Crane-Simplex
Crane-Simplex was the commonly used name for the Simplex Crane Model 5, an exceptionally expensive American luxury automobile produced from 1915 to 1918.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Crane-Simplex was the informal but enduring name associated with the Simplex Crane Model 5, a large American luxury automobile produced by the Simplex Automobile Company of New Brunswick, New Jersey, between 1915 and 1918. The car originated in the engineering work of Henry M. Crane, whose Crane Motor Company had built a small number of high-priced six-cylinder automobiles in Bayonne, New Jersey. When Simplex acquired Crane Motor Car Company in late 1914, it obtained Crane's engineering designs and brought him into the business as vice president and engineer. The resulting Model 5 was a development of the Crane Model 4, lengthened and adapted for production under the Simplex name. Although the formal naming was inconsistent, contemporary publications variously called the automobile the Simplex Crane, Simplex-Crane, Crane-Simplex, or simply Simplex. The Crane-Simplex designation became the best-known retrospective name. It was not a mass-market marque or a separate long-lived automobile company in the modern sense, but a distinctive luxury model and brand identity centered on Crane's engineering and Simplex's manufacturing capabilities. The Model 5 was built for wealthy customers who wanted imposing size, smooth performance, individual coachwork, and mechanical durability rather than economy or high-volume practicality. Its six-cylinder, L-head engine displaced 563 cubic inches and was described as producing approximately 110 horsepower. The roughly 5,300-pound automobile could reach about 65 to 68 miles per hour, an impressive performance for a vehicle of its size. Engineering features included shaft drive, enclosed valve springs, and spring arrangements intended to reduce lateral shock over poor roads and during cornering. The cars were subjected to extensive factory testing, including engine endurance tests, road simulations, track speed testing, and operation over rough, sandy, and mountainous routes. Crane-Simplex automobiles were sold primarily as chassis for custom or semi-custom bodies. The chassis included substantial equipment for the period, while customers could select limousine, landaulette, touring, coach, skiff, or other body styles from specialist coachbuilders. Brewster & Company supplied the body style that entered regular production, including a seven-passenger touring body, while A. T. Demarest, Healey, Holbrook, Brooks-Ostruk, and other firms also produced bodies for individual cars. Prices were among the highest in the American automobile market: the chassis rose from $5,000 in 1915 to $6,000 in 1917 and $7,000 in 1918, before the additional cost of coachwork. The model attracted prominent owners, including John D. Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Frederick William Vanderbilt, Alfred Atmore Pope, Theodate Pope Riddle, and Herbert L. Satterlee. Several surviving examples are historically important because of their original owners or unusual coachwork. Notable cars include a 1916 Holbrook Skiff displayed at the New York Auto Show and later associated with Jay Leno, a Rockefeller-owned 1918 car with seasonal Brewster bodies, and a 1918 Prince of Wales limousine built for Frederick W. Vanderbilt. Production ended when the Wright Company acquired or arranged to acquire Crane-Simplex interests and redirected the New Brunswick facilities toward aircraft-engine production during the First World War. Automobile production ceased in October 1917, and total output of the Simplex Crane Model 5 is generally reported as 467 cars. Later corporate reorganizations transferred Simplex assets through Mercer Motors and related entities. Henry M. Crane announced a new Crane-Simplex Company in 1922 in Long Island City with plans to revive the automobile, but no documented chassis production followed 1923. The company remained listed for a time, yet the proposed revival did not become a sustained manufacturing program. Today, Crane-Simplex is principally remembered through surviving collector automobiles, museum holdings, concours appearances, period advertising, and its place in the history of American coachbuilt luxury cars.
