Gaylord Car

The only known Gaylord Car to exist is on display at the Gaylord Visitor Center.

Additional information about the Gaylord Motor Car Corporation can be found at the Otsego County History Museum which is located across the street from the Visitor Center.

The idea for a car company in Gaylord came in the spring months of 1910. At the time Gaylord had been a city for little more than 35 years and was both a center between logging camps and a stop on the Michigan Central Railway. A. B. C. Comstock who was a local businessman and banker knew that the logging boom was coming to and end and there needed to be sustainable new industry going forward. Detroit machinist Guy Hamilton had come to Gaylord on a fishing trip and shortly after he had gotten off the train, he and Comstock met over a cup of coffee in a cafe perhaps by fate. The two men discussed the possibility of bringing a automobile factory to Gaylord that would go on to sell not only automobiles but also a "utility" type vehicle aimed at farming needs and the ability to navigate the rough terrain in Northern Michigan. Hamilton had already been working with automobiles since at least 1903 and was considered a very capable man to design a car. The two men agreed to pursue the idea and assembled other local businessmen to form a committee. The idea was well received and soon after the Gaylord Motor Car Company was born. About 350 total vehicles were built during the existence of the company but they ultimately went out of business in 1913 because of a variety of reasons including the incredibly low price of the Model T.

The idea for the Gaylord Motor Car Company came from a chance meeting between Detroit machinist Guy Hamilton and local businessman A.B.C. Comstock. Gaylord, MI had been looking for an industry to replace the dying lumber business and both men agreed that the city could become the “new Detroit”.

Hamilton had worked in both the coin-operated business and in the automotive business in varying roles including chief engineer for Demotcar in Detroit prior to coming to Gaylord. His vision was to produce a “utility” vehicle which was a passenger car but could become a vehicle to haul things for the local farmer by removing the back seat.

In May of 1910 the company was formally incorporated and a site was selected for a factory. By the end of August vehicle production had begun and the future looked bright. The Gaylord was featured at the New York Auto Show on New Year’s Eve along with several other Michigan manufacturers. Reviews were excellent as the functionality of the vehicle made it unlike anything else at the show.

Business seemed to be moving along but by 1913 a combination of lower priced vehicles like the Model “T” and other factors drove the company into bankruptcy. In 1915 the company’s assets were sold and in 1919 the company officially dissolved. Guy Hamilton went on to be involved in several other automobile and truck companies including the Alter Motor Company in Plymouth, MI, the Hamilton Motors Company in Grand haven, MI, and Bollstrom Motors in St. Louis, MI.

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