Vehicle Description
1925 Rickenbacker finished in two-tone green over black. Rarely
seen Rickenbacker, a Detroit marque inspired by American fighter
ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient Eddie Rickenbacker.
Emblem was taken from Rickenbacker's flying squadron insignia, the
"Hat in the Ring." The Rickenbacker Motor Company was incorporated
in July 1921 when Barney Everitt decided to start up another car
company. He asked Eddie Rickenbacker for the use of his name on the
automobiles and named Rickenbacker vice president and director of
sales for the company. Everitt also asked longtime friend and
businessman Walter Flanders to help get this car company off the
ground. Everitt and Flanders worked together before with William
Metzger at the EMF car company from 1909-12. A plant on Michigan
Avenue in Detroit was purchased where 200 cars a day could be
manufactured (later, a newer plant was built at 4815 Cabot Avenue).
The general public had yet to see the Rickenbacker prototype, but
anything associated with Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was bound to be
something extraordinary. In January 1922, the first Rickenbacker
cars made their debut at the New York Auto Show. The engine was a
three-main-bearing 6-cylinder, 218ci, 58hp with a speed of 60 mph.