 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | automotive |
| Founded | 1922 inDetroit |
| Founder | James Scripps Booth |
| Defunct | 1923; 102 years ago (1923) |
| Fate | Acquired byGeneral Motors, then defunct |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | James Scripps-Booth, William B. Stout, Alanson P. Brush |
| Products | automobiles |
| Parent | General Motors |
Scripps-Booth was aUnited Statesautomobilemarque based inDetroit,Michigan. Established byJames Scripps Booth in 1913, Scripps-Booth Company produced motor vehicles and was later acquired byGeneral Motors, becoming adivision of it, until the brand was discontinued in 1923.
The company was founded by artist and engineerJames Scripps Booth (of theScrippspublishing family), who also built theBi-Autogo.[1] Although the company's first models werecyclecars,Scripps-Booth later produced a "luxurious light car" intended for the luxury market. Designed byWilliam B. Stout, the Model C went on sale in 1915. James Booth next developed a sporting version called Vitesse using theAlanson P. Brush designed FerroV8, to compete withMercer andStutz. The roadster idea was vetoed by company directors and the engine was used in the four-seater Model D instead[2] About one-third of Model C production had been shipped to Europe and Scripps-Booth smaller luxury cars were popular in export markets.[2][3]
Reliability issues with the Sterling engine in early cars caused the engine to be changed to aChevrolet 490 in the Model G. James Booth believed the company should build their own engines and when company directors declined to do this, Booth resigned.[2]
In 1916, Scripps-Booth Companyconsolidated with the Sterling Motor Company to become the publicly tradedScripps-Booth Corporation.[4] By the end of 1917, Scripps-Booth had been purchased by Chevrolet whose founderWilliam C. Durant was also the founding president of Sterling Motor Company.[5] Billy Durant regained control ofGeneral Motors and Scripps-Booth became a division of GM with A. H. Sarver as president.
The Scripps-Booth cars were now built withOaklandchassis andNorthway engines. With the departure of Durant fromGM in 1921,Alfred P. Sloan could not find a use for Scripps-Booth in the GM line-up and discontinued the brand name in 1922. The factory was converted to buildBuicks. Approximately 60,000 Scripps-Booths had been produced.[2][3]
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TheVintage Chevrolet Club of America accepts the following Scripps-Booth models:[6]
For 1914, Scripps-Booth offered a three-passengertorpedoroadster, powered by a 103 in3 (1702 cc) (2+7⁄8×4-inch,3+1⁄2×102 mm)[7] 18 hp (13 kW) water-cooled four-cylinder[8] ofvalve-in-head design[8] withZenithcarburetor andAtwater-Kent automatic spark advance.[8] It featured a 110 in (2794 mm)wheelbase and 30×3+1⁄2-inch (76×8.8-cm)[8] Houk detachablewire wheels, with three speeds and shaft drive.[8] With complete electrical equipment, from Bijur[8]starter to ignition (on a separate switch from starter) toheadlights to Klaxet electric horn (with a button in the steering hub, rather than a bulb)[8] to pushbutton door locks,[8] it sold for US$775, equivalent to $24,329 in 2024[8]
The 1916-17 Model D was powered by anoverhead valveV8 engine[9] designed by Alanson Brush.[10]
Before marrying the main character inJohn O'Hara's 1934 novelAppointment in Samarra, a youthful Caroline Walker drives a Scripps-Booth Model C Roadster. The car's unusual seating arrangement, in which "the driver sat a foot or so forward of the other seat, which made kissing an awkward act", is especially noted.[11]
Groucho Marx owned a Scripps-Booth.
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