Graham-Paige
Encyclopedia
Graham-Paige was an American automobile manufacturer
founded by brothers Joseph B. Graham (September 12, 1882–July 1970) and Robert C. Graham (August 1885–October 3, 1967), and Canadian Ray Austin (May 28, 1887–August 13, 1932) in 1927. Automobile production ceased in 1940, and its automotive assets were acquired by Kaiser-Frazer
in 1947. As a corporate entity, the Graham-Paige name continued until 1962.
) brothers Joseph B. Graham (September 12, 1882–July 1970) and Robert C. Graham (August 1885–October 3, 1967) and Canadian Ray Austin (May 28, 1887–August 13, 1932) began in 1919 to produce kits to modify Ford
Model T
s and TT
s into trucks. That led to the brothers building their trucks using engines of various manufacturers and the Graham Brothers brand. Eventually they settled on Dodge
engines, and soon the trucks were sold by Dodge dealers. The Grahams expanded from beginnings in Evansville, Indiana
, opening plants in 1922 on Meldrum Avenue in Detroit, Michigan
of 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²), and in 1925 in Stockton, California
. The Canadian market was supplied by the Canadian Dodge plant. Dodge purchased the Graham Brothers truck firm in 1925, and the three Graham brothers took on executive positions at Dodge.
The Graham Brothers brand lasted until 1929; Chrysler Corporation having taken over Dodge in 1928.
, makers of Paige and Jewett
automobiles, for $4 million. Joseph became president, Robert vice-president and Ray secretary-treasurer of the company. The company's initial offering included a line of Graham-Paige cars with six- and eight-cylinder engines. For a while a line of light trucks was offered under the Paige name, soon discontinued when Dodge reminded the Grahams about the non-competition agreement they had signed as part of the sale of the Graham Brothers Company. Grahams earned a reputation for quality and sales quickly rose. Graham also had some success in racing
, which helped boost sales. The Graham company logo included profiles of the three brothers and was used in insignia on the cars including badges and taillight lens.
Initially, Graham-Paige withstood the onset of the depression
well, but sales fell as the decade wore on. The 1932 models were designed by Amos Northup
. This particular design has been noted as the "single most influential design in automotive history." The new 8-cylinder engine was called the "Blue Streak." However, the press and public quickly adopted the name "Blue Streak" for the cars themselves. The design introduced a number of innovative ideas. The most copied was the enclosed fenders, thus covering the mud and grime built up on the underside. The radiator cap was moved under the hood, which itself was later modified to cover the cowl, and end at the base of the windshield.
For engineering, the rear kickup on the chassis frame was eliminated by the adoption of a 'banjo' frame. Unlike contemporary practice, the rear axle was placed through large openings on both sides of the frame, with rubber snubbers to absorb any shock if the car axle should make contact. This in turn permitted a wider body. To help lower the car, the rear springs were mounted on the outer sides of the chassis frame and not under the frame. This idea was eventually copied by other manufacturers - Chrysler, for example, in 1957.
For 1934, Graham introduced a crankshaft-driven supercharger
. At first offered only in the top eight-cylinder models, when the eights were dropped for 1936, the supercharger was adapted to the six. The unit was designed in-house by Graham Assistant Chief Engineer Floyd F. Kishline.. It was an original design, not a Switzer-Cummins or Duesenberg
design. Through the years, Graham would produce more supercharged cars than any other automobile manufacturer until Buick
surpassed them in the 1990s.
By 1935, the "Blue Streak" styling was getting rather dated. A restyling of the front and rear ends for 1935 proved to be a disaster, making the cars appear higher and narrower. Having no money for a new body, Graham signed an agreement with Reo Motor Car Company
to purchase car bodies, paying Reo $7.50 in royalties for each Hayes-built body. Graham added new front end styling and revised detailing to these bodies to create the 1936 and 1937 Grahams.
Amos Northup of Murray Body was hired to design a new model for 1938. Unfortunately, he died before the design was complete. It is believed the final design was completed by Graham engineers. The new 1938 Graham was introduced with the slogan "Spirit of Motion". The fenders, wheel openings and grille all appeared to be moving forward. The design was widely praised in the American press and by American designers. It also won the prestigious Concours D'Elegance in Paris, France. Wins were also recorded in the Prix d'Avant-Garde at Lyon, the Prix d'Elegance at Bordeaux, and the Grand Prix d'Honneur at Deauville, France. Its cut-back grille later gained the car the name "sharknose", which appears to have origins in the 1950s. The styling was a complete flop in sales. The most reliable estimates, from period publications, suggest the total production of all 3 years of these cars is between 6000 and 13,000 units. With this low production Graham limped through 1939 and 1940.
