March 11, 2023

NORWALK

Norwalk Motor Car Co.

Norwalk, Ohio (1910-1911)

Martinsburg, West Virginia (1912-1915; 1918-1922)


This is a Norwalk emblem (dates unknown)     mjs
Size: 51mm diameter    MM: None

The Norwalk Motor Car Company was organized by Arthur E Skadden in early 1910 and production of the 35hp four-cylinder Norwalk began but the company was soon in financial trouble and was bankrupt a year later.

Skadden went to Martinsburg in West Virginia and found some new investors for his car. The four-cylinder Norwalk, which had grown to 45hp, was joined by a 38hp six-cylinder model in 1912 and Norwalks became sixes exclusively in 1913. In 1912, the Norwalk was given an underslung frame and "Rolling in Luxury" became the slogan. More powerful 50/70hp models were built in 1913.

By 1914, the company was in trouble again and went into receivership in November and the plant was closed in February 1915. However, Skadden and his company remained and did overhauling and painting work, as well as making parts for Piedmont (see Piedmont) from 1917.

An entirely new Norwalk car appeared in 1918. The Norwalk offered was now a much lower-priced assembled 35hp four-cylinder five-passenger touring car and was essentially the same product as the Piedmont. The Norwalk was also badge-engineered and sold under different names, including the Marshall and the Stork-Kar (see Stork-Kar).

When Arthur Skadden died in 1919, Norwalk cars continued to be sold but the cars were actually  Piedmont built cars carrying the Norwalk emblem. The Norwalk business was finally shut down in 1922.

Emblems

I have not seen any emblem for the Norwalk built in Ohio. If you have details of any such emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The Norwalk emblem shown above at the top of this post for the Martinsburg-built Norwalk and the variations in different colors shown below were used as hub emblems, see Norwalk hubcap also shown below. They may also have been used as radiator emblems on some models but I cannot confirm this.

This is a Norwalk hubcap (dates unknown)   dkc

This is a Norwalk emblem (dates unknown)    mjs
Size:51mm diameter   MM: None

This is a Norwalk emblem (dates unknown)    mjs
Size:51mm diameter  MM: Unknown

The original photos of Norwalk cars that I have seen do not show a radiator emblem, see example shown below:

Norwalk Underslung Md 28 without radiator emblem  forums.aaca

However, a more recent photo of a restored surviving Norwalk Underslung Six, see below, does show a radiator emblem of the same design as the emblems shown above but I cannot tell if the radiator emblem is finished in enamel or indeed if it was used originally or was added during restoration.


This shows a radiator emblem on a 1914 Norwalk Six   tom

If you have better details of a Norwalk radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.



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