Andover Motors Company During World War Two
Elmira, NY
1940-1942 as Ruckstell-Burkhardt Company, Detroit, MI
1942-1945 as Andover Motors Company, Elmira, NY

This page added 3-4-2023.

The Andover Motors Company was one of several companies I have researched that were only in business during World War Two.  Once the war ended, the product or products of these companies were not able to find a civilian market, and the companies closed.

Andover Motors Company produced auxiliary power units (APU'S) that were used primarily in U.S. Army Air Forces bomber aircraft.  The known applications were for the Boeing B-29 and the Consolidated-Vultee B-32 Dominator aircraft.  The company originally started operations as Ruckstell-Burkhardt of Detroit, MI which had developed an APU that was of interest to the USAAF.  In early 1942 the company moved to Elmira, NY, and on June 1, 1942, Ruckstell-Burkhardt was purchased by Andover-Kent Aviation corporation of Middleton CT.  The Elmira operation was renamed as the Andover Motors Company. 

The Andover Motors Company leased space from the Remington-Rand factory in Elmira.  This factory complex was at the location of the former Willys-Morrow plant on South Main Street in Elmira.  In 1945 the company employed 350 workers engaged in providing 3,970 APUs for B-29s and 118 for the B-32s built for the war effort.  By the end of August 1945, Remington-Rand had re-occupied most of the floor space it had leased to Andover Motors.  Remington-Rand needed the space to begin the production of typewriters, which the plant had produced previous to the war.  The 350 Andover Motors Company employees that had lost their jobs with the end of the war could have, if they wanted, gone to work for Remington-Rand, as it was hiring new employees.

In December 1945, the remainder of Andover Motors Company equipment was sold under sealed bids. 

The Andover Motor Company won the Army-Navy "E" award one time on April 18, 1945. 

Andover Motor Company's World War Two Products:  Table 1 shows that the company had $32,746,000 in major contracts during World War Two.  $32,544,000 of the total were in two contracts released by the United States Army Air Forces.  This was 99.4% of the total contracts.  The remaining $202,000 was for two U.S. Navy contracts.

The company's only product was the V-32 Auxiliary Power Units, for which the best known application was in the B-29 Superfortress.  The company assembled purchased components from outside suppliers to make the V-32 APU.

The B-29 Superfortress four-engine long range bomber was the most advanced aircraft of World War Two.  The Andover Motor Company was the only supplier of the B-29 auxiliary power units.  Author's photo from the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ

The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT built a special display hangar for its B-29 named "Jack's Hack."  Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This Andover Motors APU Model V-32 is part of the "Jack's Hack's" display.  All B-29s had APUs like this one installed for engine starts and running some equipment when the engines were not running.  Once the engine-powered generators came online after the engines were started, the APU was turned off.  Author's photo. 

Author's photo.

Interestingly, the contract number listed on the data plate is for the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation of Farmingdale, NY.  Its Ranger engine was used in the APU.  This was contract 33038-AC-2767 awarded in May 1944 and completed in July 1945 for $11,924,000.  The Andover Motor Company's contracts for assembling the APUs were 535-AC-26292 and 535-AC-26292S (Supplemental) totaling $32,544,000.  Author's photo.

The V-32 weighed 135 lbs and supplied enough power to light 25 1945-era homes.  It should be noted that the electrical requirements for a 1945-era house was not nearly what a house currently requires.  Author's photo. 

The Andover Motors Company also built 110 V-32 APUs for the B-32 Dominator. 

Andover Motor Company Plant:  Andover Motors Company was located at 999 South Main Street in Elmira, NY.  Google Maps satellite view below gives this address as the location of this building on the north end of the former Remington-Rand Complex, as shown below.  Remington-Rand leased this section of its factory to Andover Motors for the duration of World War Two.

This view shows that the factory has five angled roof sections. 

This photo looking north west shows the former Remington-Rand complex on the left end of the photo.  At the right end of the complex is the section of factory with the five angled sections of roof.  In the far right of the photo is the Elmira High School.

This Google Maps street view shows that the plant now has an address of 1051 South Main Street and has space available for rent.  The factory is in very good condition for its age.  As is normal for older factories, the windows have been bricked over and the entire structure repainted.  It is good to see how this former factory for both Andover Motors and Remington-Rand has been well maintained by the new owners of the facility.