Car : Maxwell 50-6
Year : 1914
Engine : 6 cylinders in line
Bore and stroke :104.8×120.7 mm
Cylinder capacity : 6246 cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 41
Maximum speed : -
Wheelbase : -
Suspension : front :semi-elliptic leaf- springs; back : ¾ elliptic leaf- springs
This company, founded in 1904 in Newcastle, Indiana, and absorbed into Chrysler in 1925, operated for less than 20 years. It was started by Jonathan Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe; the latter left in 1912 to set up a company under his own name. Up until then, the cars they had produced were called Maxwell-Briscoes. Maxwell at first concentrated on the poorest sector of the market, but twin-cylinder engines, in which he was most interested, were soon abandoned in favour of 4 cylinders. The 50-6 was a de luxe model, aimed at the top of the market.
The 50-6 had wooden wheels, dual ignition, and electrical gear-change. Its qualities were undeniable, but it was costly compared with other vehicles in the same category. Hudson was offering a 7-seater model for $100 less than the Maxwell 50-6, and the engine, developing barely 41 bhp, was not the best available to the public. Although it was sold for a couple of years, Maxwell returned to 4-cylinder engine. But by then it was too late, and Chrysler took the company over in 1925. Nevertheless the name did not disappear-Chrysler used it for one of its own models, the 3044 cc 21 bhp with side distribution valves and 3-speed transmission.
Maxwell 50-6
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