The Ajax car manufactured by Nash Motors was probably the most successful of the five different attempts to use the name in auto manufacturing. Photo from wikipedia.org

American auto manufacturer names are typically the last name of the founder, as in the case of Ford (Henry Ford), Chevrolet (Louis Chevrolet), and Dodge (Horace and John Dodge). Other times, auto manufacturers were created by existing companies and given names that were significant to the area or the founders, like Pontiac (named by GM for a local Indian tribe), Rambler (named after the Rambler bicycle), and DeSoto (named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto).

Some automotive names have done better than others in car sales and longevity. Some have done horrible, as if they were cursed by a tribal witch doctor. Such is the case of automotive companies named “Ajax.” No less than five separate automotive companies have attempted to make a go of it bearing the Ajax name. In Greek mythology, Ajax is towering figure and a warrior of great courage. These are things that any great automobile would want to represent, and exactly what Alfred L. Simpson was after when he founded the Ajax Motor Vehicle Company in 1901.

1901-1903

The Ajax Motor Vehicle Company manufactured electric cars in New York City, during a time when electric cars were very popular. The alternatives were steam cars that took 20 minutes to prep before driving or the noisy internal combustion cars that frightened people and horses that occupied the roads. The Ajax two-seater runabout featured a 1 1/2 horsepower motor, with twenty eight inch wire wheels that were chain driven. Advertised as “An honest automobile at an honest price”. The typical Ajax runabout was priced at $850.00 in 1903.

Electric vehicles were dealt a tremendous blow in 1902 when investment schemes oversold stocks and undersold products which left investors sour on electric vehicles. Ajax Motor Vehicle Company closed their door in 1903, avoiding the bank panic and recession of 1907 that forced a lot of auto makers to close their doors. This recession lead Henry Ford to focus on making only one car at a very low price, guaranteeing success in the marketplace.

The Ajax electric and first attempt at using the name. Photo from www.american-automobiles.com

1906-1910

The next attempt to make the name a success in auto making came from a Swiss manufacturer, Dr. G. Aigner, in Zurich. Starting operations in 1906, Aigner failed almost immediately and the company was taken over by an international group of three directors. One from New York, one from Java, and one from Switzerland. The company failed again but was reformed in 1907 with four new models.

After some marginal success, the company made an attempt to enter the taxi business, and failed for the third time. They closed the doors for good in February of 1910.

1913-1919

Grille and hood ornament/motometer from the Ajax/Nash Six. Photo from wikipedia.org

In 1913, the American Briscoe brothers (Benjamin and Frank) began manufacturing a French automobile in 1913. The brothers labored with mediocre success until 1919 when the pair shut down operations in France. Returning to America, the brothers attempted to build another car for the public, the Argo car, using styling and features of the Ajax car, but the effort failed quickly.

1914-1915

The Ajax Motors Company, founded in Seattle, Washington in 1914, produced a six cylinder car that was available in conventional poppet valve form or sleeve-valve form. According to documents from the time, the engine could be changed from either valve type to the other with “comparatively little expense.” The company ceased operation in 1915.

A prototype 5 seat touring car was proposed under the name Ajax in 1920, but never went past the prototype planning stage. Set to begin production in 1921, the 116-inch wheelbase, six-cylinder engine car was never built.

1925-1926

The last shot at making the Ajax name work in the automotive world was launched in 1925 when Nash Motors Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin, began production of the Ajax car through the recently acquired Mitchell Motors Company in Racine, Wisconsin. All of the Ajax models produced were converted into Nash Light Six models in 1926, killing the Ajax name.

With this track record, it is highly unlikely that the name Ajax will resurface as a potential auto manufacturer again. Some names seem to be cursed and doomed to failure. Ajax tops that list.