Premier Motor Manufacturing Company
The Premier Motor Manufacturing Company was organized in 1903 by George A. Weidely and Harold O. Smith in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company built automobiles with air-cooled engines.Vehicles
The 1904 Four-Cylinder Premier was a touring car model. Equipped with a tonneau, it could seat six passengers and sold for US$ 5,000. The vertically mounted water-cooled straight-4, situated at the front of the car, produced 40 hp. A three-speed sliding transmission was fitted as on Système Panhard cars from Europe. The pressed steel-framed car weighed 2250 lb and used semi-elliptic springs. A Double-Cylinder Premier model sold for US$ 2,500. It had a 2-stroke straight-twin engine producing 20 hp.
During 1906, the Model "F" and Model "L" were on the market with prices that ranged from $1,250 to $2,250. The cars were advertised as summer and winter vehicles that had a "powerful motor, easy but substantial clutch, buoyant springs and luxurious upholstering."
During the First World War demand for the FWD Model B all wheel drive truck was too great for the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company to meet, so Premier was engaged along with the Peerless Motor Company, Kissel Motor Car Company and Mitchell Motor Car Company to build the Model B under license. One Model B was assembled by Premier in Indianapolis using parts from all four manufacturers to demonstrate that all parts were truly interchangeable. Premier also built 500 FWDs for the British Army in 1916.
Remaining examples of Premier automobiles are rather rare. A 1905 Premier is on display in the Speedway Museum in Indianapolis and a 1918 Premier is on display at Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, New Jersey. A 1916 Premier is on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
