Grant Motor Co.

The Grant Motor Co was a United States automobile manufacturing company which produced automobiles for nearly 11 years from 1913 to 1922. The company was based in Findlay, Ohio  1913 to 1916 and then Cleveland, Ohio till 1922 as the Grant Motor Corp.

History

First Organized in Detroit late in 1913 by George and Charles Grant, the company took over an existing factory in Findlay originally a nail factory, where it started to build automobiles.The plant was then taken over by the Findlay Stave and Handle Company, which operated two plants in Findlay. In 1910 L. M. Ewing of Cleveland, Ohio, purchased the facilities. His company, the Ewing Motor Company, succeeded the Cleveland Auto Cab Company from 1908 to 1910 of Geneva, and later of Cleveland. Ewing was a builder of trucks, and merged his company with the American Motor Truck Company of Lockport in New York. and became the Findlay Motor Company.
This company built both gasoline and electric powered as Ewing gasoline trucks, and American trucks with capacities of 2 to 5 tons. By 1911 it was renamed the Ewing-American Motor Truck Company Untill bankruptcy early in 1913. At this point the Grant family came into the picture. Previously in 1907, George and Charles Grant held the Detroit
dealership for the Thomas Motor Company of Buffalo, makers of the popular Thomas Flyer cars.
Eventually they decided to enter the automobile manufacturing business with a small cheap car of their own so by 1913 the Grant Motor Company was named.with the collapse of the Ewing-American , the Grant company purchased the plant from the receivers in November 1913. By December started retooling the plant for the production of the small roadster. Four prototypes were built for promotional purposes along with large dealerships before actual production of cars. By early 1914 the Grant Motor Company was shipping cars to these dealers.

Production reached 15 cars a day.The 4-cylinder model priced at $495, had a two-speed plus reverse transmission mounted on the rear axle, A larger 6-cylinder model of was also built touring car sold priced at $795. This overhead-valve six soon becamethe most popular model, with wood wheels and athree-speed transmission. The small four was then discontinued.By 1915 the Cabriolet was announced, at a more expensive $1025. This with roll-down windows and a trunk in which the spare tire was carried.

Grant six cylinder engine view

Features large wings for mud protection, hotchkiss drive and Borg and Beck dry clutch,Stromberg Carb.with easy steer for women drivers.with various body types common for the times. The company produced several thousand four and six cylinder automobiles and even exported cars to England as the Whiting-Grant. In 1916, the five passenger Touring car .

In 1916, the Grant Motor Company became the Grant Motor Car Corporation a decision was made to transfer operations to Cleveland. By November of 1916 the move was complete. A truck plant was purchased, and a Grant trucks was now also offered. During World War I passenger car production was suspended and only trucks were made for thw war effort.

In 1920 the engine Walker Manufacturing engine Company also came under the control of the Grant Motor Corporation. This plant had a capacity of 150 engines per day.But then like many other companys the post-war depression of 1921 The company entered receivership in late 1922. With the end of production in 1923, when theGrant Motor Car Corporation was declared bankrupt.

Grant 6 touring car from 1915