| < 1928 | Later Years > |
1928-1932 Graham-Paige
Four Speed Advantages. Hearst's International Cosmopolitan Magazine, December 1928
From this point forward the story is best told by a Graham enthusiast. Here are some of the highlights.
On January 5, 1928, the name of the company was changed to Graham-Paige Motors Corporation, and a new line of Graham-Paige automobiles was presented to the public as a "second series" of 1928 models. Gone was the old Paige line of twenty body types on four chassis. In their place were twelve Graham-Paige models on five chassis in sixes and eights with prices from $860 to $2,485. Models included the 619 4-passenger coupe, $1,575 (pictured nearby), and the 610 and 629 5-passengers sedans, $875 and $1,985, respectively.
As Another Year Begins. . . MoToR, January, 1929
All the new 1928 Graham-Paige cars had a crisp new styling that made them an instant hit. Production was expanded as much as possible to meet the demand. Further, additions to the plant were made, and sales during the first six months of the year exceeded any previous total year. In the single month of August a total of 11,207 cars were built, more than half the total for the entire twelve months of 1927. The Graham brothers' ambitious plans were paying off quite well.
The total production for 1928 amounted to something over 73,000 cars, setting a record for a new car in its first year. That record was short lived, however, as the new De Soto topped it just one year later. The results, nevertheless, were amazing and must have been gratifying for the brothers.
By the summer of 1929, Graham-Paige was operating the large main plant in Detroit, a new service and export complex at Fort and McKinstry Streets in Detroit, the body plant in Wayne, and another body plant in Evansville, Indiana, now with a total of 1,876,600 square feet of manufacturing space. And the Company bought a lumber mill and hardwood forest reserves in Florida to supply all needed hardwood for the bodies. Sales continued to be brisk.
In August, 1929, the Company announced 1930 Graham-Paige models. These proved to be the last to bear the Graham-Paige nameplate. In January of 1930 the company introduced a "second series" of "Very Good Cars at Low Prices" that dropped Paige from the name. Thereafter the car was simply the Graham.
NEW GRAHAM-8
"Paige" is eliminated from car name
All passenger cars built by the Graham-Paige Motors Corp. will be known henceforth by the single name, "Graham," while "Paige" will be reserved for a line of commercial cars soon to be announced. This change marks completion of the plan developed when the three Graham brothers acquired the properties of the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Co. two and a half years ago. Since then development of body plants at Wayne, Mich., and Evansville, Ind., and lumber mills at Perry, Fla., have made it possible for the company to offer cars exclusively Graham in design and manufacture.
MoToR, January, 1930
The company revived the Paige name for a new line of light commercial vehicles that never sold well. When this line ceased in 1932, Paige disappeared as a vehicle nameplate.
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| New-Fashioned cars built wiht Old-Fashioned Honesty of Purpose. Saturday Evening Post, January 25, 1930 | It Seems Incredible that $845 Can Yield So Much in Quality. Saturday Evening Post, April 5, 1930 | A short-lived Graham-Paige model, the last to carry the "Paige" name. (Neville Storey photo) |
Elsewhere:
- In 1928 Ford introduces the Model A.
- In 1929 the Cord features front-wheel drive.
- In 1930 Motorola introduces the first commercial car radio; and Cadillac develops the V16 engine.
| < 1928 | Later Years > |