Saxon Motor Corporation

[Guest]

I have recently found a stock certificate that my great Aunt had purchased in 1920 for the Saxon Motor Corporation.<P>Does anyone have any information for this car manufacturer?

[Guest BruceW]

A brief history from: <A HREF="http://www.angelfire.com/ny/carrotpatch/page5.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.angelfire.com/ny/carrotpatch/page5.html</A> <P>The Saxon Motor Co. was located in Detroit Mich. from 1914 to 1922. They were a well built car and the company expanded into differant models. Unfortunately, the company was having many organizational and financial problems when they decided to use all of their operating capital. That led to their closing and the liquidation of their assets in 1922.<P><BR>The site also has a pic of a 1916 Saxon Model 14.<p>[ 10-18-2001: Message edited by: BruceW ]

[Guest]

Here is the entry on the Saxon from the<BR>Bealieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile<P>SAXON (1913-22)<BR>Saxom Motor Car Copr, Detroit & Ypsilanti, Michigan.<P>The Saxon was one of America's more successful low-priced cars, reaching 8th place in US automobile production in 1915 & 1916, and seventh in 1917.<BR>It was formed in 1913 with first cars surfacing as 1914 models. The first cars were light wire-wheeled 2-seat runabouts. With 2-speed selective transmission, the small cars were powered by a 4 cylinder Ferro engine with carbide lights for illumination, electric lights being available at extra cost. The Saxon, priced at $357, was an instant success with more than 7000 finding buyers in the first year of production. In 1915 electric lighting became standard and a touring car was added to Saxon offerings, and production increased to more than 11000 units produced during the calendar year. In 1916 a 6 cylinder Saxon was introduced to augment the existing line, with production exceeding 21,000 cars.<BR>For 1917 a sedan - Saxon's first closed car - was added to the existing line and production peaked at more than 28000. It would be the car's last year as a major producer.<P>The 4 cylinder Saxon was dropped for 1918. Also dropping was the car's production which,<BR>with 12000 units constituting a drop of more than 50%<BR>The company was now in financial difficulties as well as internal management problems. The sedan was dropped for 1919 with production plummeting to under 3500 cars.<P>Production increased to over 6000 units in 1920, a new ohv four was introduced and, termed the Duplex, augmented the exisiting six. Once again the sedan was included in the Saxon catalogue. Internal strife and increased financial instability continued, however. For 1921, the six was dropped. Also falling was production, with only 2100 cars sold.<P>With the company in precarious straits, the Saxon operations were moved to Ypsilanti, where the company had leased the factory of the Ace automobile, itself in the final stages of production. The move was to no avail and slightly more than 500 cars were the last Saxons to be built. The leftover Saxon Duplex open models, sedan and coupes, the latter introduced the previous year, were sold at cost as 1923 models.

[Guest Graham Clayton]

Here is a very informative webpage:

http://www.weberchevrolet.net/blogfiles/Saxon.htm