The Big Car Database

Premier

The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company was organized in 1903 by George A. Weidely and Harold O. Smith in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company built automobiles with air-cooled engines.

Type

Automobile Manufacturing
Industry Automotive
Genre Touring cars
Founded 1903
Founder George A. Weidely and Harold O. Smith
Headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Area served

United States
Products Vehicles
Automotive parts

The 1904 Four-Cylinder Premier was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat six passengers and sold for US$ 5,000. The vertically mounted water-cooled straight-4, situated at the front of the car, produced 40 hp (30 kW). A three-speed sliding transmission was fitted as on Système Panhard cars from Europe. The pressed steel-framed car weighed 2250 lb (1021 kg) and used semi-elliptic springs. A Double-Cylinder Premier model sold for US$ 2,500. It had a 2-stroke straight-2 engine producing 20 hp (15 kW).

During 1906, the Model "F" and Model "L" were on the market with prices that ranged from $1,250 to $2,250. The cars were advertised as summer and winter vehicles that had a "powerful motor, easy but substantial clutch, buoyant springs and luxurious upholstering."

Remaining examples of Premier automobiles are rather rare. A 1905 Premier is on display in the Speedway Museum in Indianapolis and a 1918 Premier is on display at Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, New Jersey. A 1916 Premier is on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana.