The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie By late 1903, Christie had built his own automobile, and it was unlike any other. He designed not only the car but also its engine and transmission. Christie felt that an automobile drive system should pull the vehicle (like a train or carriage), not push it (like a boat). As a result, Christie focused on a front-wheel drive system in which the engine was situated transversely between the front wheels. He believed this arrangement would create a light, simple, high-speed auto. Christie’s first vehicle design closely followed a patent that he took out in 1904. Christie’s front-wheel drive car was the first of its kind built in the United States. The front axle of Christie’s auto was also the engine’s crankcase and housed its transmission. The cylinder block was mounted atop the axle housing. The auto had a low gear and a reverse gear; both provided a five to one reduction and enabled the drive wheels to slip relative to one another. For normal (high-speed) operation, the drive wheels were coupled to the crankshaft and wheel slip was limited. Each drive wheel had a clutch to facilitate the gear change. In addition, each drive wheel had two universal joints, and shafts that allowed for steering and independent coil spring suspension. The rear axle used leaf spring suspension.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie
John Walter Christie считал, что для того, чтобы легче входить в поворот , машина должна иметь передние ведущие и управляемые колеса. 26 января 1904 года Кристи подает патентную заявку на такую конструкцию с поперечной установкой четырехцилиндрового двигателя водяного охлаждения. Уже в мае 1904 года на автомобиле собственной конструкции Джон Уолтер участвует в гонках в Германии, затем следует череда успехов. Аналогичную схему он применил, конструиуя тягач для военных целей.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter ChristieUnfortunately, the race was a disaster for Christie. The evening before the start, Christie was tuning his engine and accidentally over-revved it, resulting in a broken connecting rod. Like any hardcore racer, Christie worked all night, arriving at the start 28 minutes late. He was allowed to join the race, and he was running his forth lap when the leader, Vincenzo Lancia pulled out in front of him after a pitstop and they collided. Christie was out on the spot. Lancia continued on to a fourth place finish in the race, which he would have easily won without the crash. Christie must have felt that the year didn’t go badly, and in truth he had accomplished a lot. Two years earlier he was an unknown, now he was one of the leading race car drivers in America, and getting plenty of press coverage for his Direct Drive Automobile Company. Walter looked forward to 1906 with optimism – all he needed was more horsepower, and he had a plan for that; the aging, in-line four cylinder engine of 828 c.i.d. would be replaced with a huge 1260 c.i.d. V-4.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie
Three years after he constructed his first car, in 1906 Christie built this very attractive runabout trimmed with brass. It is hard to say exactly when this roadster first appeared, but it couldn’t have been before 1906, as it has Christie’s patented wheel rims; Walter produced these quick change rims in time for the September Vanderbilt Cup races. In November of 1906, the runabout showed up at the Empire City Track, in Yonkers, NY, although it was not a contestant. As can be seen in the lead photograph above, this was a beautifully finished automobile. Like all of Christie’s production cars, it had an inline transverse four cylinder engine, while from 1906 on, his racers used huge V-4 engines.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie
By Lee Stohr:
In Part III of this series, we noted that starting in 1904, John Walter Christie had introduced his new front-drive automobiles to the American public through his racing efforts. He had also incorporated the Christie Direct Action Motor Car Company to manufacture cars under his patents. In 1906, the Christie touring car and runabout . He continued on in racing, and brought his V-4 machine to the Ormond Beach, Florida speed meet. Interestingly, Louis Chevrolet was driving the car for Walter. The extent of his relationship between the two is unknown at this time.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie
By Lee Stohr:
Previously, in Part V of this series, we covered Walter Christie’s 1906 racing season. In that installment, he upgraded the racing car with a larger V-4 engine and set records with it at oval track and sprint races. Unfortunately, after a steering arm broke in practice for the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race the car destroyed. As 1907 began, Christie had big plans. He started designing a front wheel drive Taxi, and an entirely new race car, using only the individual cylinder design from the 1906 racer. With this new car he intended to enter and win the 1907 French Grand Prix! Christie’s 1907 Racer differed from his previous cars in two ways. The 1,197 c.i. engine’s crankcase material was changed from cast bronze to a riveted nickel steel alloy construction. Christie’s earlier transmission gears and shafts had been exposed; now they were enclosed inside of the new crankcase. Walter retained to his patented direct drive system with the front wheels driven through clutches on each end of the transverse crankshaft. The bore and stroke were square at 7¼-inches and at a maximum engine speed of 1200 r.p.m. and the machine was capable of traveling at 120 m.p.h. Heinz ignition, a Pedersen pressure feed oiler, and a Kell’s tubular fin radiator were used. Intake valves continued to be operated by atmospheric pressure and overcame a very light spring pressure on the intake stroke.

The Amazing Automobiles of John Walter Christie
An undated photo illustrating the many changes made to the 1907 V-4 racer . The cross shaft on the front of the crankcase and the engine cowling have been completely removed. A more conventional radiator has been installed along with new exhaust stacks. A much smaller fuel tank (just in front of the radiator) has replaced the original tank. Note the twin front tires on the right drive wheel. Race promoter Ernest Moross is behind the wheel.