Smith & Mabley was an American veteran era importer of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an automobiles and produced the American C. G. V. automobile in 1902, and the S & M Simplex automobile from 1904 to 1907, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

A. D. Proctor Smith and his brother-in-law, Carlton R. Mabley founded Smith & Mabley in New York City in 1900 as an import company for European automobiles. Vehicles from C. G. V.,

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 ...

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

and

Mors Mors may refer to: *Mors (mythology), the personification of death in Roman mythology *Mors, Latin for death *Mors (automobile), a French car manufacturer from 1895 to 1925 :* American Mors, Mors vehicles produced under licence in America by the S ...

were imported, followed later by Mercedes and

Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 195 ...

. In 1902 production of automobiles began under license from C. G. V. with the brand name of American C.G.V.. Production ended in 1903 after seven vehicles had been manufactured. In 1903 Smith and Mabley, along with Winton was sued regarding infringement of the

Selden Patent George Baldwin Selden (September 14, 1846 – January 17, 1922) was an American patent lawyer and inventor from New York who was granted a U.S. patent for an automobile in 1895.Flink, p. 51 ''Probably the most absurd action in the history of pa ...

. Later that year Winton and Smith & Mabley joined A.L.A.M. and the lawsuit was dropped. In 1903 Smith & Mabley decided to start making vehicles again. They bought a seven-story plant on East 83rd Street. G. Edward Franquist designed the plant and was both Chief Engineer and Superintendent of the factory. Franquist attributed his engineering designs as being influenced by the finest European motor cars. Franquist was a founding member of the S.A.E. and was the Simplex designer until 1915. In 1903 Smith & Mabley offices and showroom and garage were located to a new building at 513-519 Seventh Avenue. In 1903, Franquist designed a

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 categoriz ...

engine that was used on motor boats for racing including the Vingt-et-Un, Challenger and Dixie I. The Dixie I won the Harmsworth (British International) Trophy in 1907. It was announced that motor boats and motor cars would begin production in May 1904. The new marque name was S & M Simplex and the Smith & Mabley Manufacturing Company was set up for production. A Smith & Mabley Simplex 75-hp racing car competed in the 1904

Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nass ...

, owned and driven by Frank Croker. Too many holes had been drilled in the frame to try to lighten the car, and it collapsed during the race seriously slowing his speed. Croker was in his seventh round when the race was stopped. Frank Croker and his mechanic were killed during a speed run in his S & M Simplex racer on the Ormond-Daytona Beach in 1905, while swerving to avoid a motorcycle. Production of the S & M Simplex ran until early 1907. A total of over 220 vehicles were built. Smith & Mabley suffered during the recession and stock market slides in late 1906 that led up to the

Panic of 1907 The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic or Knickerbocker Crisis, was a financial crisis that took place in the United States over a three-week period starting in mid-October, when the New York Stock Exchange suddenly fell almost ...

. Receivers were called in and the company would be declared bankrupt in 1907. Friend and textile importer Herman Broesel, Sr., took over the Smith & Mabley assets in 1907 and formed the

Simplex Automobile Company The Simplex Automobile Company was formed in 1907 to take over the manufacturer of the S & M Simplex. The Simplex was an American Luxury car, luxury Brass Era car, Brass Era automobile manufactured from 1907 to 1918. Headquartered with a manu ...

, and continued production as the Simplex.

American C.G.V.

Smith & Mabley were importers of the Charron, Girardot & Voigt motor car made in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1902 and early 1903, the company produced the car under license. Seven cars, with

tonneau A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car, truck, or boat open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo. When applied to trucks it refers to their ''bed'' (American English) or ''tray'' (British English). Origin of term A tonneau was orig ...

bodies supplied by the coach builders J.M. Quinby & Sons and assembled by the Rome Locomotive Works in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan Statistical Area, which lie ...

were built. The brand name was American C. G. V. and the price as a five-passenger tonneau was $5,500, . After the short production run, Smith & Mabley returned to importing the C. G. V. File:1902 American C.G.V. 15 HP Tonneau.jpg, 1902 American C. G. V. 15 hp Tonneau File:1902 C.G.V. 15 HP with CR Mabley.jpg, 1902 C. G. V. 15 hp runabout with Carlton R. Mabley in the drivers seat

S & M Simplex

All S & M Simplex's were powered by

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 ...

engines. The first model from 1904 was the 30/35 HP with a

T-head engine A T-head engine is an early type of internal combustion engine that became obsolete after World War I. It is a sidevalve engine distinguished from the more common L-head by its valve placement. In T-head engines, the intake valves are located on ...

. Engine power was transmitted to the rear axle through a four-speed gearbox and

chains A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

. Its chassis had a

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

of 105-inches. The open

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 ...

offered space for five people. In the same year, the smaller 18 HP was added to the range, although there was less demand for it. It had a wheelbase of 91-inches and a choice of a two-seat runabout or a five-seat tonneau. In 1905 only the 30/35 hp was offered. The wheelbase was extended to 106-inches on a Brougham body style. In 1906 the car was described as a 30 HP, available with a wheelbase of 106-inches a five-seat touring car and with a wheelbase of 113-inch as a seven-seat touring car. The 30/35 HP name was used again for 1907. With a wheelbase of 106-inches, there was a three-seat runabout and a five-seat touring car. A longer five-seat touring car had a wheelbase of 111-inches. A wheelbase of 115-inches enabled a seven-seat touring car. There was also a more powerful and more expensive model, the 50/70 HP''.'' It had a wheelbase of 124-inches and was available as an enclosed

limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...

with five to seven seats. Priced at the top of the Import and luxury markets, S & M Simplex's factory prices in 1907 ran from a low of $4,950 () for a runabout to a high of $6,400 () for limousines. File:1904 S & M Simplex Model BA detail - 1904 Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles.jpg, 1904 S & M Simplex Model BA File:1905 S & M Simplex 30hp detail - 1905 Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles.jpg, 1905 S & M Simplex 30 hp File:1906 S & M Simplex Model AA detail in 1907 Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles.jpg, 1906 S & M Simplex Model AA File:1906 S & M Simplex Model DA detail in 1907 Handbook of Gasoline Automobiles.jpg, 1906 S & M Simplex Model DA

Model overview

Production

File:1902 Smith and Mabley on cover of Motor Age 5-22-1902.jpg, 1902 Smith and Mabley on cover of Motor Age File:1903 Smith and Mabley advertisement in Automobile Topics 08-08-1903.jpg, 1903 Smith and Mabley advertisement in Automobile Topics File:1906 S & M Simplex advertisement in The Automobile 12-27-1906.jpg, 1906 S & M Simplex advertisement in The Automobile

External links

Simplex automobiles at ConceptCarz

Smith & Mabley images at Detroit Public Library

References

{{reflist Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York City Motor vehicle manufacturers based in New York (state) 1900 establishments in New York (state) 1906 disestablishments in New York (state) Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1902 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1906 Cars introduced in 1902 Cars introduced in 1904 Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Luxury vehicles Veteran vehicles Brass Era vehicles 1900s cars Cars discontinued in 1907