Olympian

Olympian was an American automobile brand produced by the Olympian Motors Company in Pontiac, Michigan, during the period from 1917 to 1921. It emerged after R. A. Palmer acquired the well-equipped former Cartercar factory from General Motors and sought to use the facility to build a relatively low-priced automobile. The marque therefore occupied the highly competitive lower-priced portion of the early American car market, where manufacturers attempted to attract buyers through accessible pricing, practical body styles, and equipment or styling distinctions rather than through luxury positioning. The principal Olympian offering identified in the available reference material was the four-cylinder Model 37. Its Tourist version was a touring car with a stated output of 23 horsepower and a listed price of $795. A related four-seat roadster, the Gypsy, was listed at $825. The company promoted a broad choice of exterior colors as a way to distinguish the car from competing models, reflecting the importance of appearance and personalization in an era when many mass-market vehicles were offered in relatively limited finishes. Olympian's production history was brief. In 1920, management difficulties led to the sale of the company to Otis Friend. The subsequent Friend automobile entered production later that year, indicating a transition away from the Olympian marque and its original corporate organization. Olympian production ended in 1921. The brand is consequently remembered as a minor early twentieth-century American automobile marque rather than as a continuing automotive company. No reliable information in the supplied material establishes a surviving corporate successor, current owner, website, international distribution network, or present-day commercial activity.

Olympian was established in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1917 by the Olympian Motors Company. R. A. Palmer acquired the former Cartercar factory from General Motors, obtaining a well-equipped manufacturing site for a new low-priced automobile venture. The location and inherited facilities gave the company an industrial base, but the American automobile market was already crowded with established producers and numerous smaller manufacturers competing for buyers. The company's identified model was the Model 37, a four-cylinder car producing 23 horsepower. It was offered in at least two body styles described in the available historical reference: the Tourist, a touring car priced at $795, and the Gypsy, a four-seat roadster priced at $825. These prices positioned the cars toward the affordable end of the market, consistent with the company's stated objective of producing a low-priced automobile. Olympian also offered a large selection of colors, using exterior variety as a visible differentiator from rival vehicles. The business encountered management problems by 1920. That year, the company was sold to Otis Friend. The change in ownership was followed by the introduction of the Friend automobile, which entered production later in 1920. This development marked the effective transition from the Olympian enterprise to a successor operation rather than the expansion of Olympian as a long-lived independent marque. Olympian automobiles continued only for a short period, with production ending in 1921. Because the marque operated for only several years and the available documentation is limited, details such as total production, dealer coverage, engineering changes, advertising activity, and the precise corporate relationship between Olympian and the later Friend automobile are not established here. Olympian is best classified as a defunct early American automobile brand associated with Pontiac's period of automobile manufacturing and with the broader proliferation of inexpensive motor vehicles in the United States after the First World War.

• 1921

  Olympian production ends

  [1]Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  Production of the Olympian automobile concludes after a short operating history.

• 1920

  Company sold to Otis Friend

  [1]Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  Management difficulties lead to the sale of the company to Otis Friend.

• 1920

  Friend automobile enters production

  [1]Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  The successor Friend automobile goes into production later in 1920, following the change in ownership.

• 1917

  Olympian production begins

  [1]Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  The Olympian Motors Company begins building automobiles in Pontiac, Michigan, after R. A. Palmer acquires the former Cartercar factory from General Motors.

• 1917

  Model 37 introduced in Tourist and Gypsy forms

  [1]Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  The four-cylinder, 23-horsepower Model 37 is offered as the Tourist touring car and the four-seat Gypsy roadster.

A low-priced American automobile marque emphasizing accessible pricing, practical body styles, and a wide selection of exterior colors.

• Touring car · 1917

  Model 37 Tourist

  The Tourist was the touring-car version of Olympian's Model 37. It used a four-cylinder engine rated at 23 horsepower and was listed at $795 in the available historical account. The model represented the brand's effort to sell a practical, relatively low-priced passenger car in the competitive American market of the late 1910s and early 1920s. Olympian also promoted a broad range of exterior colors to give the car a more distinctive appearance than some competing vehicles.

• Roadster · 1917

  Model 37 Gypsy

  The Gypsy was a four-seat roadster variant of the Model 37. It shared the model's four-cylinder, 23-horsepower specification and was listed at $825. Its open-body configuration provided an alternative to the Tourist within Olympian's low-priced passenger-car range. The available reference does not provide further information about technical revisions, production totals, or the duration of the Gypsy's availability.

• 1920

  Sale of Olympian Motors Company to Otis FriendM&A

  Background

  Management issues affected the company during 1920, leading to a change in ownership.

  Action taken

  The Olympian Motors Company was sold to Otis Friend.

  Aftermath

  The Friend automobile entered production later in 1920, and Olympian production ended in 1921.

  Source

1. 1Olympian (automobile)en.wikipedia.org