Desperate for a winning offering and unable to retool, Graham made a deal with the ailing Hupp Motor Co. in late 1939. According to the deal, the faltering company entered into an arrangement with Hupmobile
to build cars based on the body dies of the stunning Gordon Buehrig
-designed Cord
810/812. In an effort to remain in business, Hupp had acquired the Cord dies, but lacked the financial resources to build the car.
Graham agreed to build the Hupmobile
Skylark on a contract basis, while receiving the rights to use the distinctive Cord dies to produce a similar car of its own, to be called the Hollywood. The striking Skylark/Hollywood differed from the Cord from the cowl forward with a redesigned hood, front fenders and conventional headlights, achieved by automotive designer John Tjaarda of Lincoln Zephyr fame. The Cord's longer hood was not needed, as the Hupp and Graham versions were rear-wheel drive. This also necessitated modifying the floor to accept a driveshaft.
The Hollywood was available in a standard 6 cylinder version and a supercharged version. Each engine was manufactured by Graham-Paige itself. However, the Hollywood did not stop the company's slide. It actually was a worse flop in the sales department for both Graham and Hupmobile than either firm's respective preceding models. The company suspended manufacturing in September, 1940, only to reopen its plant for military production for World War II.
The company resumed automobile production in 1946 producing a new car, the Frazer, named for Graham-Paige President Joseph Frazer
, in partnership with Henry J. Kaiser
. It also began production of farm equipment under the Rototiller name. In August 1945, Graham-Paige announced plans to resume production under the Graham name, but the plan never materialized. On February 5, 1947, Graham-Paige stockholders approved the transfer of all their automotive assets to Kaiser-Frazer
, an automobile company formed by Frazer and Kaiser, in return for 750,000 shares of Kaiser-Frazer stock and other considerations. Graham's manufacturing facilities on Warren Avenue were sold to Chrysler, who used the plants first for DeSoto
body and engine production, and finally for assembly of the Imperial
for the 1959, 1960, and 1961 model years.
in New York and Madison Square Gardens. In 1962, the firm changed its name to the Madison Square Garden Corporation, which was later absorbed by Gulf & Western Industries. Currently Madison Square Garden is part of Madison Square Garden, L.P.
, of which a majority interest is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation.
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
founded by brothers Joseph B. Graham (September 12, 1882–July 1970) and Robert C. Graham (August 1885–October 3, 1967), and Canadian Ray Austin (May 28, 1887–August 13, 1932) in 1927. Automobile production ceased in 1940, and its automotive assets were acquired by Kaiser-Frazer
Kaiser-Frazer
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige, of which Frazer had been president before the Second World War...
in 1947. As a corporate entity, the Graham-Paige name continued until 1962.
Graham Brothers
After successful involvement in a glass manufacturing company (eventually sold to Libbey Owens FordLibbey Owens Ford
The Libbey–Owens–Ford Company was a producer of flat glass for the automotive and building products industries both for original equipment manufacturers and for replacement use. The company's headquarters and main factories were located in Toledo, Ohio, with large float glass plants in Rossford,...
) brothers Joseph B. Graham (September 12, 1882–July 1970) and Robert C. Graham (August 1885–October 3, 1967) and Canadian Ray Austin (May 28, 1887–August 13, 1932) began in 1919 to produce kits to modify Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
s and TT
Ford Model TT
The Ford Model TT is a truck made by the Ford Motor Company. It was rated at one ton. It was based on the Ford Model T, but with a heavier frame and rear axle.The rear axle had a worm drive and crown wheel,unlike the Ford Model T's Crown wheel and pinion. The worm was located at the end of the...
s into trucks. That led to the brothers building their trucks using engines of various manufacturers and the Graham Brothers brand. Eventually they settled on Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
engines, and soon the trucks were sold by Dodge dealers. The Grahams expanded from beginnings in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, opening plants in 1922 on Meldrum Avenue in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
of 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²), and in 1925 in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. The Canadian market was supplied by the Canadian Dodge plant. Dodge purchased the Graham Brothers truck firm in 1925, and the three Graham brothers took on executive positions at Dodge.
