thumb|250px|1901 St. Louis at [[National Museum of Transportation]]
thumb|250px|St. Louis Tonneau (1904)
thumb|St. Louis 12 hp (1905)
St. Louis Motor Carriage Company was the first manufacturer of automobiles in St. Louis, Missouri, which would become an early 20th-century hub of auto production. Founded in 1898, it produced automobiles from 1899 to 1907.
Its founders were John L. French, who handled marketing, and George Preston Dorris, who led engineering and production and would later be credited with developing and patenting the float-carburetor. Its factory stood at 1211–13 North Vandeventer Avenue.
History
George Dorris was an automotive pioneer who built his first experimental car in 1895 in Nashville. John French, also from Nashville, persuaded his father, pianomaker Jesse French, Sr., to put up most of the money needed to form St. Louis Motor Carriage Company. A purpose-built factory was built in St. Louis. to 10hp and two-cylinder models from 15hp to 25hp. Prices started at $1,000, .
In 1902 a steering wheel was introduced. A new model was a 35hp four-cylinder engine touring car was available for one year only. The single and twin-cylinder engines remained in production. By 1904 there were two models with single-cylinder engines, the runabout and tonneau . A 24hp three-cylinder engine was introduced with a tonneau body.
In 1905 the cars consisted of a choice of a 12hp with a single-cylinder engine, 16hp with a two-cylinder engine or 20/24hp with a three-cylinder engine. All models had an 86-inch wheelbase with a side-entrance tonneau body. Dorris motor cars were in production until 1926.
From 1906 all St. Louis cars had a four-cylinder engine with a drive-shaft. The models received Roman numerals as designations. The Type XV had an engine rated at 30/34hp and a wheelbase of 104-inches. The Type XVI had a more powerful 32/36hp engine on a longer 108-inch wheelbase. Both were touring cars with five seats.