History
Henry M. Crane began producing automobiles through the Crane Motor Company of Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1912. The company specialized in technically ambitious, very expensive six-cylinder cars. Its Model 3 was offered as a chassis and carried an unusually high price, while the Model 4 introduced a revised six-cylinder arrangement with cylinders cast in two blocks of three. Production was extremely limited, with approximately 20 Model 3 cars made in 1912 and 1913. Simplex Automobile Company acquired Crane Motor Car Company in late 1914, principally to secure Crane's engineering advances. The Bayonne factory was subsequently sold, while Crane joined Simplex as vice president and engineer. The Crane Model 4 became the basis for the longer-wheelbase Simplex Crane Model 5. Period publications used several variations of the name, including Simplex-Crane and Crane-Simplex, although the latter was not necessarily the formal model designation. The Model 5 was manufactured in New Brunswick from 1915. It used a 563-cubic-inch, six-cylinder, L-head engine rated in contemporary descriptions at approximately 110 horsepower. The car weighed about 5,300 pounds and could attain roughly 65 to 68 miles per hour. Its design emphasized smoothness and durability, including shaft drive, enclosed valve springs, and suspension work intended to reduce lateral shock. Factory quality control was unusually extensive. Engines underwent long belt tests and block tests, while complete cars were tested on the Vanderbilt track and over difficult road surfaces. Contemporary accounts presented Crane's personal engineering standards as central to the car's reputation. Crane-Simplex sold a complete luxury chassis that included instrumentation, lighting equipment, tires, running boards, tools, and related fittings. Customers then commissioned bodies from specialist coachbuilders. Brewster supplied the seven-passenger touring body that became the regular-production configuration, while other bodies included limousines, landaulettes, enclosed coaches, roadsters, and special show cars. Holbrook's 1916 Skiff was an especially imaginative example, using yacht-like styling. Because each car was expensive and individually specified, production remained small. Chassis prices rose from $5,000 in 1915 to $6,000 in 1917 and $7,000 in 1918, with coachwork charged separately. The model appealed to a narrow group of wealthy American buyers. Documented owners included members of the Rockefeller and Vanderbilt families, as well as other prominent industrial and financial figures. The cars were used as prestige automobiles and, in some cases, received multiple bodies for seasonal use. Approximately 467 Simplex Crane Model 5 cars were produced. In October 1915, the Wright Company entered an agreement to purchase Crane-Simplex interests. The automobile operation continued for a time, but production ended in October 1917 when the New Brunswick facilities were redirected to aircraft-engine manufacturing during the First World War. Simplex assets later passed through Mercer Motors and Hare's Motors as those organizations were reorganized. Simplex was not producing cars when the corporate arrangements were unwound. On September 20, 1922, Henry M. Crane announced the Crane-Simplex Company in Long Island City. The new enterprise purchased the former Simplex plant and assets from Mercer Motors, was capitalized at $500,000, and proposed producing approximately 100 chassis annually. It also held a controlling interest in Jephson-Scott Body Company, which could supply bodies from East Orange, New Jersey. A Jordan touring model was listed in 1922 with Crane-Simplex running gear, but no sustained Crane-Simplex chassis production is recorded after 1923. Although the company continued to appear in listings into 1926, the revival did not develop into a lasting automobile business. The name now survives mainly through preserved cars, museums, historic collections, and concours events.
- 1923
Documented chassis production ends
[1]No further Crane-Simplex chassis manufacturing is recorded after 1923.
- 1922
New Crane-Simplex Company organized
[1]Henry M. Crane forms a Long Island City company to revive production, with announced plans for approximately 100 chassis per year.
- 1920
Simplex assets move under Mercer control
[1]Mercer Motor Company, controlled by Emlen S. Hare, absorbs Simplex assets during a series of corporate reorganizations.
- 1917
Automobile production ends
[1]The New Brunswick automobile operation stops as the plant is redirected toward aircraft-engine production.
- 1915
Simplex Crane Model 5 introduced
[1]The Crane Model 4 is developed into the longer-wheelbase Simplex Crane Model 5, commonly known as Crane-Simplex.
- 1915
Wright Company enters an acquisition agreement
[1]The Wright Company agrees to purchase Crane-Simplex interests while the automobile remains in limited production.
- 1914
Simplex acquires Crane Motor Car Company
[1]Simplex acquires Crane's automobile business and engineering work, bringing Crane into the company as an engineer and executive.
