Indy Auto Companies - January 1907

This is a set of articles providing good notes about the state of the Indianapolis market for automobiles in January 1907. All these articles were published during that month in the Indianapolis Star. In the attached article titled "Auto Demand," the emerging market for commercial trucks is discussed but more relevant to the topics of this site there are two notes about the Fisher Automobile Company, one about Carl Fisher's optimism about future car sales but also the mention of Frank Moore. Little is known about Moore but he had to be an important figure in Fisher's life because as Carl inevitably spent more of his time with his new and extremely high potential growth business Prest-O-Lite he needed a manager for his automobile business. For a time, at least, that man was Frank Moore.
 
The article titled "Auto Features" discusses the improvements in steering mechanisms, oiling systems and clutches in 1907 models. There is also a note on the Fisher Automobile Company carrying a model of Maxwell automobile customized for physicians.
 
The last of the three articles is the one titled "Auto Laws" and it is an interesting read focusing on how automobiles were gaining acceptance across a broader range of the population. The reason cited is that people - and horses - were increasingly comfortable with their raucous sounds and also that Indiana was #2 in the nation in production creating a $12 to $15M industry. The article leads with an informative insight to the creation of the State's first traffic laws including street signs, license plates and speed limits.