1913 National Series V

The early history of the National Motor Vehicle Company involved electric runabouts. When Arthur C. Newby took control a few years later, the destiny of the company changed. He was an enthusiastic bicyclist, loved racing, and was one of the four founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909.

After 1906, the National Company concentrated on powering their vehicles with four- and six-cylinder gasoline engines. As early as 1905, Nationals had been raced using gasoline engines and a National won a 100-mile endurance race at Indiana Fairgrounds during that year. Many more historic accomplishments soon followed, such as becoming the first car to cover more than 1,000 miles in 24 hours. The vehicle covered 1,094 miles at an average speed of 51.9 mph.

When the new Indianapolis Speedway opened in 1909, Nationals were there. In May of 1910, amateur driver Arthur Greiner drove a National Model 40 in a series of events ranging from 5 to 200 miles. The Model 40 was void of any unnecessary items and its engine was tuned for optimal performance. The car and driver proved their potential by earning the 'Best Amateur' trophy award.

The inaugural 500-mile race at the Brickyard was held in 1911. Three team cars were entered for National. Each was a 40-horsepower racer and each qualified for the race by averaging 75 mph or more over a quarter-mile distance. The car driven by Charlie Merz placed in seventh position, the highest for the National team. The race was very competitive, with the top 12 cars all finishing the full 200 laps. After 500 miles, the pack was still a tight bunch.

A Speedway Roadster was added to National's line-up in 1911, in part to celebrate their accomplishments at Indianapolis.

In 1912, Joe Dawson won the Indy race with his 491 cubic-inch National and earned the purse of $20,000. The car had averaged 78.22 mph.

After this historic accomplishment, the National Company's goal had been ascertained and their focus switched back to improving their road-going cars. Around the same time as Packard was introducing their Twin Six, National introduced their Highway Twelve. Both were very impressive vehicles, but at a base price of $1,990, the Nationals cost around $1000 less than the Packard. The Twelve continued until 1919 and by 1922 the National Company merged with Dixie Flyer and Jackson to form Associated Motor Industries. Part of the company's demise was the retirement of Arthur Newby in 1916.

What was once the National Motor Vehicle Company was completely gone by 1924 as the company was in receivership.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2009