De Mars

De Mars Electric Vehicle Co. was based in Cleveland, Ohio, where William De Mars produced a light two-seater electric car with chain drive, styled as a victoria. He sold the vehicle under his own name, but only for a single season.

In February 1906, the company was acquired by C.J. Blakeslee, who renamed both the car and the firm Blakeslee. Around 20 cars were sold under this new name before the company again changed hands, at which point the car was renamed Williams. This iteration lasted less than a year before brothers John and William Byrider purchased the company and renamed it after themselves.

The Byrider venture proved somewhat more durable than its predecessors, continuing until 1910. Throughout these four changes of ownership and name, the basic design of the car remained largely unchanged, though the later Williams and Byrider models featured painted wheel flanges rather than the polished brass used earlier.