The Mitchell Motor Car Company of Racine, Wisconsin, began as H. Mitchell Wagons in 1855 and manufactured carriages, plows, farm wagons and other farm equipment. Over the years, the company built bicycles, then motorcycles, then, in 1903, automobiles while continuing the production of carriages and farm wagons. In 1904, they produced 82 automobiles.
The Mitchell Motor Car Company was in business for 20 years, building cars, motorized trucks, and delivery wagons. During their peak production years (1910 through 1919), the company employed over 2,000 people and the firm was a $10 million-a-year business for a time during the 1910s.
The company went out of business in 1923 and its facilities were purchased by Nash, which launched the Ajax model at the Racine plant in 1925.
The Mitchell Company's slogan was 'The car you ought to have at the price you ought to pay.' They challenged their competitors to 'meet them on a hill.'
This particular vehicle is a Mitchell B-2 two-passenger runabout that was has been part of the Swigart Museum collection since 1942. It is finished in a dark green body, with brass trim, black wooden fenders and a black leather interior. It has a two-cylinder engine offering nine horsepower and has a top speed of 30 miles per hour. It has a self-generating carbide headlamp, a small steering wheel, and automatic lubrication with 'sight' oiling system (there are tubes mounted on the dash allowing the driver to oversee proper lubrication). When new, it had a price of $750.
