The Napier Motor Car Company of America
As well as manufacturing cars at Acton, it was decided to construct an assembly shop in the USA. The Napier Motor Company of America opened their factory during 1904 in the town of Jamaica Plain close to Boston in Massachusetts. The factory was located in part of the old B.F. Sturtevant blower plant opposite the railway station between Green and Williams Streets. All the components for the vehicles were manufactured in Acton and exported to Jamica Plain for assembly.
Named the Napier Motor Company of America the business had a chequered history with union and financial problems. In 1907 production was halted until a new company took over the business in March 1909. A medium priced roadster and a light delivery wagon were planned. Additionally the Company underwent negotiations with a taxi service for several hundred taxicabs to be built. The company also established a repair department at the same address.
This continued until 1911 when Napier Motor Company took it over before closing the venture the following year.
The cost of importing and assembly must have added to the price of these vehicles. When one compares the $8000 price tag for the vehicle in the 1906 advertisement below you can understand why a Napier was for multi-millionaires. In 2024 the equivalent cost is in the region of $273,000!
