Walter Lorenzo Marr (1865-1941) was an automotive pioneer and engineer who worked with David Dunbar Buick perfecting the first Buick production automobiles. He worked with Mr. Buick a number of times around the turn of the century, building Buick's first two one-off vehicles. He was the Buick Motor Company's first chief engineer from 1904 through 1918,[1] staying on as consulting engineer until 1923. He was also the founder of the Marr Auto Car Company[2] in 1903 which produced the Marr Auto Car. The Marr Auto Car was one of the world's first automobiles with an overhead camshaft (OHC) engine.
Walter Lorenzo Marr | |
|---|---|
 Walter Marr and Tom Buick (David Buick's son) on a prototype 1904 Buick Model B. | |
| Born | August 14, 1865 |
| Died | December 11, 1941 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Automotive engineer |
| Employer | Buick among others |
| Children | Walter Durant Marr |
Possibly his most important achievement was building one of the first overhead valve engines (OHV). This he did in 1898 when he built a trike that weighed 118 pounds, and whose single cylinder had a bore and stroke of 3 inches each.[1] He brought the concept of the overhead valve engine with him to Buick in 1901, where the invention was patented to Buick's chief engineer Eugene Richard in 1904 (applied 1902).[3]
Mr. Marr also built a prototype Cyclecar in 1915 which was very narrow seating the passenger behind the driver. The car never made it to production, but the original prototype still exists today.[citation needed]
His papers are archived at Kettering University.[4]
He had a cottage in Signal Mountain, Tennessee where he also built a large home in which to retire.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Kimes, Beverly Rae (2007). Walter L. Marr, Buick's Amazing Engineer. Boston: Racemaker Press.
- ^ "Marr Auto Car Company". Archived from the original on 2018-04-11. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
- ^ "The Buick, A Complete History," third ed., 1987, Terry P. Dunham and Lawrence Gustin.
- ^ "Walter L. Marr". Kettering University. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ John Shearer (October 13, 2008). "Remembering Signal Mountain's Walter Marr". Chattanoogan.