MADISON

Madison Motor Co. (1915)

Madison Motors Corp. (1916-1919)

Anderson, Indiana

This is a Madison Six radiator emblem (1916-1919)     mjs
Size: 47mm diameter    MM: Unknown

Henry Nyberg had built the Nyberg automobile in Anderson, Indiana until that venture failed in 1913 (see Nyberg). Nyberg decided to try again in the same factory in 1915 with the newly established Madison Motor Company. The new 22hp six-cylinder car was initially called the Dolly Madison but the name was shortened to Madison in 1916 and the company was reorganized as Madison Motors Corporation later that year.

Financial problems resulted in an inability to secure parts, so that by 1918 production had ceased. Madison was taken over by the Bull Tractor Company in the early spring of 1919, when the final three Madison cars were produced. Total Madison production was only 453 cars.

Emblems

Factory photos of the 1917 Madison Six are seen in Madison advertisements published in 1916 and in articles in the trade press, see examples shown below:

1917 Madison Six advertisement (1916)  ma

 

1917 Madison 6-40 Touring car showing rad emblem & script (1917)  atj

The 1917 Madison 6-40 photo shown above has a radiator emblem and a Madison Six script mounted on the front of the radiator core. The detailed design of the radiator emblem cannot be seen in this photo but an example of an original painted metal Madison Six radiator emblem is shown above at the top of this post. This Madison Six radiator emblem is rare.

Original examples of the "Madison Six" radiator script are also rare.

I do not know if there was a different radiator emblem for the Dolly Madison produced by the Madison Motor Company in 1915. If such an emblem exists, it would be extremely rare. If you have details of such an emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.