Marion (automobile)

Last updated
Marion Motor Car Company
IndustryAutomobile Manufacturing
Founded1904;118 years ago (1904)
Defunct1915;107 years ago (1915)
FateMerger
SuccessorMutual Motors Corporation
HeadquartersIndianapolis, Indiana
Key people
John N. Willys, Fred Tone, Robert Hassler, Harry C. Stutz
ProductsAutomobiles
Production output
7,158 (1904-1915)

The Marion was an automobile produced by the Marion Motor Car Company in Indianapolis (Marion County), Indiana from 1904 to 1915. [1] [2]

Contents

Marion was also used for prototype automobiles in 1901 by the Marion Automobile Company of Marion, Ohio, which later operated as a garage. [2] A Marion Flyer was listed in 1910 by the Marion Automobile & Manufacturing Company in Marion, Indiana, but no production was reported. [2]

History

In 1904 the Marion Motor Car Company, based in Indianapolis,entered automobile production building mid-priced to high-priced automobiles. [1]

Early versions of the Marion car had transversely-mounted 16-hp Reeves air-cooled engines, and double chain drive. The appearance of the Marion car was very similar to the contemporary Premier (also an Indianapolis car). [2] [1] 1906 Marion cars had conventionally-placed 16 and 28-hp 4-cylinder Reeves engines, while later Marion cars used water-cooled engines by Continental and other firms of up to 48-hp. [2] [1]

Automotive engineers and designers, Robert Hassler, Fred Tone, George Schebler and Harry C. Stutz produced or designed models for Marion. [2] Motor car racing was actively undertaken to provide recognition for Marion. Beginning in 1907 Harry Stutz was chief engineer for Marion. He designed a roadster named the Bobcat Speedster, which bore a close resemblance to the contemporaneous Stutz Bearcat Speedster. [1] [2]

John N. Willys, President of Overland Automobile Company, bought controlling interest in Marion in October, 1908. The Marion Motor Car Company remained under-capitalized until 1912, when capital stock was raised from $100,000 to $1,125,0000. J. I. Handley, president of American Motor Car Company became President of Marion Motor Car Company and combined their sales organizations.

In 1914 J.I. Handley purchased the assets of the Marion Company for $120,000. [2] In December 1914, J.I. Handley's Mutual Motors Company resulted from a merger between Marion Motor Car Company and Imperial Automobile Company of Jackson, Michigan. Marion production was moved to Jackson, but ended in 1915. In 1916, the Marion-Handley became the automobile offered by Mutual Motors. [2]

The Marion Motor Car Company manufactured 7,158 automobiles in all. [2]

Models

A prototype Marion roadster with a 9,455cc V12 engine was designed by George Schebler of carburetor fame, and built in the Marion factory in 1908. [2] [1]

In 1910, Harry C. Stutz developed his idea for a factory-built speedster called the Bobcat. They were designed as minimalist, stripped down vehicles that were fitted with the most powerful engine offered by Marion. The wheelbase measured 111-inches, had two-wheel mechanical brakes, and sold for $1,475, (equivalent to $42,896in 2021). The Marion Bobcat Speedster was produced from 1911 through 1914. [2] [1]

Marions were available as touring cars or roadsters, and from 1911 as sedans and coupes. [2]

Marion Models: [2]

ModelModel YearsEngineHorsepowerWheelbase (inches)Factory Price (US$)
Four1904–19054-cylinder16 hp (11,8 kW)96" (2438 mm)1,500
219064-cylinder16 hp (11,8 kW)96" (2438 mm)1,500
519064-cylinder28 hp (20,6 kW)108" (2743 mm)2.500
719074-cylinder24 hp (17,6 kW)100" (2540 mm)2,000 to 3,000
81908–19094-cylinder24 hp (17,6 kW)102"-104" (2591–2642 mm)2,250
91908–19096-cylinder35 hp (26 kW)102"-112" (2642–2845 mm)1,850 to 2,750
1019104-cylinder35 hp (26 kW)112" (2845 mm)1,850
3019114-cylinder30 hp (22 kW)110" (2794 mm)1,000 to 1,200
4019114-cylinder40 hp (29 kW)115" (2921 mm)1,600 to 1,650
Four-3019124-cylinder30 hp (22 kW)111" (2819 mm)1,150 to 1,285
Four-4519124-cylinder45 hp (33 kW)120" (3048 mm)1,750
37-A19134-cylinder40 hp (29 kW)112" (2845 mm)1,475
48-A19134-cylinder48 hp (35 kW)120" (3048 mm)1,850
B19144-cylinder25 hp (18,4 kW)117" (2972 mm)1,650 to 2,150
G1914–19156-cylinder33 hp (24 kW)124" (3150 mm)2,150 to 2,950

