Predecessor | Gyroscope (automobile) |
---|---|
Founded | 1910 |
Founder | Henry Bowen, Fred Postal |
Defunct | 1912 |
Fate | Factory Fire |
Headquarters | |
Products | Automobile Manufacturer |
The Lion was a brass era automobile built in Adrian, Michigan, United States by the Lion Motor Car Company from 1909 to 1912. [1]
The Lion Motor Car Company was formed to produce the engine developed for the Gyroscope automobile. This plan was abandoned and the Lion was a four-cylinder 40 hp engine model called the Forty. [1] In 1910 Runabout and Tourers were medium-priced at $1,500 and $1,600, equivalent to $52,320 in 2023. [1] Lion advertised " The Lion Forty runs like a Sixty". [2] [1]
A fire on June 2, 1912, destroyed the factory and 150 cars, including a prototype model Thirty. The city of Adrian and citizens raised $8,000 to help, but the Lion Motor Car Company was under-insured and went into receivership by October. [2]
Two Lion examples are known to be extant; one in a museum in Adrian, Michigan and another in Australia. The Australian car is located in Queensland.