American Simplex

American Simplex was an early American automobile marque produced in Mishawaka, Indiana, during the formative years of the United States motor industry. The cars were manufactured by the Simplex Motor Car Company from 1906 through 1915. Despite sharing a name with the better-known Simplex automobile associated with New York, the Mishawaka company was a separate enterprise. In 1910, it shortened the product name to Amplex, partly to reduce confusion with the New York manufacturer. The naming change accompanied a corporate reorganization. The marque occupied the expensive and technically ambitious end of the early American automobile market. Its initial power unit was a large two-stroke, four-cylinder engine rated at 50 horsepower at 900 revolutions per minute. The original displacement was approximately 6,435 cubic centimeters, with a 127-millimeter bore and a 127-millimeter stroke; the engine was later enlarged to about 6.8 liters while retaining the nominal 50-horsepower rating. The cars could reach approximately 97 kilometers per hour, or 60 miles per hour, and used a 117-inch wheelbase. A 20-gallon fuel tank supported the long-distance touring expectations associated with luxury cars of the period. American Simplex differentiated itself through its valveless engine design. The company promoted the arrangement as a source of smoother or more continuous pulling power and improved reliability. The cars also offered self-starting equipment in 1910, before comparable convenience became broadly available from several major competitors. The 1910 range included three open cars and two enclosed models. Pricing placed the vehicles firmly in the luxury category: the range reached approximately $5,400, while a limousine was advertised at as much as $5,600. A newly introduced 30/50-horsepower Toy Tonneau, described as a long, streamlined four-door touring car, was priced at $4,300. The company’s technical strategy also became a limitation. It continued to rely on the two-stroke engine after that configuration had lost ground to the increasingly dominant four-stroke layout. A four-stroke model was introduced in 1913 but did not achieve commercial success. Production under the American Simplex or Amplex identity ended after 1915. In 1916, Gillette Motor Company took over the Mishawaka manufacturing facilities. Gillette did not revive the marque as a conventional modern automaker and instead continued pursuing its own sleeve-valve engine approach. American Simplex therefore remains a historical automobile brand rather than a surviving automotive company or active consumer marque.

American Simplex emerged during the rapid expansion of the American automobile industry in the first decade of the twentieth century. The vehicles were built in Mishawaka, Indiana, by the Simplex Motor Car Company. Production is documented from 1906 to 1915. The company operated in a market in which manufacturers were experimenting with engine layouts, ignition systems, body forms, and methods of making automobiles reliable enough for private touring. The brand’s early engineering centered on a large two-stroke, four-cylinder engine. The initial unit displaced approximately 6,435 cubic centimeters and used a 127-millimeter bore and 127-millimeter stroke. It was rated at 50 horsepower at 900 revolutions per minute. The engine was subsequently enlarged to around 6.8 liters while retaining the stated 50-horsepower output. American Simplex promoted its valveless motor as a distinctive technical advantage, claiming that it delivered more continuous pulling power and greater reliability than conventional arrangements. The cars reportedly reached about 60 miles per hour and used a 117-inch wheelbase, characteristics consistent with their premium positioning. By 1910 the company offered a range consisting of three open-roof models and two enclosed models. The program included the 30/50-horsepower Toy Tonneau, a long four-door touring design, as well as high-priced enclosed cars and a limousine. Listed prices reached approximately $5,400, with the limousine offered at up to $5,600 and the Toy Tonneau at $4,300. These prices placed the automobiles among the more expensive American offerings of their time rather than in the mass-market category. The 1910 product changes also involved branding. Because another, better-known Simplex automobile was being produced by the New York-based Simplex Automobile Company, the Mishawaka company shortened its product name to Amplex. The change coincided with a reorganization, helping distinguish the Indiana-built cars from their New York namesake. The 1910 automobiles also featured self-starting equipment, a notable convenience at a time when many competing cars still required manual starting procedures. American Simplex’s reliance on a two-stroke engine became increasingly difficult to sustain as four-stroke automotive designs became more widely accepted. The company continued using the two-stroke configuration after it had become technically unfashionable in the mainstream automobile market. It attempted to respond with a four-stroke offering in 1913, but the model did not succeed. The available record does not establish the precise reasons for the failure, nor does it provide a complete account of production volumes, model-year changes, management, or finances. Automobile production under the American Simplex and Amplex identities ended after 1915. In 1916, Gillette Motor Company took over the Mishawaka manufacturing facilities. The successor occupant did not restore American Simplex as a continuing marque and instead pursued a rotary sleeve-valve engine design. American Simplex therefore belongs to the first generation of American automobile manufacturers: technologically distinctive, commercially limited, and ultimately unable to transition into the later mass-production era.

