier decided to reorganize his company and move production to a larger plant in Detroit. But it was a bad decision. By 1912 Harry was forced out of his own company and subsequently went on to build the H.A.L. car (see H.A.L.). 

The head of the Lozier company was now Harry J. Jewett, who was also head of Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company. Then things started to go wrong. Most of the key staff departed and there were further changes in management. A variety of new Lozier models were tried to improve sales but, although the Lozier was still one of the best cars on the market, it was too expensive. By late 1914 the Lozier company was in receivership. A group of financiers took over in 1915 and reduced prices but it did not work, and, despite more attempts to recover, it was all over by 1918.

Emblems

The Lozier Motor Company maker's nameplate shown below is inscribed "launches" and "gas engines" within the Lozier logo of a winged wheel. This Lozier nameplate dates from the 1900-1905 period before the first Lozier motor cars went into production and is rare.

This is an early Lozier nameplate (c1900-1905)   mjs
Size: 114mm wide 57mm high

The first Lozier motor cars did not display an emblem or a script on the radiator, see example shown in the following Lozier advertisement from January 1905:

Lozier advertisement (1905)  tha

Lozier showing no identification on the radiator (1905)  tha

However, the "Lozier" name was displayed on a brass Lozier nameplate attached to the side of the body under the entrance to the driver's seat, see example shown below:

This is a Lozier showing a body side nameplate (c1905)  ms

Close-up showing the Lozier body side nameplate (c1905)

This is the inscribed brass Lozier nameplate shown below, which was in use in various body locations up to about 1909. This Lozier nameplate is very rare.

This is a Lozier body side nameplate (1905-c1909)   mjs
Size: 168mm wide 33mm high    MM: None

The following Lozier factory illustration shows a 1907 Lozier still without any radiator emblem but showing the Lozier winged wheel logo, which would later be used as an emblem.

Lozier factory illustration showing the Lozier logo (1907) dpl

However, the "Lozier" name was inscribed on the brass sill plates from about 1908, see example shown below:

This is a Lozier sill plate (1908)    conceptcarz

The first Lozier radiator emblem is seen in original photos from 1909, see example shown below:

This is a Lozier with a radiator emblem (1909)     dpl

Close-up showing the Lozier radiator emblem (1909) 

This first Lozier radiator emblem appears to be a round emblem containing the Lozier logo and may be the round emblem shown below, which is seen on the radiator of a surviving Lozier Model 82 from 1915. The emblem is not correct for 1915 and was probably added much later and may be a surviving radiator emblem from 1909.  If a confirmed example of the first Lozier radiator emblem could be found, it would be extremely rare.

This may be the first Lozier radiator emblem (1909)   bonhams

Some 1909 Lozier models had a slightly longer version of the brass Lozier body side nameplate shown earlier above attached to the body sides, possibly similar to the earlier Lozier sill plate, see example shown below:

This is a Lozier showing a longer body side nameplate (1909)  dpl

Close-up showing the longer Lozier body side nameplate (1909)

Surviving Lozier cars dating from 1909 and later often display brass radiator scripts, see examples shown below:

Lozier Briarclff Model H with radiator script (1909)    ms

Lozier radiator script (c1911)    ms

However, although there are many original Lozier car photos from the 1909-1911 period, I cannot find any that show a radiator script, which suggests that these brass radiator scripts were not attached at the factory and are most likely to have been added later during restoration to give added interest. 

The Lozier radiator emblem was changed for 1910, see original photo shown below:

This is a Lozier radiator with new emblem (1910)    dpl

Close-up showing radiator emblem (1910)

Original photos in this period are in black and white, so it is not possible to confirm the original colors of what may be brightly colored enamel emblems. The following photo shows the Lozier radiator emblem on a surviving 1910 Briarcliff Model H Lozier:

Lozier Briarcliff Model H radiator emblem (1910)  bob grimm

The following Lozier radiator emblems are candidates for the emblems used in the 1910-1913 period, although I cannot confirm this absolutely. These Lozier radiator emblems are extremely rare.

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1910-c1912)    ms
Size: Unknown  MM: Unknown

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1910-c1912)    mjs
Size: 65mm wide 44mm high   MM: None

The "Lozier" name was also displayed on the hubcaps, see original period photo shown below:

Lozier hubcap showing pinned hub emblem (c1910) dpl

These early Lozier hub emblems were made of thick brass and were attached to the hub by two pins, as can be seen in the photo shown above. Later Lozier hubcaps had hub emblems pressed from relatively thin brass and soldered to the hubcap, see examples shown below. Original Lozier hub emblems are scarce.

This is a Lozier hubcap (c1912-1918)    dkc

This is a Lozier hub emblem (c1912)   mjs
Size: 58mm diameter

There are Lozier hub emblems that have been wrongly finished in enamel colors, see example shown below, which uses an early hub emblem with the original fixing holes filled before enameling. These Lozier hub emblems are sometimes incorrectly assumed to be Lozier radiator emblems.

This is a Lozier hub emblem wrongly finished in enamel  mjs
Size: 56mm diameter

Original photos of Lozier cars taken in the 1912-1913 period are almost absent and those that are found do not show a radiator emblem. Lozier factory illustrations and Lozier advertisements in the same period also do not show a radiator emblem, see examples shown below:

Lozier factory illustration showing no radiator emblem (1913) dpl

Lozier ad showing no rad emblem (1911-1913) Life

The Lozier was a very well made but very expensive automobile and it is possible that Lozier was trying to appeal to a wealthy clientele, to whom overt advertising and the use of emblems might appear unseemly. 

However, Lozier radiator emblems are seen in 1914. The following original photo of a Lozier car on tour in Scotland in 1914 shows a small rectangular radiator emblem:

Lozier touring car with rectangular radiator emblem (c1914)  dpl

Close-up showing the radiator emblem (c1914)   dpl

It is believed that this is the rectangular Lozier radiator emblem shown below. This rectangular Lozier radiator emblem was originally finished in blue and white enamel. It is possible that this Lozier radiator emblem was used for export models but I cannot confirm this. This Lozier radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (c1914 dates uncertain)  caam
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown 

If you have a better photo of this Lozier radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

From late 1913 for the 1914 model year, the Lozier radiator emblem used on most domestic models continued in the shape of the Lozier winged wheel logo, see example shown below:

Lozier Model 77 radiator emblem (1914)   bonhams

This is the blue, white, red and gray enamel Lozier radiator emblem shown below. This Lozier radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1914-1915)    mjs
Size: 49mm wide 38mm high    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The blue, white and red enamel Lozier radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below is also very rare:

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1914-1915)    mjs
Size: 49mm wide 38mm high  MM: Unknown

The following is a blue, white, red and pale blue enamel color variation of the Lozier radiator emblem. If this is an original Lozier radiator emblem, it would be very rare.

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1914-c1916)    kmc
Size: 50mm wide 38mm high   MM: Unknown

The following Lozier radiator emblems are believed to have been used in the final period of production of the Lozier before this ceased in 1918.

The blue and white enamel Lozier radiator emblem shown below is very rare:

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (c1916-1917)  mike earley
Size: Unknown     MM: Unknown

The following dark blue and white Lozier radiator emblem is usually found unused and is believed to be the very last Lozier radiator emblem. This Lozier radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Lozier radiator emblem (1917-1918)    mjs
Size: 58mm wide 29mm high   MM: None