SPEEDWELL

Speedwell Motor Car Co. (1907-1915)

Dayton, Ohio

This is a Speedwell radiator emblem (c1909-1913)      mjs
Size: 62mm diameter     MM: Unknown

The chief engineer for the Speedwell was Gilbert J Loomis, who had earlier built cars under his own name (see Loomis). The first Speedwell cars introduced in 1907 were a 40 hp four-cylinder model and a 60 hp six-cylinder model offered in a number of body styles. Four-cylinder models only were produced from 1909 to 1913 and then six-cylinder models only from 1913. The Speedwell was a well designed, well built automobile.

Speedwell also built commercial vehicles between 1908 and 1915. The first Speedwell commercials were light delivery vans but were replaced by larger vehicles. By 1912 only 2-ton and 3-ton capacity trucks were offered in the commercial line. A 6-ton capacity truck was also built in 1913 and 1914. 

Speedwell production suffered after about 1913, Gilbert Loomis departed and there were management problems, followed by a serious flood which stopped production. It was all over for the Speedwell in early 1915.

Emblems

The first Speedwell cars in 1907 were unlikely to have carried an emblem. However, they may have displayed the "Speedwell" name on a brass script attached to the radiator, see example below. Original "Speedwell" radiator scripts are rare.

This is a Speedwell radiator script (c1909)      mjs
Size: 311mm wide

The Speedwell name was also displayed on the hub caps and on a small cast metal maker's nameplate/serial plate, similar to that shown below, attached either to the dash or under the driver's seat:

This is a Speedwell nameplate/serial plate (c1908)    mjs
Size: 110mm wide 57mm high

The first Speedwell radiator emblem appeared in about 1909/1910 and is seen together with the "Speedwell" script logo on the 1910 Speedwell advertisement shown below:

This is a Speedwell ad showing a radiator emblem and script logo design (1910)  ms

This circular emblem is the green and white enamel Speedwell radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post. This Speedwell radiator emblem is very rare.

The Speedwell hub cap also had a green and white enamel emblem, see example below. This Speedwell hub emblem is very rare.

This is a Speedwell hub cap (c1912)     dkc
Size: 51mm diameter (hub emblem)

The following photo shows the Speedwell radiator emblem and a radiator script on a surviving 1910 Speedwell. The radiator script may be a reproduction. 

This is a Speedwell car displaying a radiator emblem and script (1910)  significantcars   

There was a change to a smaller diameter Speedwell radiator emblem by about 1914, as seen in the original photo shown below:

This is a Speedwell car showing a smaller radiator emblem (1914)    tom

The following darker green and white enamel radiator emblem is believed to be the smaller diameter Speedwell emblem shown above. This Speedwell radiator emblem is also very rare.

This is a Speedwell radiator emblem (c1914-1915)     mjs
Size: 40mm diameter   MM: Robbins

The first Speedwell light delivery vans based on passenger car chassis displayed the same radiator script and radiator emblem as the passenger cars. 

From late 1911, with the introduction of the heavy Speedwell trucks, the "Speedwell" name was initially displayed either on the box above the radiator or on the side of the box or on a panel by the driver's seat, see examples shown below on original Speedwell truck photos:

This is a Speedwell truck showing a script on the front of the radiator box (1911)  truck news

This is a Speedwell truck with script at side of box (1912)   truck news

The following Speedwell truck advertisement from 1912 shows a large circular Speedwell emblem displayed on the front of the box over the radiator:

This is a Speedwell truck ad showing an emblem (1912) the power wagon

Close up showing the Speedwell emblem (1912)   the power wagon

I have not seen this Speedwell emblem, which is larger than the passenger car radiator emblem and was most likely painted. If you have details of this Speedwell emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The following original photo taken from a Speedwell 2-ton truck advertisement in 1913 shows a "Speedwell" script on the body side near the driver's seat and what appears to be a small Speedwell emblem or nameplate in a side panel below the driver's seat:

This is a Speedwell ad showing a script and a small nameplate (1913)  the power wagon

Close up showing script and small nameplate under driver's seat (1913)   the power wagon