Marquette (automobile)
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| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Successor | Buick |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Defunct | 1930 |
| Products | Luxury vehicles |
| Parent | General Motors |
Marquette was a brand used on several different automobiles, most recently on Buick's companion make.
The name Marquette was first used for an automobile when the Berwick Auto Car Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, frequently took it as a model designation for their electric car in 1904.
For General Motors, William Durant bought the Rainier Motor Car Company in May 1909, which was in severe financial trouble. A new company, the Marquette Motor Company was established in Saginaw, Michigan, to continue production of the luxurious Rainier motor car until 1911. Further, they manufactured parts for another luxury make belonging to General Motors, the Welch (1903–1911), and its cheaper sister car, the Welch-Detroit (1910–1911). Management was controlled by Buick officers. After Durant left GM for the first time in September 1910, it was tried to make both the Rainier and the Welch profitable. Therefore, with the Marquette, a new make was introduced. It produced two car lines, both with huge 4-cylinder engines. The 40 hp line, basically an improved and elongated Rainier (122 instead of 120 in. wheelbase), was available in four open body styles:
The chassis had a wheelbase of 122 inches. Each sold for $3,000.
The 45 hp line consisted of one model only, the Model 28 7-passenger touring. It had a wheelbase of 119 inches, and sold for $4,000.
It seems that this reorganization was not successful, as GM announced the end of the Marquette still in 1912. Probably, some of the last Marquettes were labeled as Peninsular.
The Marquette nameplate was revived when the Buick Division of General Motors launched their own sister make for model year 1930. Along with Viking and LaSalle, the Marquette was conceived to span a price gap in General Motors' market segmentation plan, and shared the GM B platform. Marquette was placed below Buick, but above Viking which was to be sold in Oldsmobile dealerships. The Marquette "arrived" in dealer showrooms on June 1, 1929.
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