Car and aircraft manufacturers

[dougbush]

Seeing the Ford Tri-Motor at Oshkosh made me wonder, why did Ford quit making planes? Did any other car makers make or consider manufacturing aircraft?

[waltermitty]

Seeing the Ford Tri-Motor at Oshkosh made me wonder, why did Ford quit making planes? Did any other car makers make or consider manufacturing aircraft?

Henry Ford tried to bring to production the airplane equivalent of the Model T, the Flivver, single place everyman airplane. The plane crashed killing Brooke, the engineer a friend of Ford. Ford suspended all aircraft operations. Ford made B24s in WWII. There may have been others.

[Mike M]

...why did Ford quit making planes?

$profit$

[QUOTE=dougbush;67837Did any other car makers make or consider manufacturing aircraft? [/QUOTE]

If you're only asking about commercial, not military, aircraft, well, Honda, Subaru, Saab, Toyota oh forget it.

[rwanttaja]

Better yet, when did car manufacturers stop using homebuilt aircraft to promote their sports cars?



Ron Wanttaja

[rwanttaja]

On a more-serious note many of the famous automakers used to build, and even design, airplanes and aircraft engines. General Motors produced several fighters (including the FM-2 Wildcat and the P-75 Eagle), Ford built B-24s, Dodge built B-29 Engines.

Ron Wanttaja

[Floatsflyer]

BMW made radial engines for the Focke Wulf 190.

Mitsubishi, makers of all kinds of consumer products and heavy equipment, started off as a car company and continues as one today. In between it built aircraft, the most famous of which was the Zero. It produced a popular GA twin turboprop in the 70's-80's and also builds commercial passenger jets. My first VCR was a Mitsubishi brand.

[waltermitty]

There is Ford Flivver on display in the Ford museum, Dearborn.

[Dave Stadt]

Studebaker built Wright engines

and Packard built Merlins

under license during WWII. I believe there is a Ford Fliver hanging in either P1 or P2 at EAA Pioneer airport.

[Mayhemxpc]

From 1933 to 1948 General Motors designed and built airplanes under its General Aviation division. You might have heard of it— it’s operating name was North American Aviation.

Someone mentioned SAAB. This was a little different. This is a case of an airplane manufacturer getting into the automobile industry. (“Born from jets.”)

[martymayes]

Toyota has dabbled in the lightplane field. The certificated a version of a Lexus engine. Wonder if they would sell the rights?