The Graham Brothers brand lasted until 1929; Chrysler Corporation having taken over Dodge in 1928.
Graham-Paige
In 1927, with the banking syndicate controlling Dodge trying to sell the company, the Graham brothers decided to enter the automobile business on their own. In 1927, they purchased the Paige-Detroit Motor CompanyPaige automobile
Paige was a Detroit, United States based automobile company, selling luxury cars between 1908 and 1927.-History:The first car in 1908 was called a Paige-Detroit and was a two seat model powered by a 2.2 liter three cylinder, two stroke engine. In 1910 four stroke, four cylinder models took over and...
, makers of Paige and Jewett
Jewett (automobile)
The Jewett was an automobile built in Detroit, Michigan by the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company from March 1922 through December 1926. The Jewett was named after H.M. Jewett, president of Paige-Detroit. After the first 17 months of production approx. 40,000 vehicles were sold. The car was...
automobiles, for $4 million. Joseph became president, Robert vice-president and Ray secretary-treasurer of the company. The company's initial offering included a line of Graham-Paige cars with six- and eight-cylinder engines. For a while a line of light trucks was offered under the Paige name, soon discontinued when Dodge reminded the Grahams about the non-competition agreement they had signed as part of the sale of the Graham Brothers Company. Grahams earned a reputation for quality and sales quickly rose. Graham also had some success in racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, which helped boost sales. The Graham company logo included profiles of the three brothers and was used in insignia on the cars including badges and taillight lens.
Initially, Graham-Paige withstood the onset of the depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
well, but sales fell as the decade wore on. The 1932 models were designed by Amos Northup
Amos Northup
Amos Northup American automotive designerNorthup was employed by cabinet maker C. J. Wadsworth in Painesville, Ohio early in his career. Then he worked as a designer for automaker Wills Sainte Claire under Childe Wills...
. This particular design has been noted as the "single most influential design in automotive history." The new 8-cylinder engine was called the "Blue Streak." However, the press and public quickly adopted the name "Blue Streak" for the cars themselves. The design introduced a number of innovative ideas. The most copied was the enclosed fenders, thus covering the mud and grime built up on the underside. The radiator cap was moved under the hood, which itself was later modified to cover the cowl, and end at the base of the windshield.
For engineering, the rear kickup on the chassis frame was eliminated by the adoption of a 'banjo' frame. Unlike contemporary practice, the rear axle was placed through large openings on both sides of the frame, with rubber snubbers to absorb any shock if the car axle should make contact. This in turn permitted a wider body. To help lower the car, the rear springs were mounted on the outer sides of the chassis frame and not under the frame. This idea was eventually copied by other manufacturers - Chrysler, for example, in 1957.
For 1934, Graham introduced a crankshaft-driven supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
. At first offered only in the top eight-cylinder models, when the eights were dropped for 1936, the supercharger was adapted to the six. The unit was designed in-house by Graham Assistant Chief Engineer Floyd F. Kishline.. It was an original design, not a Switzer-Cummins or Duesenberg
Duesenberg
Duesenberg was an Auburn, Indiana based American luxury automobile company active in various forms from 1913 to 1937, most famous for its high-quality passenger cars and record-breaking racing cars.-History:...
design. Through the years, Graham would produce more supercharged cars than any other automobile manufacturer until Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
surpassed them in the 1990s.
By 1935, the "Blue Streak" styling was getting rather dated. A restyling of the front and rear ends for 1935 proved to be a disaster, making the cars appear higher and narrower. Having no money for a new body, Graham signed an agreement with Reo Motor Car Company
REO Motor Car Company
The REO Motor Car Company was a Lansing, Michigan based company that produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.REO was initiated by Ransom E. Olds during August 1904...
to purchase car bodies, paying Reo $7.50 in royalties for each Hayes-built body. Graham added new front end styling and revised detailing to these bodies to create the 1936 and 1937 Grahams.
