View source for K-R-I-T Motor Car Company

{{short description|Former  american car manufacturer 1909 to 1916}}
{{Infobox company
| name = K-R-I-T Motor Car Company
| logo = Krit-auto 1912 logo.jpg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = Krit Motor Car Company Factory.png
| image_caption = Krit Motor Car Company factory located at 1608 East Grand Boulevard
| type = Automobile Manufacturing
| genre = Touring cars, roadsters<ref name="genre">{{cite book | title =Imperial Automobile Company | publisher =The Automobile Journal Publishing Co. | year =1912 | location = [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island]] }}</ref>
| foundation = 1909
| founder = 
| fate = 
| location_city = [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| key_people = 
| area_served = [[United States]]
| industry = [[Automotive industry|Automotive]]
| products = [[Automobiles|Vehicles]]<br />[[Automotive parts]]
| services = 
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| assets = 
| equity = 
| num_employees = 
| title = 
| parent = 
| divisions = 
| subsid = 
| owner = 
| defunct = 1916
| footnotes = 
}}

'''K-R-I-T''' (or simply "Krit") was a small automobile manufacturing company (1909–1916) based in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]].

==History==

'''Krit Motor Car Company's''' name probably originated from Kenneth Crittenden, who provided financial backing and helped design the cars. The emblem of the cars was a [[swastika]] (a symbol that was not yet associated with [[Nazism]], [[Nazi Germany]], [[Adolf Hitler]], or [[antisemitism]])<ref name=":1" /> which was [[Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century|popular at the time.]]

Krit occupied two different sites during its history: the first one it took over from the '''Blomstrom''' car, and in 1911 moved to the works that had been used by R. M. Owen & Company who had moved to become [[Owen Magnetic]].

In 1911 the KRIT Motor Company was purchased by Walter S Russel of the [[Russel Wheel and Foundry Company]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=16 January 2000 |title=Once teeming with auto plants, Detroit now home to only a few nameplates - Michigan History - the Detroit News |url=http://blogs.detroitnews.com/history/2000/01/15/once-teeming-with-auto-plants-detroit-now-home-to-only-a-few-nameplates/}}</ref>

The cars were conventional 4-cylinder models and many were exported to Europe and Australia. In 1913 a six-cylinder car was introduced and Krit tried to increase sales by engineering cars for other marques. The outbreak of [[World War I]] seriously damaged the company and it failed in 1915. A few cars were subsequently assembled from remaining parts.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kimes |first=Beverly Rae |title=Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 |last2=Clark Jr. |first2=Henry Austin |publisher=Krause Publications |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-87341-428-9 |edition=3rd |author-link=Beverly Rae Kimes}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Krit-auto 1912 ad.jpg|1912 KRIT motor car Advertisement
File:Krit-auto 1917 designs.jpg|1917 KRIT Motor Car Co. - Patterns available
File:1911KRIT.jpg|alt=|1911 Krit Advertising
File:KRIT 1913.jpg|Logo prominently showing the [[swastika]] emblem
File:1913 K-R-I-T "KT" 5-Passenger Touring (1419205160).jpg|swastika on car in [[National Automobile Museum]]
</gallery>

==See also==

*1913 K-R-I-T "KT" 5-Passenger Touring at the [[National Automobile Museum]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Detroit]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1909]]
[[Category:1909 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in Detroit]]


[[Category:1900s cars]]
[[Category:1910s cars]]
[[Category:Brass Era vehicles]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1909]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1916]]