1910 Glide Model 45

John B. Bartholomew began working with the Avery Company in Galesburg, Illinois, near the close of 1879. Earning $1.10 per day to drive a team to haul lumber, he worked his way up in the company, and when its founder, Robert Avery, passed away in 1892, Bartholomew was made vice president.

While working with the Avery Company, Bartholomew started a small side business, the Bartholomew Company, to manufacture popcorn and peanut roasters and wagons. Even after becoming vice president of the Avery Company, Bartholomew continued his side business. In 1900, his company's manufacturing facility was moved to a new facility in Peoria, Illinois.

As the horseless carriage continued to grow in popularity, Batholomew began experimenting with automobile manufacturing, officially adding it to the company's production line in 1902. The cars they built were of high quality and advertised under the memorable tagline of 'Ride in a Glide, then Decide.'

The early Glide model, known as the Glidemobile, used tiller steering, a single-cylinder six-horsepower engine, and a runabout body style. A steering wheel was added in 1904 and engine displacement and output continued to grow. Approximately twenty-five examples were built in 1903, about fifty the following year, and peaking at around 500 annually.

A 2-cylinder 14-horsepower model was added in 1905, and a 4-cylinder 36-horsepower model in 1906. Up to this point, the engine had been positioned horizontally under the seat, powering the rear wheels via a single chain drive. With the introduction of the four-cylinder model, the engine was relocated to the front in a conventional fashion. Single and two-cylinder engine production ceased in 1906, and the following year, they added a 50/60 6-cylinder Model H built atop a 132-inch wheelbase.

In 1920, the company was absorbed into Avery and production focused on truck manufacture. Like many other companies of the era, the Glide and Avery company was impacted by the recession of the early 1920s and, by 1923, had entered bankruptcy and receivership. The following year, President J. B. Bartholomew died.

The 1910 Glide Model 45

The 1910 Glide Model 45 rested on a 122-inch wheelbase with a 32-inch wheelbase and semi-elliptical leaf springs, with braking by rear-wheel drums. The 354.4 cubic-inch L-head four-cylinder engine produced 45 horsepower. It was paired with a three-speed selective-sliding manual transmission.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2023