The Commonwealth Motors Corporation was a luxury auto company that produced cars from 1917 to 1922. The company was founded in Chicago as Partin-Palmer company in 1913, but in 1915 got into financial trouble. In 1917, the name was changed to Commonwealth, and production was moved to Joliet, Illinois. [1]
The slogan of the company was "The Car with a foundation", which was in reference to the build quality, including such parts as the frames lined with thick felt to prevent squeaks, chrome nickel alloy steel, and five-inch channel sections. The company produced four passenger open cars and five passenger closed-body cars. In 1919, the company tried a six-cylinder car with 25.3 hp called the Victory Six Tour. [2]
Morris Markin took over management of Commonwealth Motors in the fall of 1921. In November, Markin hired Leland Goodspeed, who joined Commonwealth as the new Vice President of Engineering with the intent of developing a new line of cars. Goodspeed was the former EVP of Barley Motors in Kalamazoo Michigan. At Roamer he was credited with the design and execution of the high end Roamer luxury roadsters and phaetons produced by Barley Motors. Hired on with Commonwealth, the plan was to design and produced a new high end closed-body car to be called "Goodspeed". Leland Goodspeed was known within the automobile race community having broken two Indianapolis 500 speed records: one in 1919 and one in 1921, both driving Roamers, so his brand name was very strong. Three aluminum-bodied prototypes were produced and displayed at New York and Chicago auto shows during the 1922 show car season. Despite positive feedback from the show, the Goodspeed was never put into production.
In the spring of 1922, Morris Markin, owner of both Markin Auto Body (Commonwealth supplier) and a minority owner of Checker Taxi of Chicago, a taxicab co-op (Commonwealth customer), consolidated all production into the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company and moved production to Kalamazoo, Michigan and suspended all Commonwealth auto production. The new reorganized company continued producing Checker cabs until 1982, operating from 1958 as Checker Motors Corporation. Checker Motors continued producing components for GM and Chrysler until the 2009 failures of both companies. Unable to survive the financial turmoil, Checker Motors closed its doors in 2010.
Checker Motors Corporation was a Kalamazoo, Michigan, vehicle manufacturer and tier-one subcontractor that manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi. Morris Markin established the company in 1922, initially named the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company, in Chicago through a merger of Commonwealth Motors and Markin Automobile Body. The manufacturer moved to Kalamazoo in 1923 and was renamed to Checker Motors in 1958.
The Checker Marathon is an automobile produced by the Checker Motors Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, between 1961 and 1982. It was marketed as a passenger car for consumers, as opposed to the similar Taxi, which was aimed at fleet buyers.
The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company built the brass era and vintage Premier luxury automobile in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1903 to 1925.
The Lexington was an automobile manufactured in Connersville, Indiana, from 1910 to 1927. From the beginning, Lexingtons, like most other Indiana-built automobiles, were assembled cars, built with components from many different suppliers. The Thoroughbred Six and Minute Man Six were popular Lexington models.
Barley Motor Car Co. was a manufacturer of luxury automobiles in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Streator, Illinois. It manufactured the Roamer automobile (1916–29) and briefly, the Barley (1922–24), and the Pennant (1924–25).
The Rutenber Motor Company was established as the Rutenber Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States, to manufacture a four-cylinder engine to the design of Edwin Rutenber.
The Piggins was a brass era American luxury automobile manufactured in 1908 and 1909 in Racine, Wisconsin by the Piggins Brothers.
Penn was the name of three American automobiles of the veteran era, but Penn Motor Car Company, located at 7510 Thomas Boulevard in Pittsburgh was the only one to enter production. The Penn brass era automobile was produced from 1911 to 1912.
Standard Motor Construction Company (1904-1905) was the successor to the U. S. Long Distance Automobile Company (1900-1903) of Jersey City, New Jersey. The American Veteran Era Long Distance automobile was developed into the Standard automobile in 1904.
The Sun automobile was made in Elkhart, Indiana from 1916 to 1917, and in Toledo, Ohio from 1921 to 1922.
The Michigan was a brass era automobile manufactured in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1904 to 1913 by the Michigan Buggy Company and its subsidiary the Michigan Motor Car Company.
The Matheson was a luxury American automobile manufactured from 1903 to 1912, first in Grand Rapids, Michigan, then Holyoke, Massachusetts and from 1906 in a purpose-built factory in Forty Fort, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Metz Company was a pioneer brass era automobile maker established by Charles Herman Metz in Waltham, Massachusetts, from 1909 to 1922.
The Partin Manufacturing Company was a brass era American automobile manufacturer, headquartered at 29 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois from 1913 to 1917. The Partin-Palmer automobile and Pioneer cyclecar were produced.
The Cole Motor Car Company was an early automobile maker based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cole automobiles were built from 1908 until 1925. They were quality-built luxury cars. The make is a pioneer of the V-8 engine.
The Pennant was an automobile marque of the Barley Motor Car Co. in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1924–25) for taxicabs. Barley also made the Roamer (1916–29) and the Barley automobiles (1922–24). The Pennant was a continuation of the Barley configured for taxi service.
The Jackson Automobile Company was an American Brass Era automobile manufacturer located in and named for Jackson, Michigan. The company produced the Jackson from 1903 to 1923, the 1903 Jaxon steam car and the 1904 Orlo.
Checker Taxi was a dominant taxicab company and national franchisor that was based in Chicago, Illinois. Checker Motors was an American vehicle manufacturer based in Kalamazoo, Michigan that built the iconic Checker Taxicab, sold commercially as the Checker Marathon until 1982. Both companies were owned by Morris Markin by the 1930s.
The Hamilton Motors Company was founded in 1917 by Guy Hamilton, after his Grand Haven, Michigan Alter Motor Car Company went bankrupt. The company produced only one car, the Model A-14, which was a four-cylinder, 28 hp touring car with a 112-inch (2,800 mm) wheelbase. He promised to make a six-cylinder car, but never did.
Leach-Biltwell Motor Company manufactured and distributed the Leach luxury automobile from 1919 to 1924 in Los Angeles, California.