Autolite - History

History

The origins of Autolite can be traced to 1911, when Electric Autolite was founded. The company produced a generator to power early day auto lamps or buggy lamps. In 1927, Electric Autolite acquired the Prest-O-Lite Battery Company from The Union Carbide Corporation which produced automotive batteries. In 1935, Royce G. Martin, President of the Electric Autolite Company, decided that the company should enter the business of manufacturing spark plugs. Robert Twells, a ceramic engineer, led the development team. A few months later, the company was selling their first spark plug. Electric Autolite's products were expanded further to include: Starting Motors, Generators, Regulators, Ignition Systems, Wire and Cable Products. Autolite enjoyed instant success, as it had secured supply contracts with leading car manufacturers such as Chrysler, Studebaker, Packard, and Willys.

In a 1940 promotional film, Autolite featured stop motion animation of its products marching past Autolite factories to the tune of Franz Schubert's Military March. An abbreviated version of this sequence was later used in television ads for Autolite, especially those on the 1950s CBS program Suspense, which Autolite sponsored.

In 1961, seeking to enter the profitable aftermarket auto parts business, the Ford Motor Company acquired the Autolite tradename, an Ohio spark plug factory, a Michigan battery facility, limited distribution rights, and the services of several employees. Autolite products became standard original factory equipment in Ford vehicles. A federal antitrust lawsuit was filed against Ford, which dragged on through the remainder of the 1960s, and Ford was forced to sell its Autolite-related assets to the Bendix Corporation by 1973.

In 1963, the portion of the Autolite company which was not acquired by Ford merged with the Merganthaler Linotype Company and the 'Eltra Corporation was formed. Former Autolite motor phase of the company became the Prestolite Motor and Ignition Company, later Prestolite Electric. In 1973, the Bendix Corporation had purchased both Fram and Autolite. In 1980, The Eltra Corporation is acquired by the Allied Signal Corporation which became Honeywell in 1999. In 2011, Honeywell sold its automotive consumer products group to the Rank Group, which set up FRAM Group, LLC and several other companies to take over the operations and the transfer of ownership of the acquired trademarks.