Premier Motor Manufacturing Company

Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company built the brass era and vintage Premier luxury automobile in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1903 to 1925.

The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company was organized in 1903 by George A. Weidely and Harold O. Smith in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company began automobile production with an advanced design air cooled engine designed by Weidely. Carl Fisher, who later founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, had ambitions of contesting the Vanderbilt Cup, and in 1905 George Weidely built an air cooled prototype Premier race car for him. Unfortunately the car was disqualified for being 60 pounds overweight, but had tested at doing a quarter mile in 10 seconds. For 1907, Premier rationalized to one Model 24 with a 24 hp four cylinder engine and premium pricing from $2,250 to $3,250. Engines and wheelbase sized increased annually and in 1908 a 55 hp six cylinder Model 45 was introduced on a 124 inch wheelbase priced at $3,750, 3750.0 in 1908 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years. In 1916, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, due to the war in Europe, asked Premier to enter racers for the Indianapolis 500. Three factory prepared cars were entered, one finished seventh, the second crashed, the third went out with a broken oil line. For 1918 Premier introduced a new car with the tag line "The Aluminum Six with Magnetic Gear Shift". The 65 hp aluminum block engine was designed by Weidely Motors and the electric transmission was made by Cutler Hammer. The Model 6C was priced from $2,285 to $3,285, 3285.0 in 1918 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years.

Prices would climb back to the $4,000 range but production slowed and never recovered to their earlier levels. L. S. Skelton, an Oklahoma physician who had made a fortune in oil, paid off the latest Premier indebtedness and reorganized as the Premier Motor Corporation in 1920. Unfortunately, Skelton died in January of 1921. After the 1920 21 Depression, the company emerged from a friendly receivership in 1923, when Frederick L. Barrows of Connersville, Indiana took over and reorganized as Premier Motors, Inc. In 1923 Frederick Barrows of Premier purchased the Monroe automobile company and Monroes became the Premier Model B for 1923. In 1923, Frederick Barrows received a contract for the building of 1,000 Premier taxicabs, and from 1924 this would be Premiers only product. In October of 1926 Premier Motors, Inc. sold out to the National Cab & Truck Company of Indianapolis, which very quickly went out of business.