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 | |
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Born | |
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]