Gray Marine Motor Company was a U.S. manufacturer of marine engines between 1910 and 1967. These ranged from one to six cylinders in both gas and later diesel layouts, which were used in pleasure boats, work boats, and military craft. Gray was based in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Many fishing boats, lobsterboats, tugs and pleasure craft used Gray engines. These boats usually fell between 12 and 32 feet. Many of their engines were

marinized Marinisation (also marinization) is design, redesign, or testing of products for use in a marine environment. Most commonly, it refers to use and long-term survival in harsh, highly corrosive salt water conditions. Marinisation is done by many man ...

automotive engines from Hercules,

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...

General Motors Diesel Division General Motors Diesel Division (GMDD) was a marketing and customer service unit of General Motors founded in 1938. It sought customers for GM's diesel engines, which had undergone major development during the 1930s. It was most active in associa ...

. Gray also produced a line of outboard motors. Rather than a ninety-degree gearbox, a curved housing connected motor to propeller. The lower-unit housing contained a flexible inner rotating shaft.

Origins

Gray Marine started in 1892 and was re-branded Gray Motor Company about 1910 by O. Mulford and his partners Paul and David Gray. The engines were also used by Traffic Motor Truck Corporation of St Louis, Koehler Truck of New Jersey,

Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks#Military vehicles, Re ...

truck, and the Crow-Elkhart car. Prairie Queen tractors also used this engine in 1922.

Automobiles

In 1921 Frank L. Klingensmith, William Blackburn (from

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

) and Frank F. Beall (from

Packard Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958. One ...

) took over the Gray Motor Company, renaming it Gray Motor Corporation with $4 million capital, with the intent of competing with

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 ...

. Two models of Gray car were made using the Beall developed Z motor. The Z engine was a 12-18 horsepower, 4 cylinder, L-head design that was said to resemble the

model T Ford The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...

engine. By 1924 the company was in poor financial condition and Mulford managed to buy back the marine engine division, re-establishing Gray Marine Motor Company. Gray Motor Corporation ceased producing cars by 1926.

Marine engines

The marine engine division continued operations for over forty years, and is most known for converting automotive engines for fishboats, cruisers and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

, such as the Canadian Ramped cargo lighter and the famed Higgins boats. Gray built their own engines up to 1924, but converted automotive engines from about April 1924 on. During WWII, Gray Marine built 100 marinized GM style 71 series diesels a day using GM cylinder blocks.Grayson, Stan. ''Engines Afloat, Vol. II'' (Marblehead, MA: Devereaux Books, 1999), p.116. On June 14, 1944, the company was purchased by

Continental Motors Company Continental Motors Company was an American manufacturer of internal combustion engines. The company produced engines as a supplier to many independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, trucks, and stationary equipment (such as pumps, gen ...

for $2.6 million. John W. Mulford, the son of O. Mulford, was made general manager of Gray. Gray continued to make marine engines in the post-war period until its closure by Continental in about 1967.

References

{{Authority control Marine engine manufacturers Manufacturing companies based in Detroit Engine manufacturers of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1892 American companies established in 1892 1892 establishments in Michigan Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1967 American companies disestablished in 1967 1967 disestablishments in Michigan