RAPID

Rapid Motor Vehicle Co.
Detroit, Michigan (1904-1905)
Pontiac, Michigan (1905-1912)

This is a Rapid radiator script (dates)    mjs
Size: 238mm wide 120mm high  

The first Rapid truck in 1904 was a light delivery van with a two-cylinder engine mounted under the driver's seat and single chain drive to the rear axle. Rapid moved to a plant in Pontiac, Michigan in 1905.

Rapid introduced a full line of trucks in 1906 with nine different models, including a 1-ton commercial vehicle and a number of buses with up to 20-seats. By 1909 the Rapid line had a total of seventeen models including an ambulance, petrol wagon and fire engine, as well buses for 9- to 22-passengers and 1-ton and 1-1/2-ton trucks. In 1912 Rapid was absorbed by General Motors (see GMC).

Emblems

The following surviving Rapid 9-passenger bus displays the "Rapid" name on an ornate cast brass ornament mounted on top of the dash over the radiator, as well as on the step plate and hubcaps, see photos shown below:

Rapid 9-passenger bus (1905)   conceptcarz

Rapid 9-passenger bus dash ornament (1905)   conceptcarz
Size: Unknown

Rapid 9-passenger bus step plate (1905)   conceptcarz

If an original Rapid brass dash ornament could be found, it would be extremely rare.

1906 advertisements for the Rapid 20-passenger sightseeing bus show a "Rapid" script logo but the bus illustration has the "Rapid" name displayed on the front of the dash in large capital letters, probably using a brass script, see example below:

Rapid 20-passenger bus ad (1906)  ebay

Detail showing Rapid script displayed on the dash (1906)

However, most Rapid buses at this time display the "Rapid" name on the radiator in the same style as the script logo, see the following example also from 1906:

Rapid Pullman bus advertisement (1906)    ebay

Detail showing Rapid script on rad core below the dash (1906)  

The following surviving 12-passenger Rapid bus displays a large brass "Rapid" logo script mounted on the radiator core, as shown below:

Rapid 12-passenger bus (1906)    hfm

Close up showing Rapid radiator script (1906)   hfm

The "Rapid" name is also displayed on a painted cast brass combined Rapid maker's nameplate and serial plate, see below:

Rapid bus nameplate/serial plate (1906)   hfm

The following 1908 Rapid 1-ton truck advertisement also shows a large Rapid radiator script:

Rapid 1-ton truck ad showing large radiator script (1908)    ebay

The following example of an extremely large "Rapid" script probably painted on the dash may be a "special" made for publicity purposes, as the original photo was taken during the 1908 Glidden Tour:

Rapid truck with very large dash script (1908)    dpl

From about 1909, the Rapid radiator script reduced in size but retained the same logo style, see examples shown below:

Rapid truck showing radiator script (1910)  dpl

Rapid sightseeing buses at Mt Rainier showing radiator scripts (c1910-1911)   tom

This is the brass Rapid radiator script shown above at the top of this post and again below. Original Rapid radiator scripts are scarce.

This is a Rapid radiator script (c1909-1912)    mjs
Size: 238mm wide 120mm high