L2 and G3
This is pieced together from research, reading, and talking to distributors.
When Gene Windfeldt took the reins of Kirby as president, a number of things were happening. Kirby had bought up the remainder of Bison and their inventory. The motor casing was large enough to accommodate the prototype of the power drive transmission. Kirby was urgently pursing this line of development because Jim Keeler had already created a power drive Kirby called The Keeler, by using a Hoover Power Drive motor in an extended Kirby motor casing. A power nozzle attachment was an option. The only Kirby attachment not useable on the Keeler was the portable handle.
Enter James Dyson trying to break into the North American market. In Dyson's book he mentions Kirby talking about "due diligence" a term James did not understand. Gene Windfeldt chose to pursue the Generation track of production. The alternative was a bagless on board tools upright called the Endeavor (this from the distributor I worked for selling the G4) The G3 was called Generation 3 'by Kirby' (notice the smaller subordinate printing under Generation 3) This was to give plausible deniability to distance themselves from the model should it have been an utter failure. Not every distributor was enthusiastic about the Generation 3. Many of them bought up their fellow distributor's L2 inventory and ordered extras, so the production ran longer and concurrently with the G3. At the time there were two Kirby factories, the one in Andrews TX as well as Cleveland, OH. Naturally Kirby is not going to admit they produced two models concurrently, but since so many distributors ordered and paid for them they had to produce those L2s
Because the bagless trend was looming on the market, if not present at the time, and on-board tools were set to become the latest thing, Kirby nearly became Dyson's avenue to the North American market. There were rumors of a supplementary machine encompassing the old belt-driven handi-butler, the blower functions, the shampooer and floor buffer and the turbo sander. No suction tools for cleaning, and limited dust trapping functions only to accommodate the turbo and handi tools and the buffer. Windfeldt looked at the success of the Keeler and decided that was the direction Kirby should move, incorporating the full range of Kirby versatility in one unit.
This is pieced together from research, reading, and talking to distributors.
When Gene Windfeldt took the reins of Kirby as president, a number of things were happening. Kirby had bought up the remainder of Bison and their inventory. The motor casing was large enough to accommodate the prototype of the power drive transmission. Kirby was urgently pursing this line of development because Jim Keeler had already created a power drive Kirby called The Keeler, by using a Hoover Power Drive motor in an extended Kirby motor casing. A power nozzle attachment was an option. The only Kirby attachment not useable on the Keeler was the portable handle.
Enter James Dyson trying to break into the North American market. In Dyson's book he mentions Kirby talking about "due diligence" a term James did not understand. Gene Windfeldt chose to pursue the Generation track of production. The alternative was a bagless on board tools upright called the Endeavor (this from the distributor I worked for selling the G4) The G3 was called Generation 3 'by Kirby' (notice the smaller subordinate printing under Generation 3) This was to give plausible deniability to distance themselves from the model should it have been an utter failure. Not every distributor was enthusiastic about the Generation 3. Many of them bought up their fellow distributor's L2 inventory and ordered extras, so the production ran longer and concurrently with the G3. At the time there were two Kirby factories, the one in Andrews TX as well as Cleveland, OH. Naturally Kirby is not going to admit they produced two models concurrently, but since so many distributors ordered and paid for them they had to produce those L2s
Because the bagless trend was looming on the market, if not present at the time, and on-board tools were set to become the latest thing, Kirby nearly became Dyson's avenue to the North American market. There were rumors of a supplementary machine encompassing the old belt-driven handi-butler, the blower functions, the shampooer and floor buffer and the turbo sander. No suction tools for cleaning, and limited dust trapping functions only to accommodate the turbo and handi tools and the buffer. Windfeldt looked at the success of the Keeler and decided that was the direction Kirby should move, incorporating the full range of Kirby versatility in one unit.
