1920 Cleveland Model 40

In 1913 the Chandler Company was formed by Frederick Chandler and other former employees of the Lozier Motor Company of Detroit. They quickly assembled a vehicle which they put on display at the Chicago Automobile Show. The car was instantly popular and the newly formed company opened a new facility. The company was later moved from Detroit to Cleveland.

The Chandler automobiles were medium-priced automobiles that were known for their durability and stylish designs. By 1919 the company wanted to venture into the lower-priced segment of the car market but they did not want to jeopardize their name, so they founded the Cleveland Automobile Company. This was not the first automobile company to use the name Cleveland; rather there had been five before them.

The Chandler Company and the Cleveland Company operated in separate plants but they did share many similarities. The designs of the Cleveland automobiles were basically smaller, scaled-down versions of the Chandler automobiles. There was little to distinguish these two automobiles other than their size and their price tag. The Cleveland automobiles continued the proud heritage of the Chandler Company and had soon outgrown its original facilities. A new expansion followed only a few months after their April 1919 opening.

This 1920 Cleveland roadster was bodied by Fisher Brothers. In 1926 the Fisher Company became a division of General Motors.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2006