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The Argo was a short-lived
The Argo was a short-lived United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
automobile manufactured by the Argo Motor Co in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...
, between 1914 and 1918. Previously, the factory had been used by the Standard Electric Car Co to build an electric car.
The company originally made the four-cylinder
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
"Motorvique" cyclecar based on the Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
built by the Briscoe brothers in France. It had a 4-cylinder 12 hp engine and was different from the French market Ajax only in that it did not use friction drive.
Few cyclecars sold well in America, and in 1916, it was replaced by a conventional 22 hp assembled touring car in an attempt to rival Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
at producing a "motor car for the millions". The 1916 model sold for $405 in two-seater form.
In 1917 the company was sold to Mansell Hackett, and the name was changed to Hackett and moved its operations to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
.
The company had an unknown connection with the Saginaw, Michigan, based Argo Electric vehicle company.
References
Vintage vehicles Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Cyclecars Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Defunct companies based in Michigan {{Vintage-auto-stub