• 1916

  Mishawaka facilities transferred to Gillette Motor Company

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  Gillette Motor Company takes over the manufacturing facilities formerly associated with American Simplex.

• 1915

  Automobile production ends

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  The documented production period for American Simplex and Amplex automobiles concludes.

• 1913

  Four-stroke model introduced

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  The company offers a four-stroke engine in an unsuccessful attempt to move beyond its established two-stroke powertrain.

• 1910

  The marque becomes Amplex

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  The company shortens the product name to Amplex to avoid confusion with the New York-based Simplex automobile company. The change occurs alongside a reorganization.

• 1910

  Expanded luxury range and self-starting equipment

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  The range includes three open models and two enclosed models, including the 30/50-horsepower Toy Tonneau. Self-starting equipment is offered on the 1910 models.

• 1906

  Production begins in Mishawaka

  [1]American Simplexen.wikipedia.org

  The Simplex Motor Car Company begins manufacturing American Simplex automobiles in Mishawaka, Indiana.

An early American luxury automobile marque positioned around large-displacement engines, high performance for its era, distinctive valveless engineering, and premium body styles.

• Luxury automobiles · 1906

  American Simplex automobiles

  The core American Simplex range consisted of large, expensive gasoline automobiles built in Mishawaka during the early twentieth century. Early cars used a two-stroke, four-cylinder engine rated at 50 horsepower, with displacement later increased from approximately 6.4 liters to about 6.8 liters. The cars were designed for substantial touring performance, with a reported top speed of approximately 60 miles per hour and a 117-inch wheelbase.

• Touring car · 1910

  Amplex 30/50-horsepower Toy Tonneau

  Introduced within the 1910 range, the Toy Tonneau was described as a long, sleek, four-door touring car with a 30/50-horsepower rating. Its listed price was approximately $4,300, placing it in the premium segment. It represented the Amplex identity adopted to distinguish the Mishawaka cars from the separate New York Simplex marque.

• Luxury limousine · 1910

  American Simplex limousine

  The limousine was one of the enclosed luxury body styles offered by the company. It occupied the highest-priced end of the range, with contemporary listed pricing reaching approximately $5,600. Specific body construction details, production totals, and model designations are not established by the available reference.

• Automobile powertrain variant · 1913

  American Simplex four-stroke model

  A four-stroke automobile was offered in 1913 as an attempt to move away from the company’s increasingly outdated two-stroke engine strategy. The model was not commercially successful. Available material does not identify a definitive model name, detailed specifications, or production quantity.

• 1916

  Transfer the Mishawaka facilities to Gillette Motor CompanyM&A

  Background

  American Simplex production had ended after 1915.

  Action taken

  Gillette Motor Company took over the former Amplex manufacturing facilities.

  Aftermath

  The facilities were associated with Gillette’s own rotary sleeve-valve engine efforts rather than a revival of the American Simplex marque.

  Source

• 1913

  Attempt a transition to four-stroke powerGeneration change

  Background

  The company continued using a two-stroke engine even as four-stroke designs became more established among automobile manufacturers.

  Action taken

  American Simplex introduced a four-stroke offering in 1913.

  Aftermath

  The four-stroke initiative was unsuccessful, and the brand ceased automobile production after 1915.

  Source

• 1910

  Adopt the Amplex nameStrategy

  Background

  The Mishawaka automobile was at risk of being confused with the better-known Simplex automobile produced by a separate New York company.

  Action taken

  The company shortened the product name from American Simplex to Amplex, with the change occurring alongside a corporate reorganization.

  Aftermath

  Amplex became the distinguishing name for the Indiana-associated automobiles, but the brand did not survive beyond the 1915 production period.

  Source

1. 1American Simplexen.wikipedia.org