Pan Motor Car: Price And Value

The Pan Motor Company was a short-lived automobile manufacturer that produced around 750 vehicles between 1917 and 1922. The company was founded by Samuel Pandolfo, who was inspired to design a car suited for travellers during his time as an insurance salesman. The first Pan automobile, the Pan Model A, was produced in 1918 and was marketed as a car that would appeal to both the masses and the classes. It featured fold-down seats for sleeping, a compartment for tools and extra gasoline, high clearance for bumpy roads, and a food and drink storage area. Despite its innovative design, the company struggled due to fraud allegations against Pandolfo, who was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to ten years in prison. As a result, car production ceased, and the company closed in 1922. Today, the surviving Pan Motor Company buildings in St. Cloud, Minnesota, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While the value of a Pan motor car today is unclear, its historical significance and unique design make it an intriguing piece of automotive history.

The Pan Motor Company's history and founder

The Pan Motor Company was founded by Samuel (Sam) Connor Pandolfo (1874–1960), who was a teacher, an insurance salesman, and finally, an automobile entrepreneur. Pandolfo travelled extensively as an insurance salesman, which inspired him to design a car suited for a traveller. He wanted to build a car with fold-down seats for sleeping, a compartment for tools and extra gasoline, high clearance for bumpy country roads, and a place for food and drink.

Pandolfo began selling stocks for his car company in 1916, travelling from New Mexico to Chicago. The $10 stocks sold easily, and by 1917, there were 9,000 stockholders. In March 1917, St. Cloud, Minnesota became the official site for the new Pan Motor Company. The site was chosen due to its proximity to the harbors and iron ore mines of Duluth, Minnesota, as well as its access to two major rail lines and two power dams on the Mississippi River.

On July 4, 1917, Pandolfo held a large picnic to showcase the Pan Automobile prototype, with an estimated attendance of 75,000 people. The company also built a town called Pan-Town on the Mississippi to house its workers, which included 58 homes, a fire department, and a hotel.

The first Pan automobile rolled off the assembly line in 1918, with the Pan Model A deemed "a motor car that will appeal to both the masses and the classes." However, the company faced controversies, including a complaint from the Associated Advertising Clubs of Minneapolis that Pandolfo spent more money on promotion than his charter permitted. On February 1, 1919, a Chicago federal grand jury indicted Pandolfo and the company's officers on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempted mail fraud. Pandolfo was convicted and served three years in prison. The company struggled to produce car parts and metal products, and it eventually closed in 1922, with a total production of about 750 vehicles.

The Pan Model A's unique features

The Pan Model As Unique Features

The Pan Model A automobile, produced in 1918, was designed to appeal to both the masses and the classes. The model was the result of Samuel Connor Pandolfo's extensive travels as an insurance salesman, which inspired him to dream up a new car design that suited a traveller.

The Pan Model A had several unique features, including:

• Fold-down seats for sleeping, a unique feature for its time.
• A "Commissary Compartment" in the back seat with partitions for a reserve supply of gasoline, oil, water, tools and food.
• High clearance for bumpy country roads, a necessity for driving in the early 20th century.
• Headlights that swivel to illuminate work on the engine.
• A patented compartment tank at the back, shaped like a large toolbox, with locked containers for extra fuel, oil, ice, water, and even a refrigerator.
• The ability to convert the body into a comfortable bed, with the back of the front seat releasing and dropping down to the level of the rear seat cushion.

The Pan Model A was also built by hand, with great attention to detail paid to each process of the assembly, making it an extremely well-built and detailed car.

The company's advertising and stock sales

The advertising and stock sales of the Pan Motor Company were inextricably linked. The company's founder, Samuel Pandolfo, began selling stock in 1916, travelling from New Mexico to Chicago to promote his new car company. By 1917, there were 9,000 stockholders.

On the Fourth of July that year, Pandolfo hosted a picnic to premiere the Pan Automobile prototype. An estimated 75,000 people attended, and while there was not enough food to feed everyone, stocks were sold. Pandolfo's advertising tactics were bold and over the top, with slogans such as "Pan War-Tank That Will Win the War!" and "The Pan Tank-Tread Tractor will do your work better and in less time at a saving of one man and eight horses".

The company continued to sell stock to pay for the construction of its facilities, including a town called Pan-Town on the Mississippi to house its workers. However, the Associated Advertising Clubs of Minneapolis (the forerunner of the Better Business Bureau) lodged a complaint, claiming that Pandolfo spent more money on promotion than his Minnesota charter permitted. This attracted attention, and in 1919, Pandolfo and his officers were indicted on seven counts of mail fraud and one count of attempted mail fraud.

Despite the controversy, the company produced about 750 vehicles between 1917 and its failure in 1922.

The prototype launch and picnic

On the Fourth of July 1917, Samuel Connor Pandolfo, or Sam Pandolfo, hosted a picnic to launch the Pan Automobile prototype. Pandolfo was a former teacher and insurance salesman who wanted to build the best car on the market. He chose St. Cloud, Minnesota, as the base for his new company, the Pan Motor Company, because of its proximity to resources and shipping lines.

The picnic was attended by an immense crowd. Pandolfo provided 15,434 pounds of beef and 8,000 loaves of bread, which were not enough to feed everyone. However, he did manage to sell stocks to satisfy himself. The prototype cars were painted red, white, and blue for the occasion.

The Pan Motor Company built a town called Pan-Town on the Mississippi to house its workers. There were fifty-eight homes, a fire department, and a hotel. The company continued to raise capital by selling stock to pay for the construction of these facilities. It also spent a lot on postage—$30,000 to $40,000 a year—to promote and sell stock.

The company produced about 750 vehicles between 1917 and its failure in 1922.

The company's downfall and legacy

The downfall of the Pan Motor Company was largely due to the actions of its founder, Samuel Pandolfo. In 1919, Pandolfo and his associates were tried and convicted of fraud, with Pandolfo himself receiving a ten-year prison sentence and a $4,000 fine. The fraud charges were related to Pandolfo's excessive spending on promotion and selling stock, as well as placing half of the proceeds from stock sales into his personal bank account.

The company continued to produce car parts and metal products under their name until 1922, but car production had stopped, and the dream of making St. Cloud a premier auto-manufacturing city was lost. In total, only about 750 Pan vehicles were produced between 1917 and 1922.

The legacy of the Pan Motor Company is perhaps best reflected in the impact it had on the city of St. Cloud and its bid to become a leading auto-manufacturing hub. The company built a town called Pan-Town on the Mississippi River to house its workers, which included 58 homes, a fire department, and a hotel. Additionally, the company's office building and sheet metal works still stand today and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Pan Motor Company also left a mark on automotive design, with its innovative features catering to the needs of travellers. The Pan automobile included fold-down seats for sleeping, a compartment for tools and extra gasoline, high clearance for bumpy country roads, and a compartment tank with a patented design that included locked containers for fuel, oil, ice, and water, as well as a refrigerator.

Despite its short existence, the Pan Motor Company and its vehicles continue to capture the imagination of car enthusiasts, with the surviving Pans being carefully preserved and showcased.

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