Argo [2] / Briscoe Freres

The Argo was an American automobile manufactured by the Argo Motor Company of Jackson, Michigan, founded through the efforts of Benjamin Briscoe.

The car originated as a cyclecar based on the Ajax, a vehicle Briscoe had previously built in France. The American version retained the same twelve-horsepower four-cylinder engine as its French counterpart, though it used a conventional sliding gearbox rather than the friction transmission found on the Ajax. Although Briscoe had initially planned to manufacture the Argo in New York City, he instead established production at the Jackson, Michigan plant formerly occupied by the recently discontinued Standard electric car.

By 1916, as the cyclecar trend declined, Briscoe introduced a larger model featuring a twenty-two horsepower engine, offered in both roadster and touring body styles under the name Wego. He subsequently sold the company to Mansell Hackett, who went on to develop his own vehicle, the Hackett. Despite this, Hackett continued assembling the Briscoe-designed cars until 1918, marketing them under the Argo name. Meanwhile, Benjamin Briscoe went on to produce automobiles under his own name, a venture that continued until 1921.