| Maxwell Info
Maxwell-Briscoe was founded in 1903 when Jonathan Dixon Maxwell, who had worked at Oldsmobile, designed his first car and for which Benjamin Briscoe provided the financial backing to form the Maxwell-Briscoe Company. Production started in Tarrytown, New York in 1904 producing 532 cars the first year. In 1907 Benjamin’s brother, Frank Briscoe, backed Pontiac Buggy Co designer Alanson P. Brush to produce another light automobile as the Brush Motor Car Co, located in Detroit Michigan. In 1908, the Briscoe brothers considered William C. Durant's ideas to form one large automobile company. Although unsuccessful, Durant used Buick as the foundation for General Motors Corporation while the Briscoe brothers used Maxwell-Briscoe and Brush to form the United States Motor Company in 1910. The United States Motor Company as an amalgamation of several independents that required backing. These included: Maxwell-Briscoe, Stoddard-Dayton, Courier, Columbia, Brush, Sampson Trucks and Gray Marine, with the Thomas and other lines being added later. Maxwell-Briscoe was the only profitable company. Due to a conflict between two of its backers who each had a stake in General Motors, the United States Motor Company failed in 1913. Walter Flanders purchased the Maxwell assets and renamed the reorganized company as Maxwell Motor Company, Inc., moving manufacturing to Detroit, MI (with some continued manufacturing in Dayton, OH). He continued to build the popular line of Maxwell cars, which sold well and had a good reputation. With World War I in 1917, Maxwell sales were going strong, while Chalmers was struggling. Maxwell leased the Chalmers Motor Companies production plant on Jefferson Avenue, to augment the Maxwell Highland Park facility. Both plants were required for Maxwell to meet government orders for WWI. In exchange, Chalmers cars would be sold through Maxwell dealerships. But in 1920, things went downhill for both Maxwell and Chalmers under the post-war recession. In 1921, Walter P. Chrysler arranged for the purchase of Maxwell and formed Maxwell Motor Corporation where he became Chairman of the Board. The following year, Maxwell bought Chalmers. While continuing production of the Maxwell and Chalmers car lines, Chrysler used the Chalmers as test beds on the new Chrysler hydraulic brakes. Production of the Chalmers ceases and is replaced by the Chrysler thereafter. The final Maxwell car was produced in 1924. Chrysler organized the Chrysler Corporation effective June 6, 1925, which replaced Maxwell Motor Corporation, and the Maxwell was discontinued.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_automobile
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