Many people have never heard of the MARMON automobile but it was one of the premier vehicles of its time. It
was in the class of the Pierce Arrow, Peerless and Packard.
The Marmon Wasp won the first Indianapolis 500 Race in 1911 with Ray Harroun as the driver who accomplished this feat.
It was widely speculated he won because of the weight of his car. At that time all race cars held two men, a driver
and a mechanic. Harroun's racer was built for only one man, the driver, so that not only streamlined the car but
also reduced the weight by one person. He also devised the first rear view mirror ever used on a race car (or a passenger
car as well). This combination enabled him to win the race with an average speed of 74.602 MPH. Harroun
was an Indiana
native and still holds an Indy 500 record. No one has ever come from the 28th (or worse) starting position and end up
winning the race.
Many do not realize that the Marmon automobile was built in Indianapolis.
Between the years of 1903 and 1933 Marmon Motor Cars (previously Nordyke and Marmon), made approximately 250,000 cars...fewer
than approximately 350 exist today.
Join Us!
We invite any one who has a love of the Mamon and all those who are interested in discovering the joys and ingenuity
of this special antique automobile. The only time required is the time you choose to give. Our only function
is our annual "Marmon Muster" and this is strictly a social meeting and a time when we can get together and "drive
our cars". Our main object is to maintain a current list of all Marmons still in existence and help in any way that
we can to keep them up and running by helping to find parts and people who are skilled in the mechanics of this fine automobile.
