Champion [3] (United States) - AllCarIndex

Champion Motors was an American automobile manufacturer that operated from 1917 to 1924, initially based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, under the name Direct Drive Motor Company. The company later rebranded as Champion Motors Corporation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The early models produced by Champion featured a unique direct drive system that powered the rear wheel rims, although later vehicles adopted a more conventional drive mechanism. The lineup included two nearly identical models: the Tourist, equipped with a Lycoming four-cylinder engine, and the Special, which utilized a four-cylinder Hercules-Spillman engine. The primary distinction between these models was their radiator shapes, with the Tourist resembling that of a Packard and the Special mimicking a Rolls-Royce design.

Champion Motors produced a limited number of vehicles, primarily touring cars and phaetons, with prices ranging from $1,050 to $1,195. It is estimated that total production during the company's existence did not exceed 50 cars, and production likely ceased in early 1923. Despite the company's technical existence, it faced challenges when Willys-Overland introduced a model named "Champion" in the autumn of 1923, which led to a dispute over the use of the name. Champion Motors claimed that the use of the name hindered their planned production for 1924, although it is widely believed that the company had already ceased operations by that time.

In May 1924, Champion Motors formally protested Willys-Overland's use of the name, but the matter was resolved without further public discourse, and the company ultimately went out of business shortly thereafter.