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadster (automobile)</span> Open two-seat car

A roadster is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. Initially an American term for a two-seat car with no weather protection, usage has spread internationally and has evolved to include two-seat convertibles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marathon Motor Works</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

Marathon Motor Works was an brass era automobile manufacturer based in Tennessee. Southern Engine and Boiler Works founded in 1889, which made industrial engines and boilers in Jackson, Tennessee, established the factory in 1907. From 1909 to 1914, the company manufactured the Marathon automobile in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpena Flyer</span>

The Alpena Flyer was an American automobile manufactured between 1910 and 1914 in Alpena, Michigan by the Alpena Motor Car Company. Approximately 480 cars in 13 models were produced, costing around $1,500, and just one car is known to exist today. The car was intended to be light and inexpensive, and to make Alpena into an "Automobile City", although this latter goal failed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Underslung</span> Innovative automobile of 1905-1914 made in Indianapolis

The American Underslung was an American automobile, the brainchild of Harry Stutz and designer Fred Tone, manufactured in Indianapolis from 1905 to 1914 by American Motor Car Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stutz Motor Company</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Stutz Motor Car Company, was an American producer of high-end sports and luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Production began in 1911 and ended in 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lozier</span> Dufunct American Automobile company

The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of luxury automobiles in the United States. The company produced automobiles from 1900 to 1918, in Plattsburgh, New York and from 1910, at Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier Motor Manufacturing Company</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company built the brass era and vintage Premier luxury automobile in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1903 to 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McFarlan Automobile</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

McFarlan was a luxury American automobile manufactured in Connersville, Indiana, from 1909 to 1928, by the McFarlan Carriage Company and the McFarlan Motor Car Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westcott (automobile)</span>

The Westcott was an automobile produced in Richmond, Indiana and Springfield, Ohio in the United States between 1909 and 1925 by the Westcott Motor Car Company. The car company was named for its founder, John Westcott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercer (automobile)</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer from 1909 until 1925. It was notable for its high-performance cars, especially the Type 35 Raceabout.

Empire (1910 automobile) Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Empire was an American automobile manufactured from 1910 until 1919. Marketed as "the little aristocrat", the Empire 20 was a four-cylinder shaft-driven runabout built in Indianapolis. The model "A" was a conventional runabout for three passengers with a rumble seat. The model "B" had two bucket seats, a longer hood and was geared higher to attain faster speeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion-Handley</span> Automobile built in Jackson, Michigan by the Mutual Motors Company from 1916 to 1919

The Marion-Handley was an automobile built in Jackson, Michigan by the Mutual Motors Corporation from 1916 to 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry C. Stutz</span>

Harry Clayton Stutz was an American automobile manufacturer, entrepreneur, self-taught engineer, and innovator in the automobile industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schacht (automobile)</span> Defunct US automobile manufacturer

Schacht was an American marque of automobiles and High-wheelers from 1904 to 1913, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Schacht Manufacturing Company, later renamed Schacht Motor Car Company produced over 9,000 automobiles. The company was reorganized as the G.A. Schacht Motor Truck Company in 1914 and production of trucks and fire trucks continued until 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metz Company</span> Early automobile manufacturer

The Metz Company was a pioneer brass era automobile maker established by Charles Herman Metz in Waltham, Massachusetts, from 1909 to 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cole Motor Car Company</span> Car manufacturer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Automobile Company</span> American automobile company

The Imperial Automobile Company of Jackson, Michigan, was formed by the brothers T. A. and George N. Campbell in 1908, who also ran the Jackson Carriage Company.

There were three automobiles called Pilot in the brass car and vintage car eras. An American Pilot was built from 1909 to 1924 in Richmond, Indiana. A British Pilot was built from 1909 to 1914 in London, England and a German Pilot built from 1923 to 1925 in Werdau, Saxony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company</span>

The Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company was one of the Indianapolis's most important auto parts manufacturers and the last automobile parts factories in Indianapolis, Indiana to survive from the first decades of the 20th century. The Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company Building was the company's original building at the Barth Avenue site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. C. S. Motor Car Company</span> Car manufacturer

H. C. S. Motor Car Company was a short-lived Indianapolis, Indiana, automobile manufacturer. It may have built as many as 3,000 cars between the summer of 1920 and 1926, when its doors were closed by its creditors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Georgano, Nick (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile (3 vol. ed.). Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN   1-57958-293-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Kimes, Beverly Rae; Clark Jr., Henry Austin (1996). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN   978-0-87341-428-9.