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Description
Utilizing his blacksmiith skiills, German immigrant Paul Kleber opened a buggy and wagon shop in San Francisco. In 1912 Kleiber & Company was sold for a modest $175,000 and with this capital the Kleiber Motor Company was founded to make trucks at 1424 Folsom St. in San Francisco. The trucks were powered by Continental engines with low gear ratios that were suited for the rugged and hilly conditions found in San Francisco.. In 1923, the factory was expanded to keep up with customer demand. The following year, the company entered the saturated automobile market with a rugged vehicle believed best for the Pacific Coast market. The truck line ranged from ¾ ton trucks to heavy duty thirty ton tractor trailer. A second factory was opened in Los Angeles.to enter that market. Paul Klieber avoided dealerships instead selling directly from a showroom floor adjacent to his manufacturing line. While enabling customers to watch the production of their particular vehicle, the relationship provided immediate feedback on the product quality. After the October 1929 stock market crash, the Kleiber Motor Company lost sixty percent of its business by1934 and would never regain its losses or position in the industry. In 1937 , the last vehicle left the factory. This 1927 oil tanker model was owned by the Western States Oil Company and donated to the museum in 2000. The restoraion was preformed by museum volunteers.
Type
image
Identifier
5B9E7B59-3B43-4164-9DD2-198790459670 2000-39-1
Subject
Gasoline tanks Automobile service stations Tankers Trucks
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