McFarlan Automobile
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessor | McFarlan Carriage Company |
| Founded | 1909 in Connersville, Indiana, United States |
| Founder | John B. McFarlan (Carriage company), Alfred Harry McFarlan (Automobile company) |
| Defunct | 1928 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy; manufacturing plant acquired by Auburn Automobile Company in 1929 |
| Headquarters | Connersville , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Alfred Harry McFarlan, Burton Barrows |
| Products | Luxury automobiles, commercial vehicles (ambulances, hearses, fire trucks), custom coachbuilding |
McFarlan was a high-end American automobile produced in Connersville, Indiana between 1909 and 1928 by the McFarlan Carriage Company and later the McFarlan Motor Car Company.
History
The McFarlan Carriage Company was established in 1856 by John B. McFarlan (1822–1909), an entrepreneur originally from England. His grandson, Alfred Harry McFarlan (1881–1937), was the visionary behind the McFarlan automobile and managed the McFarlan Motor Car Company throughout its 19-year existence.
John B. McFarlan was instrumental in developing one of America's earliest planned industrial parks. In 1887, he founded the Connersville Industrial Park, which brought together manufacturers in the sector and helped transform the region into a center for automobile production supporting more than seven distinct marques.
Shift from Carriages to Automobiles
Seeking to expand beyond carriage manufacturing, Harry McFarlan introduced a large six-cylinder vehicle positioned in the mid to upper price range, produced in limited quantities—approximately 200 cars annually. The first McFarlan model appeared in late 1909, with initial trials conducted on the track that would become known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
By 1913, the McFarlan Motor Car Company had fully replaced the carriage business, which soon ended operations.
Early models incorporated a variety of proprietary engines such as Wisconsin, Buda, Brownell, and Continental before settling on the Teetor-Hartley engine as standard in 1916. The product line included both Big Six and Little Six variants aimed at different market segments.
By 1917, McFarlan had established itself as a premium marque featuring a 136-inch wheelbase and a 48-horsepower Teetor-Hartley engine. Prices climbed from an initial $2,000 to as much as $6,200 by 1920, underscoring its focus on luxury clientele.
Racing and Celebrity Associations
In 1910, two McFarlan vehicles competed in the Indianapolis Labor Day races, both securing top-five finishes. Mel Marquette piloted McFarlans in the inaugural two Indianapolis 500 events (1911 and 1912), finishing 25th and 19th respectively.
Catering to affluent buyers, a McFarlan Town Car showcased at the 1923 Chicago Auto Show featured lavish 24-carat gold embellishments and reportedly commanded a price of $25,000. Throughout the 1920s, McFarlans gained recognition as "the most expensive American-made automobile," often referred to as "the American Rolls-Royce," a distinction shared with other luxury marques such as Cunningham.
The brand attracted notable figures including Wallace Reid, William Desmond Taylor, Fatty Arbuckle, Paul Whiteman, Jack Dempsey, and Virginia Governor E. Lee Trinkle. Among its prominent customers was Al Capone, who acquired two McFarlans for his wife in 1924 and again in 1926.
Classic Era Developments
In 1921, McFarlan introduced its proprietary engine—the Twin-Valve Six (TV Six)—an advanced six-cylinder powerplant featuring four valves per cylinder, eighteen spark plugs, pressure lubrication, and triple ignition. This engine displaced 573 cubic inches and delivered 120 horsepower, powering vehicles built on a 140-inch wheelbase chassis with up to ten different coachwork options from McFarlan.
To broaden its market appeal, McFarlan launched a mid-priced Single-Valve Six model equipped with a Wisconsin six-cylinder engine; however, this line was discontinued by 1926 due to weak sales amid strong competition.
By 1925, the company offered two distinct product lines comprising twenty-six models priced between $2,000 and $10,000. In addition to passenger cars, McFarlan produced commercial vehicles such as ambulances, hearses, and fire trucks—often utilizing Continental engines.
Custom coachbuilding for other automakers represented a significant portion of their business; McFarlan’s signature boat-tail speedster design was adopted by manufacturers like Duesenberg and Auburn. Alongside Central Manufacturing Company, they supplied speedster bodies for Auburn’s 1928 models.
In 1926, McFarlan unveiled the Line-8 model featuring a Lycoming straight-eight engine on a shorter 131-inch wheelbase that generated 79 horsepower. This model outperformed sales of the earlier Single-Valve Six.
The lineup for 1927 included both the Line-8 and Twin-Valve Six across multiple body styles. Prices for Line-8 models ranged from $2,650 to $4,600; meanwhile, Twin-Valve Six variants were among the priciest offerings on the market with prices between $5,400 and $9,000.
Decline and Closure
The 1920s introduced several obstacles, including the deteriorating health of founder Harry McFarlan, economic downturn following World War I, and heightened rivalry in the automotive market. Burton Barrows, a trusted colleague of McFarlan, took over management and launched the Line-8 model alongside a refreshed design for the Twin-Valve Six. Unfortunately, Barrows also died in 1928. Attempts to diversify into new market areas placed considerable strain on the company’s finances, and the styling revision introduced in 1928 failed to revive sales effectively. That year marked the final production run for McFarlan vehicles before the company declared bankruptcy on August 8, 1928. Subsequently, on August 1, 1929, the manufacturing plant was acquired by the Auburn Automobile Company, which utilized the facility initially for storage and later converted it into a body repair shop.
In 1967, Keith Marvin and Al Arnheim authored What Was the McFarlan?, an authoritative account chronicling the company's history and documenting nineteen known surviving McFarlan automobiles. Presently, these vehicles are preserved in private collections as well as in notable automotive museums including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, National Automobile Museum in Reno, Historic Connersville in Indiana, and California’s Nethercutt Collection.