The Imperial Automobile Company of Jackson, Michigan

Jackson, Michigan

Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...

, was formed by the brothers T.A. and George N. Campbell in 1908, who also ran the Jackson Carriage Company. Imperial produced mid-size car

Mid-size car

A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...

s with four-cylinder

Straight-4

The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....

 engines; the bodywork

Coachwork

Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...

 and mechanicals were primarily off-the-shelf rather than bespoke

Bespoke

Bespoke is a term employed in a variety of applications to mean an item custom-made to the buyer's specification...

. Coachwork

Coachwork

Coachwork is the body of a horse-drawn coach or carriage, a motor vehicle , a railroad car or railway carriage. Usually reserved for bodies built on a separate chassis, rather than being of unitary or monocoque construction...

 was done out-of-house by Beaudette Company, which also did work for 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...

 and Ford. Car production lasted until 1916.

History

The 1912 model came complete with a windshield, speedometer, gas lamps, Prest-O-Lite tank and tools. The Model 34 Touring Car was priced at $1,400 and the Model 33 Roadster at $1,250. High end, Model 44 Touring Car cost $1,750.

Fate

In 1915, Imperial merged with Marion

Marion (automobile)

The Marion is a name that has been applied to at least four different automobile companies:* Marion, Marion, Ohio 1901* Marion, Indianapolis, Indiana 1904-1915** Marion-Handley, Jackson, Michigan 1916-1919* Marion Flyer Marion, Indiana 1910...

 from Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 to form Mutual Motors Company. Under this new name, they stopped production of Imperials the following year and made Marion-Handley

Marion-Handley

The Marion-Handley was an automobile built in Jackson, Michigan by the Mutual Motors Company from 1916-19. The Marion-Handley was a continuation of the earlier Marion vehicle, and was a popular vehicle. Two models were available, a touring car and a four-seater roadster. The 6-40 model was built...

cars instead.