To compete with the famous European marques such as Mercedes, Peugeot, Fiat and Renault, the Simplex company produced the 50HP.

Aiming to make one of the finest cars possible, Albert D. Proctor Smith and Carlton Raymond Mabley hired Gustave Edward Franquist to design the 50HP. Craftsmanship was of utmost importance and almost the entire car was designed and produced in house, at the factory in New York.¹

Like the Mercedes-Simplex that came before it, the 50HP used a 10-litre inline-4 engine with a t-cylinder head and twin chain drive.

With a 10-liter engine, the Simplex produced a rated 50 hp. The chassis alone was $4,500 dollars which set it at the very top of the brass-era market.

For sporting customers, Simplex offered a Speed Model which featured little-to-no bodywork with canvas fenders.

Many American east coast design houses created bodied for the Simplex including Brewster, Quinby, Holbrook, Healey and Demarest.¹

In a 50-horsepower Simplex, George Robertson, Al Poole and Frank Lescault won the 24-hour race at Brighton Beach.

Sources & Further Reading

1. Verschoor, Ron. “Simplex. Short Life Span. Legendary Status”. 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance program

1911 Simplex Model 50 Quinby Four-Passenger Tourabout 633 – did not sell for $560,000 Offered from the Lyon Family Collection. Known ownership since 1930. Double-chain drive. Ex-Harrah Collection. One of about 250 50-hp examples built.
Auction Source: 2011 Monterey Auction by RM