Invented in 1893 the carburettor was the preferred method of supplying fuel to car engines until the advent of fuel injection. In the 1970s fuel injection began to replace carburettors in many popular car models. Carburettors came in a variety of forms but the basic principle which governed their action was the same. In a carburettor the amount of fuel supplied to the engine is controlled by air flow. The faster the air moves the lower its pressure and the carburettor uses this principle to determine the mixture of air and fuel sucked into the engine.

In 1901 Marvel-Schebler, the company which made this carburettor was formed in the town of Flint, Michigan in the United States of America. By 1916 major automobile based companies such as the Chevrolet Motor Company, the Buick Motor Company and General Motors had created a multi-million dollar industry in Flint and provided work for subsidiary companies like Marvel-Schebler. In 1928 they were brought out by Borg-Warner who in 1985 changed the name from Marvel-Schebler to Control Systems.

References
The History of Genesee County, MI, Chapter XXIX, Greater Flint, Online Edition by Holice, Deb & Clayton, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mi/county/lapeer/gen/ch29/flint.html
http://sec.edgar-online.com/2000/02/10/16/0000908255-00-000008/Section4.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carburetor

Geoff Barker, March 2007

A carburettor is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It was invented by Hungarian scientists Donát Bánki and János Csonka in 1893. Today, carburettors have been replaced by the fuel injection, which was first introduced in the late 1950s and then successfully commercialised in the early 1970s. However, the majority of motorcycles are still now carburetted due to lower cost but as of 2005 many new models are now being introduced with fuel injection.

Automobile carburettor, metal, made by Marvel Carburettor Company, Flint, Michigan, United States of America, 1920-1930

Automobile carburettor made of metal consisting of dual barrels for the air and gas supply and two throttle valves. The exterior of the carburettor is dark copper in colour.

Made: Marvel Carburettor Company; Michigan, USA; 1920 - 1930

An oval bronze plaque reads, 'PAT.APR 30,1907-JULY 16,1912-JAN.25.1921 / PATENTS PEND'G / REGISTERED / MARVEL / TRADE MARK / MADE IN U.S.A. / MARVEL CARBURETER CO. FLINT, MICH.'. On the side of the carburettor also appears, '10-2 / P' in raised lettering. There is also a line of illegible numbers stamped underneath, as well as the number '5' at the opposing end.

B2156

1920 - 1930

190 mm

200 mm