The Reading and Meteor were American steam cars developed by Irvin D. Lengel in 1901 in Reading, Pennsylvania. [1]
| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1901; 121 years ago (1901) |
| Founder | Irvin D. Lengel |
| Defunct | 1903; 119 years ago (1903) |
| Fate | Closed |
| Headquarters | Reading, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Products | Steam car |
Built by the Steam Vehicle Company of America, their advertisement promised their Model B "runs indefinitely without attention." The steamer featured a four-cylinder steam engine when most steamers used two-cylinders.[2]
It had a bench seat over the engine compartment with tiller type steering. Drive was by chain to the rear wheels. The Model B sold for $850, equivalent to $26,621 in 2021. A year into the production of the Reading, creditors liquidated the company.[1]
Irvin D. Lengel was also a principal of Meteor Engineering Company who took over the assets of the Steam Vehicle Company of America in 1902. Meteor built a tonneau version of the steam car. Meteor also built a prototype gasoline automobile, but by the fall of 1903, Meteor Engineering Company was bankrupt.[1]