The Jewett was an automobile built in Detroit, Michigan by the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company from 1923-26. The Jewett was named after H.M. Jewett, president of Paige-Detroit. After 40,000 vehicles sold, the car was remarketed as a smaller model of the Paige, the primary product of Paige-Detroit. Early vehicles had a 4.1 L engine, and they also had a smaller 2.5 L engine available. The last of the vehicles were available with hydraulic brakes.
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The year 1927 was one of dramatic change for Paige-Detroit that culminated in a change of ownership.
First, the Jewett name was retired, and all cars were again Paige automobiles. This decision must have been made late in 1926, because the nearby January 1927 Ladies Home Journal ad mentions Paige-Jewett motor cars.
The 6-40 and 6-45 models had the 109-inch wheelbase of the previous year's Jewett. One of them, a 5-passenger 6-40 phaeton, may well have been simply a 1926 Jewett with a Paige radiator badge. The Paige 6-65 Series had the 115-inch wheelbase that had been introduced during 1926 for the 2-door Brougham sedan, and it now included three models: landau brougham, sedan and roadster. Finally, the Paige 6-75 Series rode on the 125-inch wheelbase carried over from 1926 and included six models: 5- and 7-passenger sedans, limousine, cabriolet, 7-passenger phaeton and coupe.
There were a total of 14 models in all, priced at the time of introduction from $1,150 for the 6-40 up to $2,245 for the 6-75 seven-passenger limousine. Most models had two-tone bodies, some offered disc wheels as standard, all came with a spare demountable rim but no spare tire. Bumpers were optional on all. All enclosed cars had the continuous roof visor. Choices of colors included: for the 6-40 blue and gray; for the 6-45 sedan two-tone blue with cream striping; for the 6-65 2-door, five-passenger, landau brougham a dark green landau top with the lower body in blue; and for the 6-75 four-passenger coupe, which was styled much like the cabriolet roadster of 1926, two tones of blue with wheels and upholstery to match.
Second, in March Paige announced the Straightaway Eight Series, powered by a Lycoming L-head straight eight-cylinder engine with 298.6 cubic inch displacement that developed 80 HP at 3000 RPM. The wheelbase on these was back up to 131-1/2 inches, last used in the Paige 6-70 of 1925. The Straightaway Eights included a Warner Hi-Flex four-speed transmission, introduced for the first time in these models. Third gear was high gear. Fourth was actually overdrive that could be used on runs that required very little torque or propelling force to maintain speed. With fourth gear in use, a driver could reduce gasoline consumption by about 20%.
The new 8-85 series included six models with prices ranging from $2,315 up to $2,905. Company sales literature stated this series resembled the 6-75 in most respects except for the larger engine and the transmission. Some models featured three-tone finishes, others just two. Wood wheels were standard, but discs were a $15 option. Bumpers remained optional, too. The seven-passenger sedan with disc wheels and sturdy bumpers made a truly imposing sight. A bulletin in the April 21,1927, issue of Motor Age indicated that the Paige-Detroit Co. of New York had ordered 500 Paige cars on April 16, including 64 of the new Eights, with a total value of $753,740.
Finally, the company was about to change hands. For years the company had been highly prosperous but had recently shown declining earnings. For 1926 net profits were a fraction of those for 1925. Sales for the first quarter of 1927 were one-third of those for the first quarter of 1926, and the company was losing money. In The Wall Street Journal, May 5, 1927, President W. A. Wheeler said:
Despite the unfavorable conditions under which the company operated earlier in the year its loss for the entire quarter was slight compared with the losses sustained by the subsidiaries, because the selling season was slow in getting under way. . . Outlook for the remainder of the year [is] good. There has been a steady increase in the sale of all models since the selling season opened, particularly on the new eight cylinder model. . . The eight cylinder model with its new transmission has met with decided public approval in both domestic and foreign markets. The increased number of models manufactured by the company has given it a greater market and has met with the approval of Paige dealers.
Whether it was the trend in sales, the profitability of the company or the challenge of manufacturing a well-engineered automobile, Harry Jewett began began considering his options. In the meantime, Paige-Detroit attracted the notice of truck-making brothers Joseph, Robert and Ray Graham. The Graham brothers had sold their automotive interests in the previous year, and they were looking for an opportunity to get back into the industry.
On June 10, 1927, Harry Jewett and the rest of the old management retired. Joseph B. Graham became the president, Robert C. Graham became vice-president, and Ray A. Graham became the secretary-treasurer.
The Graham brothers immediately declared that they intended to continue production of the entire Paige lineup. They did, but right away they began to make changes and to plan for a completely new line of automobiles. By August there were certain mechanical revisions, some subtle styling changes, and some changes in equipment. New color schemes were introduced, new upholstery was used, and such things as built-in armrests were added. At the same time these revisions were officially announced, prices were reduced from $100 to $160 on all six of the eight-cylinder models and on four of the sixes. This constituted a second Paige series for 1927 and a transition from the Jewett-built Paige to a new automobile.
The Graham brothers had ambitious plans for the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company. They built an addition to the main plant on West Warren Avenue in Detroit. They also purchased a plant sixteen miles away in Wayne, Michigan, to build car bodies. When all this was done, the Company had over 1,125,000 square feet of floor space to devote to the cars. In August the Company created a subsidiary, Paige Motors International Corp., to handle export business worldwide.
With all these changes in place, they were ready for a new beginning. Total sales for 1927 had dropped to under 22,000, but the brothers were confident that 1928 would produce a totally different result.
Rifle River State Park
After leaving Paige-Detroit Harry M. Jewett was president of Colonial Laundry Co. of Detroit. He died suddenly of a heart attack, June 16, 1933, in his sixty-second year.
In 1944 the State of Michigan acquired a 4300-acre tract of land in Ogemaw County, 140 miles north of Detroit, that had belonged to Jewett. A 12-acre lake on the property, originally named Dollar Lake, was renamed Jewett Lake. Today this lake and others in the area comprise Michigan's Rifle River State Park.