History

Marmon began experimenting with a limited number of cars as early as 1902 and continued production through 1933 when the Great Depression took its toll on the Indianapolis based company.

However, while in business, the Marmon was always in the forefront of automobile engineering advancement. The winner of the first Indianapolis 500, in 1911, Ray Haroun, was driving a Marmon Wasp. (As somewhat of a pilgrimage, this particular Marmon 68 Coupe has been driven around the famous 2 1/2 mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.)

The 1929 Marmon was the first "mass produced" 8 cylinder vehicle. Another innovation of the 1929 models was their anti-lock braking system. It was unique in that it incorporated 3 brake shoes within the brake drum with a series of eccentric linkages. All of the other manufactures of the day used the traditional 2 brake shoe system which tended to lock up under heavy braking while making sharp simultaneous turns.

In their day, the Marmons earned the reputation of being reliable, speedy upscale cars.