When General Motors sold the plant in Pontiac, MI that had been used for the manufacture of the Cartercar between 1907 and 1912, it was purchased by RA Palmer, who had been general manager of Cartercar between 1905 and 1912.
Palmer decided to produce a 4-cylinder car that would sell for under $1,000. There were three body styles - tourer ($795), 4-person roadster ($825) and 2-person roadster ($850). A wide range of colours - wine, green, blue, red and gray distinguished the Olympian from most of its low-priced competitors.
Production stood at 10 cars a day by early 1918, and although war work interrupted production that year, the factory returned to normal production (15 cars a day) in early 1919. But something went wrong, and amid charges of mismanagement, the Olympian Motors Company was sold to Otis Friend of the Friend Motors Corporation, with the Friend being assembled in the factory.