1914 Simplex Model 50

The Simplex name lasted for a dozen years and during that time it would be associated with several owners. Within a short period of time, it would achieve a reputation for combining power and fashion. Their vehicles were in high demand and built in limited quantities.

Carleton Raymond Mabley and his brother-in-law Albert Proctor Smith founded Smith and Mabley Manufacturing Co. for the purpose of importing European cars for sale in America. In 1904, they built their first car which was called the S&M Simplex. This had been down as a means of side-stepping import duties and was constructed with many parts imported from Mercedes. The early years of the automobile industry were very difficult and competitive, and by 1906 the company was bankrupt. The following year, the company's assets were absorbed into the Simplex Automobile Co. Herman Broesel purchased the company and infused his passion for auto racing into the Simplex automobile. At the start of the first Indianapolis 500 race in 1911, three Simplex cars were a part of the 40-car starting field. Two of them finished in the top ten (sixth and eighth place).

Broesel's untimely death in 1912 led to the company's demise.

In 1915, the Crane Motor Car Company was founded by Henry Middleton Crane. The Crane Company Bayonne, New Jersey, acquired Simplex, and it became the Crane-Simplex. Five years later, in 1920, the Crane-Simplex Company was acquired by the Mercer Automobile Company. In 1922, ownership passed to Henry Crane.

During its short existence, the Simplex was one of the most potent and beautiful American luxury cars of the Brass Era. They were one of the United States automobiles designed and built for fast highway travel.

The Simplex 50HP
The legendary 50HP model could achieve speeds of 75 mph, thanks to its T-head four-cylinder engine which employed internal timing gears, a large crankshaft with one ball bearing in front and two babbit bearings aft, and pressurized lubrication. A new engine design with a longer stroke was adopted after 1913.

The 50hp Simplex was introduced with a steep price tag of $5,750, yet immediately found favor with sporting car enthusiasts. Designed from the ground up for driving performance, it quickly fostered a successful reputation in motorsports, and unlike many builders, Simplex competed with their standard production cars. A Simplex won the Brighton Beach 24 Hours, along with victories at Lowell and Fairmont.

Simplex automobiles were primarily offered only as a chassis to be fitted out by the client's coachbuilder of choice. The list of coachbuilders who created bodies for the Simplex includes Quinby, Demarest, Healey and Holbrook.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2019