View source for Argo (automobile)

{{short description|Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer}}
{{about||the automobile company that operated in Saginaw, Michigan from 1912 to 1916|Argo Electric|the British manufacturer of racing cars|Argo Racing Cars}}

[[File:Argo automobile, Natural History Museum - Washington, D.C..jpg|thumb|An Argo parked in front of the [[National Museum of Natural History]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] circa 1915]]

The '''Argo''' was a short-lived American [[Car|automobile]] manufactured by the '''Argo Motor Co''' in [[Jackson, Michigan]], between 1914 and 1918. Previously, the factory had been used by the [[Standard Electric (automobile)|Standard Electric Car Co]] to build an electric car.<ref name=Beaulieu>{{cite book |last=G.N. Georgano |author-link=G.N. Georgano |first=N. |title=Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile |year=2000 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |isbn=1-57958-293-1}}{{page needed|date=March 2024}}</ref>

The company originally made the [[four-cylinder]] "Motorvique" [[cyclecar]] based on the [[Ajax (1913 automobile)|Ajax]] built by the Briscoe brothers in France. It had a 4-cylinder 12&nbsp;hp engine and was different from the French market Ajax only in that it did not use [[friction drive]].<ref name=Beaulieu/>

Few cyclecars sold well in America, and in 1916, it was replaced by a conventional 22&nbsp;hp assembled touring car in an attempt to rival [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] at producing a "motor car for the millions". The 1916 model sold for $405 in two-seater form.

In 1917 the company was sold to Mansell Hackett, and the name was changed to [[Hackett (automobile)|Hackett]] and moved its operations to [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]].<ref name=Beaulieu/>

The company had an unknown connection with the Saginaw, Michigan, based [[Argo Electric]] vehicle company.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Argo Motor vehicles}}
{{JacksonCars}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argo (Automobile)}}
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1914]]
[[Category:Vintage vehicles]]
[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cyclecars]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Michigan]]


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