Shawmut Motor Company

Shawmut Motor Company was an early American automobile manufacturer organized in Stoneham, Massachusetts, in November 1905 to succeed the Phelps Motor Vehicle Company. The company was headquartered in Boston and began producing automobiles under the Shawmut name in 1906. Its formation was associated with Elliott C. Lee, a former president of the American Automobile Association, who was announced as the company’s president. L. J. Phelps, whose earlier business provided the technical lineage for Shawmut, had designed a four-cylinder engine before retiring to California. Shawmut entered the market as a maker of relatively expensive, technically conventional automobiles. Its first production model, the 1906 Model 6, used a four-cylinder engine rated at 40 horsepower and was offered as a luxury touring car. The model was introduced at the Boston Automobile Show in March 1906 and subsequently displayed at the New York Show. From 1907, the company broadened its range with the lower-priced Roundabout, a short-wheelbase touring car without doors, while its regular line was organized into Models A, B, C, and D. These variants represented roadster, touring, limousine, and landaulet body styles. The bodies were made from sheet aluminum by Chauncy Thomas & Company, a prominent Boston coachbuilder. The company attempted to expand distribution in 1908 by appointing the Hol-Tan Company as its New York agency. Shawmut and Hol-Tan planned to market some automobiles under the combined name Hol-Tan Shawmut. The brand also sought visibility through endurance events and road racing. Shawmuts competed in the 1907 Bay State Endurance Run, where Harold Church’s car shared the winning result after a tie could not be resolved. A Hol-Tan Shawmut entered the 1908 Briarcliff Trophy Race, although that event was stopped while the car was still running. Shawmut’s most notable competition result came in the 1909 Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest from New York to Seattle. A Shawmut Roundabout reached Seattle second behind a Ford Model T, but the Shawmut team challenged the Ford’s eligibility. After a later review determined that the Ford had finished with a different engine from the one with which it began, the Ford was disqualified and the Shawmut was recognized as the contest’s winner. Shawmut’s commercial life was cut short by a factory fire. On November 13, 1908, the company’s Stoneham plant was destroyed, along with manufacturing equipment, buildings, and automobiles. Twenty cars were reportedly in the buildings, ten of them completed. The loss was assessed at $115,000, while the company carried $42,000 in insurance. Shawmut investigated replacement sites in Reading and Fitchburg before selecting a location in South Boston in April 1909. It could not obtain enough capital to resume manufacturing, however, and the company had ceased operations by November 1909. The brand therefore remained a short-lived participant in the formative period of the American automobile industry.

Shawmut Motor Company was created in November 1905 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, as the successor to the Phelps Motor Vehicle Company. Elliott C. Lee, previously associated with the American Automobile Association, was announced as president. The company inherited a technical connection to L. J. Phelps, who had designed a four-cylinder engine before retiring to California. Production began in 1906. Shawmut’s first car was the Model 6, a luxury touring automobile with a four-cylinder engine producing 40 horsepower. It was introduced at the Boston Automobile Show in March and displayed at the New York Show later that year. In 1907 the company added the Roundabout, a less expensive, short-wheelbase touring car without doors. Its principal range was designated Models A through D, covering roadster, touring, limousine, and landaulet configurations. Chauncy Thomas & Company supplied sheet-aluminum bodies for the various styles. Shawmut used competition to promote the cars. Two automobiles entered the 1907 Bay State Endurance Run, and Harold Church’s car shared the winning result after a tie could not be settled by a runoff. In 1908 the Hol-Tan Company became the New York agency, with an intended combined marketing identity of Hol-Tan Shawmut. A Hol-Tan Shawmut also entered the Briarcliff Trophy Race, which was halted while the car was still competing. The company’s strongest publicity came from the 1909 Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest. A Shawmut Roundabout traveled from New York to Seattle with T. Arthur Pettengill, Robert Messer, and Earle Chapin. It reached Seattle behind a Ford Model T, and the Shawmut team protested that the Ford should be disqualified. The initial protest was rejected, but the Ford was later found to have completed the event with an engine different from the one used at the start. In November 1909 the Ford was disqualified and the Shawmut was declared the winner. Shawmut’s manufacturing operation was destroyed by fire on November 13, 1908. Twenty cars, including ten completed examples, were in the buildings, and the total property loss was assessed at $115,000 against $42,000 of insurance. The company searched for replacement premises in several Massachusetts communities and selected a South Boston site in April 1909. It could not secure the funds needed to rebuild or resume production, and operations ended by November 1909.

• 1909

  Roundabout recognized as endurance-contest winner

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  After the disqualification of the initially victorious Ford, the Shawmut Roundabout was declared the winner of the Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest.

• 1909

  Operations cease

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Despite selecting a South Boston replacement site, Shawmut could not raise sufficient capital to restart production and closed by November.

• 1908

  Stoneham factory destroyed

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  A fire on November 13 destroyed the principal manufacturing plant and substantially impaired the company’s production capacity.

• 1907

  Roundabout added to the range

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Shawmut introduced the lower-priced Roundabout and organized its broader range under Models A, B, C, and D.

• 1906

  Model 6 introduced

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company launched its first known automobile, the four-cylinder Model 6 touring car.

• 1905

  Company organized as successor to Phelps

  [1]Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Shawmut Motor Company was organized in Stoneham, Massachusetts, in November to succeed the Phelps Motor Vehicle Company.

A small-volume American automobile maker positioned around relatively powerful, expensive touring and formal-body cars, with a lower-priced short-wheelbase Roundabout intended to broaden the range.

• Luxury touring car · 1906

  Model 6

  Shawmut’s first production automobile, introduced in 1906. It was a luxury touring car powered by a four-cylinder engine rated at 40 horsepower. The model established the company’s initial emphasis on relatively substantial, high-priced automobiles rather than basic runabouts.

• Short-wheelbase touring car · 1907

  Roundabout

  A less expensive Shawmut introduced from 1907. The Roundabout used a short wheelbase and an open touring arrangement without doors. It became the company’s best-known competition car, taking part in endurance events and ultimately being credited with victory in the 1909 Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest.

• Automobile model range · 1907

  Models A, B, C, and D

  The 1907 Shawmut range used letter designations for several body styles. The group included a roadster, touring car, limousine, and landaulet. Bodies were made from sheet aluminum by Chauncy Thomas & Company, reflecting Shawmut’s effort to offer both sporting and formal automobile configurations.

• 1909

  Select South Boston site for a replacement factoryStrategy

  Background

  The Stoneham plant had been destroyed by fire, leaving Shawmut without its manufacturing base.

  Action taken

  After considering sites in Reading and Fitchburg, the company settled on a new factory location in South Boston in April 1909.

  Aftermath

  Shawmut could not raise the capital needed to restart production and closed by November 1909.

  Source

• 1908

  Appoint Hol-Tan as New York agencyStrategy

  Background

  Shawmut sought broader distribution and market presence outside its New England base.

  Action taken

  The company engaged the Hol-Tan Company as its New York agency and intended to market cars using the Hol-Tan Shawmut name.

  Aftermath

  The planned distribution arrangement was overtaken by the destruction of Shawmut’s factory later in 1908 and the company’s inability to resume production.

  Source

1. 1Shawmut Motor Companyen.wikipedia.org