- 1912
Crane Motor Company begins automobile production
[1]Henry M. Crane's Bayonne company begins building limited-production, high-priced six-cylinder automobiles.
Products and positioning
Ultra-luxury American automobile engineering for wealthy customers seeking exceptional size, performance, custom coachwork, and mechanical refinement.
Luxury automobile · 1915
Simplex Crane Model 5
The Model 5 was the principal automobile associated with the Crane-Simplex name. It used a large 563-cubic-inch six-cylinder L-head engine, produced approximately 110 horsepower in contemporary descriptions, and carried a substantial 5,300-pound chassis. Shaft drive, enclosed valve springs, extensive testing, and suspension refinements supported its positioning as a fast, smooth, and durable prestige car. Chassis customers could specify a range of custom bodies, although Brewster's seven-passenger touring design was the main regular-production configuration.
Special coachbuilt automobile · 1916
1916 Holbrook Skiff
Built for the 1916 New York Auto Show, the Holbrook Skiff was an unusually styled Model 5 with yacht-inspired design details. Its distinctive layout included centrally positioned doors and a decorative propeller treatment at the rear. The car was later sold at the San Francisco Auto Show and is associated with the modern collector-car world through its ownership by Jay Leno.
Coachbuilt automobile body · 1915
Brewster seven-passenger touring body
Brewster & Company supplied the body style that entered regular production for the Model 5. The seven-passenger touring body combined formal scale with open-air use and was available as an addition to the chassis. Some owners commissioned separate seasonal bodies, making the Crane-Simplex a platform for individualized luxury rather than a standardized vehicle.
Coachbuilt limousine · 1918
1918 Prince of Wales Limousine
Built on a Crane-Simplex Model 5 chassis for Frederick W. Vanderbilt, this formal limousine carried Brooks-Ostruk coachwork. It is preserved as part of the historic Vanderbilt automobile collection at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site.
Brand decisions
1922
Attempt to revive Crane-Simplex productionStrategyBackground
After Simplex assets moved through Mercer-related reorganizations, Henry M. Crane sought to restart the luxury-car operation.
Action taken
Crane organized a new company in Long Island City, acquired plant assets from Mercer Motors, and announced plans for approximately 100 chassis per year.
Aftermath
A Jordan model was listed with Crane-Simplex running gear, but no sustained chassis production is recorded after 1923.
Announced capitalization. $500,000 (1922)
1917
Redirect the factory to aircraft enginesStrategyBackground
The Wright Company needed production capacity for aircraft engines during the First World War.
Action taken
Automobile production at the New Brunswick facility was halted in October 1917.
Aftermath
Crane-Simplex Model 5 production ended after a reported total of 467 cars.
1914
Acquire Crane engineering assetsM&ABackground
Simplex sought Henry M. Crane's engineering work and acquired the Crane Motor Car Company in late 1914.
Action taken
Simplex absorbed the Crane business and appointed Crane vice president and engineer.
Aftermath
The Crane Model 4 was developed into the Simplex Crane Model 5, creating the automobile later known as Crane-Simplex.
Recent events
- 1922
Crane-Simplex Company announces a revival plan[1]
Product launch
Henry M. Crane organized a new Crane-Simplex Company in Long Island City after acquiring plant assets from Mercer Motors, announcing plans for limited annual chassis production.
- 1917
Wright acquisition redirects New Brunswick production[1]
M&A
Automobile production at New Brunswick ended as the Wright Company used the facilities for aircraft-engine work connected with the First World War.
- 1915
Crane-Simplex automobile enters production[1]
Product launch
The Model 5 emerged as a large, high-priced six-cylinder luxury car associated in contemporary coverage with both the Simplex and Crane names.
- 1914
Simplex acquires Crane Motor Car Company[1]
M&A · Product generation
Simplex acquired the Crane business to obtain Henry M. Crane's engineering work. The Crane Model 4 subsequently evolved into the Simplex Crane Model 5.
Sources2 sources
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