Amos Northup of Murray Body was hired to design a new model for 1938. Unfortunately, he died before the design was complete. It is believed the final design was completed by Graham engineers. The new 1938 Graham was introduced with the slogan "Spirit of Motion". The fenders, wheel openings and grille all appeared to be moving forward. The design was widely praised in the American press and by American designers. It also won the prestigious Concours D'Elegance in Paris, France. Wins were also recorded in the Prix d'Avant-Garde at Lyon, the Prix d'Elegance at Bordeaux, and the Grand Prix d'Honneur at Deauville, France. Its cut-back grille later gained the car the name "sharknose", which appears to have origins in the 1950s. The styling was a complete flop in sales. The most reliable estimates, from period publications, suggest the total production of all 3 years of these cars is between 6000 and 13,000 units. With this low production Graham limped through 1939 and 1940.
Desperate for a winning offering and unable to retool, Graham made a deal with the ailing Hupp Motor Co. in late 1939. According to the deal, the faltering company entered into an arrangement with Hupmobile
Hupmobile
The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909...
to build cars based on the body dies of the stunning Gordon Buehrig
Gordon Buehrig
Gordon Miller Buehrig was a noted automobile designer. Born in Mason City, Illinois, he had early design experience with Packard, General Motors and Stutz. In 1929, he was responsible for designing the bodies of the Stutz Black Hawks entered at Le Mans...
-designed Cord
Cord Automobile
Cord was the brand name of a United States automobile, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 through 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937....
810/812. In an effort to remain in business, Hupp had acquired the Cord dies, but lacked the financial resources to build the car.
Graham agreed to build the Hupmobile
Hupmobile
The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909...
Skylark on a contract basis, while receiving the rights to use the distinctive Cord dies to produce a similar car of its own, to be called the Hollywood. The striking Skylark/Hollywood differed from the Cord from the cowl forward with a redesigned hood, front fenders and conventional headlights, achieved by automotive designer John Tjaarda of Lincoln Zephyr fame. The Cord's longer hood was not needed, as the Hupp and Graham versions were rear-wheel drive. This also necessitated modifying the floor to accept a driveshaft.
The Hollywood was available in a standard 6 cylinder version and a supercharged version. Each engine was manufactured by Graham-Paige itself. However, the Hollywood did not stop the company's slide. It actually was a worse flop in the sales department for both Graham and Hupmobile than either firm's respective preceding models. The company suspended manufacturing in September, 1940, only to reopen its plant for military production for World War II.
The company resumed automobile production in 1946 producing a new car, the Frazer, named for Graham-Paige President Joseph Frazer
Joseph W. Frazer
Joseph Washington Frazer was a 20th-century American automobile company executive employed in succession by Chrysler, Willys-Overland, Graham-Paige and Kaiser-Frazer Corporation...
, in partnership with Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
. It also began production of farm equipment under the Rototiller name. In August 1945, Graham-Paige announced plans to resume production under the Graham name, but the plan never materialized. On February 5, 1947, Graham-Paige stockholders approved the transfer of all their automotive assets to Kaiser-Frazer
Kaiser-Frazer
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige, of which Frazer had been president before the Second World War...
, an automobile company formed by Frazer and Kaiser, in return for 750,000 shares of Kaiser-Frazer stock and other considerations. Graham's manufacturing facilities on Warren Avenue were sold to Chrysler, who used the plants first for DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
body and engine production, and finally for assembly of the Imperial
Imperial (automobile)
Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation's luxury automobile brand between 1955 and 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1981 to 1983.The Imperial name had been used since 1926, but was never a separate make, just the top-of-the-line Chrysler. In 1955, the company decided to spin it off as its own make...
for the 1959, 1960, and 1961 model years.
Post-automotive legacy
Graham-Paige dropped the "Motors" from its name and went into real estate, buying up such properties as the Roosevelt RacewayRoosevelt Raceway
The Roosevelt Raceway motor sports race track was a Vanderbilt Cup / GP venue on New York's Long Island for the United States Grand Prix in 1936 and 1937. The original raceway was twisty and bumpy, making it not quite suited to the big-bore big-BHP racecars of the day. The 1937 layout was faster,...
in New York and Madison Square Gardens. In 1962, the firm changed its name to the Madison Square Garden Corporation, which was later absorbed by Gulf & Western Industries. Currently Madison Square Garden is part of Madison Square Garden, L.P.
Madison Square Garden, L.P.
Madison Square Garden, Inc. , is an American entertainment promotion company, headquartered in New York, New York. The company spun off from Cablevision on February 9, 2010.-Divisions:...
, of which a majority interest is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation.