The Marion was an

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

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 Marion County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down slig ...

, 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 and the county seat of Grant County, Indiana, United States, along the Mississinewa River. The population was 28,310 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from ...

, 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 Kild ...

air-cooled engine Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

s, 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 govern ...

(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 engine, Wankel engines are o ...

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

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 ...

and other firms of up to 48-hp. Automotive engineers and designers, Robert Hassler, Fred Tone, George Schebler and Harry C. Stutz 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 Motor Company, Stutz passenger car's chassis. It was origin ...

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 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 of

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

. Marion production was moved to Jackson, but ended in 1915. In 1916, the

Marion-Handley The Marion-Handley was an automobile built in Jackson, Michigan by the Mutual Motors Corporation from 1916 to 1918. History Mutual Motors Corporation was formed by combining the Imperial Automobile Company and Marion Motor Car Company. The '' ...

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 prototype ...

Marion roadster with a 9,455cc

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-Cylinder (engine), cylinder Internal combustion engine#Reciprocating engines, piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V engine, V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more c ...

was designed by George Schebler of

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline 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 Ventu ...

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 car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...

s or

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, t ...

, and from 1911 as

sedans A sedan (American English) 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 ''sedan'' in reference to an automobile body oc ...

and

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

s. 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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marion (Automobile) Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Indiana Defunct manufacturing companies based in Indiana 1900s cars 1910s cars Brass Era vehicles Cars introduced in 1904 Manufacturing companies established in 1904 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1915 Cars discontinued in 1915

History

Models

Gallery

See also

References