Napoleon Motor Car Company

There is one Napoleon truck known to exist and it is owned and occasionally displayed at the Hagerty Insurance Company headquarters.

The Napoleon Motor Car Company was founded in 1916 in Napoleon, Ohio by a group of men who had already been involved in the young automobile industry. The company found itself in need of a bigger factory and was offered the chance to come to Traverse City, MI where they could keep up with the demand. The Napoleon car business would move and become the Traverse City Motor Car Company but the truck business would stay behind and became Reya but only survived for a few years. The company would change its name to the Napoleon Motors Company in 1918 and by the end of 1919 would end its car production and build trucks only. Production thrived through 1920 but by mid-1921 orders were slow due the numerous trucks on the market manufactured for the war effort and because of the post-war recession in general. Unable to sustain itself, the company went into receivership in September of 1922 joining the ranks of other failed automobile and truck companies in Michigan and throughout the U.S.

The Napoleon Motor Car Company started life in Napoleon, Ohio. A group of men who all had previous experience in the automotive industry throughout Ohio and Indiana combined their expertise and formed the Napoleon Auto Manufacturing Company in March of 1916. The company would move into the old Morningstar Threshing Machine Company building to produce both a five-passenger and a seven-passenger touring car. Almost immediately the companywas outgrowing the facility and would look for a new city to call home. Traverse City, MI coincidently was not only seeking an automotive manufacturer to come to town, but also was losing The Oval Wood Dish Company which would relocate to New York during the middle of the following year.

In June of 1917 the announcement was made Traverse City was indeed chosen as the new home of the auto concern and the former W.E. Williams Flooring Company building would become its new home. The agreement included $75k in working capital and free rent for three years. The company would be reorganized into the Traverse City Motor Car Company in August. Automobile production would begin in the new facility in short order but truck production would remain in Ohio under the name of Reya Motor Company. This would only continue into the next year and ultimately Reya would be discontinued, bringing truck production back to Traverse City.

1918 brought more changes including a new name. In August, it was decided to change the company name to the Napoleon Motors Company. Orders were pouring in for automobiles and trucks alike prompting a new stock campaign for more capital heading into 1919. The new year saw increased orders and production as well as sales expansion into other states and countries. Trucks were selling well but automobile sales were lacking and thus the decision was made to focus exclusively on truck production for 1920.

Innovations were the focus of the new model year with a lighter truck put on the market as well as a “mobile sales office” which contributed to capital increase, record sales, and expansion. It seemed as if Napoleon would go on to compete with some of the bigger manufacturers of the day but it was not to be. By the middle of 1921 a recession had hit and several factors including a vast amount of trucks left over from the war that were still in existence ultimately caused the company to fail. In September of 1922 the Napoleon Motors Company went into receivership and the factory was sold.

Accessed May 23rd 2022. www.wheelswaterengines.com.