In 1912, the idea for building the Saxon came from Hugh Chalmers, whose Chalmers car was among the most popular medium-priced automobiles in the country. Chalmers believed that consumers wanted a small, well-built, low-priced automobile. The first Saxons were priced at a cyclecar price - $395 - but offered several big car features including a four-cylinder engine, shaft drive, and electric lights (an option that became a standard feature in 1915). 3000 Saxons were built in 1913, and when sales skyrocketed, the company moved into a larger factory to keep up with demand. By 1916, Saxon was ranked eighth in the industry and was poised to continue his growth. In 1917, 28,000 Saxons were made, both four and six-cylinder models, but the company's management overextended in buying a bigger factory. A good choice at the time, this decision would leave little cash on hand to weather a post-World War I recession which would ultimately end Saxon production.Únusual features of the Saxon include a rear-axle mounted selective transmission, one of the earliest so widely produced, and electric lights available as early as 1913. Smaller than many cars that were available, the Saxon was directly advertised as a 'woman's car' - easy to control and care for. The ghostly image on the radiator badge is the daughter of the Saxon Company's president. When this car was received by the Museum in the fall of 1999 it was completely disassembled having been in pieces since the 1960s. Over 18 months, Museum volunteers completed the restoration, donating hundreds of hours to complete the project.Source - SDAM
