The F.A.L. was first introduced as "The Car Without a Name." Shortly afterward, the three founders of the company realized that an anonymous automobile could not succeed. So they used the first initial in each of their surnames to spell F.A.L., for T.S. Fauntleroy, H.R. Averill and E.H. Lowe.
The F.A.L. venture planned to leave Chicago and relocate to the suburbs. Several sites were considered, but the company decided to stay put in the former Reliable-Dayton factory it initially occupied.
Stock-selling raised some cash, but not enough. The company struggled with receivership most of the time. In 1914, one of the most interesting models was the illustrated Greyhound roadster (sometimes referred to as "Grayhound," with an "a").
Rumble seats were not yet popular, so there were none. The hollow rear-deck section provided space for the seat to be folded down to form a bed, with the sleeper's legs extended to the rear and one's head under the dash, where dust and dirt could fall from the maze of wiring into one's eyes. It was a miserable, claustrophobic arrangement. Most drivers would prefer to travel on through the entire night if they were too stingy to stop at a hotel, rather than endure the crude sleeping setup the car provided.
Of the few brands that ever offered sleep-in-car accommodations, Nash had the best. It introduced its own car bed in 1935, and made it available for several years afterward. The leading auto manufacturers did not offer car beds, much to the relief of the nation's innkeepers.