Another Four Forgotten Detroit-Built Cars

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1925 Jewett Brougham Police CarHere we present four more now-obscure automakers that contributed to the colorful and complex history of the Motor City. How many can you recognize? 

 

 

Lost, lapsed, and obscure Detroit manufacturers are a favorite topic of ours here at Mac’s Motor City Garage, as you’ve surely noticed. Here’s a listing of all the stories we’ve done to date, including the automakers covered in each story:

+   Five forgotten Detroit-built cars    Thomas-Detroit, Anhut, Krit, Rickenbacker, Columbia

+   Six more forgotten Detroit-built cars   Detroit, Liberty, Graham, EMF, Saxon, Rockne

+   Four more forgotten Detroit-built cars    Hupp-Yeats, King, Northern, Harroun 

+   Another five forgotten Detroit-built cars   D.A.C, Divco, Benham, Owen, Terraplane

+   Three more forgotten Detroit-built cars    Nelson, Crown Detroit, Falcon-Knight 

+   Still More Forgotten Detroit-Built Cars    Aeorcar, Doble, Everitt, Essex

Also, we’ve now included all these stories in a new feature category, Detroit-Built Cars, in the Departments section on our front page. Now all these Motor City manufacturers can be accessed in one easy click, history fans. And now, without further ado, four more forgotten Detroit-built cars.

 

1911 Herreshoff Motor Co.The Herreshoff name was far better known in the marine world, but the family did take a stab at the auto business from 1909 to 1914. Grand plans were launched for a big factory on Woodward Avenue near the Boston Edison district, but they apparently came to naught and the automaker moved to Troy, NY before ceasing operations in 1914.

 

1906 Wayne Model KThe Wayne Automobile Co,, founded in 1904, played a central role in the early years of the Detroit auto industry, with financial backing from James Book and Charles Louis Palms and a big factory on Piquette Ave. next door to Henry Ford’s new plant. Motor City pioneers Barney Everitt and Walter Flanders were soon drawn into the enterprise, which formed the nucleus of the E-M-F Co. and became the automobile division of Studebaker. A 1906 Wayne Model K is pictured here.

 

1910-Welch-Detroit-Model-S-Touring-Founded in Chelsea, MI in 1903, the Welch automobile brand was acquired by Billy Durant’s General Motors in 1909 and relocated to Detroit with production facilities in the former Olds works on Jefferson Ave. and Durant associate A.B.C.Hardy as general manager. A smaller, cheaper version of the Welch was introduced as the Welch-Detroit. A 1910 Welch-Detroit Model S Touring. is shown here.

 

1922 Jewett 4-pass CoupeThe Jewett automobile  of 1922-1926 was a companion brand to the Paige-Detroit that took its name from company president H.M Jewett. Smaller and sportier than the Paige-Detroit, the Jewett offered six-cylinder power and eventually, four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Shown here is a fashionable 1922 slant-windshield coupe, while the lead photo above features a 1925 Jewett coach operated by the Detroit Police Department. When the Graham brothers acquired Paige-Detroit in January of 1927, the Jewett was rebadged as a Paige, then a Graham-Paige, then finally discontinued.

 

3 thoughts on “Another Four Forgotten Detroit-Built Cars”

  1. Thanks MCG. I’m always amazed at how many cars were made back then. They all look alike to me. How could you ever choose one? I guess it’s like cell phones today. They all do pretty much the same thing.

  2. I’d have to disagree that they all look alike, Howard. The Herreshoff looks low, fast, powerful, the Jewett coupe sleek and sporty, the Welch more upright and conventional for the times.

    Every time we look back at these forgotten brands I’m struck by how many of them looked better, somehow more modern than the ones that survived. Perhaps the buyers of the time were conservative and reluctant to spend what was a large amount of money on anything too different to the norm.

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