The Marion was an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

produced by the Marion Motor Car Company in Indianapolis (Marion County), Indiana from 1904 to 1915. Marion was also used for prototype automobiles in 1901 by the Marion Automobile Company of

Marion, Ohio Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United S ...

, which later operated as a garage. A ''Marion Flyer'' was listed in 1910 by the Marion Automobile & Manufacturing Company in

Marion, Indiana Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Grant County. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the ...

, but no production was reported.

History

In 1904 the Marion Motor Car Company, based in Indianapolis,entered automobile production building mid-priced to high-priced automobiles. Early versions of the Marion car had transversely-mounted 16-hp

Reeves Reeves may refer to: People * Reeves (surname) * B. Reeves Eason (1886–1956), American director, actor and screenwriter * Reeves Nelson (born 1991), American basketball player Places ;Ireland * Reeves, County Kildare, townland in County K ...

air-cooled engines, and double

chain drive Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles. ...

. The appearance of the Marion car was very similar to the contemporary

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

(also an Indianapolis car). 1906 Marion cars had conventionally-placed 16 and 28-hp

4-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 ...

Reeves engines, while later Marion cars used water-cooled engines by

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (al ...

and other firms of up to 48-hp. Automotive engineers and designers, Robert Hassler, Fred Tone, George Schebler and

Harry C. Stutz Harry Clayton Stutz (September 12, 1876 in Ohio – June 26, 1930) was an American automobile manufacturer, entrepreneur, self-taught engineer, and innovator in the automobile industry. He was born in 1876 about east of Indianapolis, near An ...

produced or designed models for Marion. 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 The Stutz Bearcat was an American sports car of the pre– and post–World War I period. Essentially, the Bearcat was a shorter ( wheelbase vs ), lighter version of the standard Stutz passenger car's chassis. It was originally powered by a , ...

Speedster. 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 The American Motor Car Company was a short-lived company in the automotive industry founded in 1906, lasting until 1913. It was based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The American Motor Car Company pioneered the "underslung" design. ...

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. In December 1914, J.I. Handley's Mutual Motors Company resulted from a merger between Marion Motor Car Company and

Imperial 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. History Imperial produced mid-size cars with four-cylinder engines; the bodywor ...

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 ...

. Marion production was moved to Jackson, but ended in 1915. In 1916, the Marion-Handley became the automobile offered by Mutual Motors. The Marion Motor Car Company manufactured 7,158 automobiles in all.

Models

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

Marion roadster with a 9,455cc

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The fi ...

was designed by George Schebler of

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

fame, and built in the Marion factory in 1908. 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, (). The Marion Bobcat Speedster was produced from 1911 through 1914. Marions were available as

touring cars Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move ...

roadsters __NOTOC__ Roadster may refer to: Transportation * Roadster (automobile), an open, two-seat, often sporty car ** Roadster utility, an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed * Roadster (bicycle), a utilitarian bicycle, typ ...

, and from 1911 as

sedans A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...

and

coupes A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

. Marion Models:

Gallery

File:1905 Marion Print Ad.jpg, alt=, 1905 Marion Model Four Advertisement File:The Marion Roadster with Hassler transmission and change speed gear - DPLA - 92ca34542422a973a23bd99bd18dfce4 (page 10).jpg, alt=, 1911 Marion Model Seven Roadster File:1911 Marion Advertising.jpg, alt=, 1911 Marion "Victories" Advertisement File:1914 Marion Bobcat brochure.jpg, alt=, 1914 Marion Bobcat & Roadster Brochure

References

{{IndianapolisCars Cars introduced in 1904 Manufacturing companies established in 1904 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1915

History

Models

Gallery

See also

References