Marathon

Southern Engine and Boiler Works was founded in 1884 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA. The company manufactured industrial engines and boilers but the boom in the automobile industry was too tempting and at the turn of the 20th century Southern Engine and Boiler Works expanded into the automobile manufacture. The first prototype was ready in 1906 but only in 1907 the first cars, which had been given the name “Southern” were sold to the public. Because there was another automobile company marketing the brand “Southern”, in 1910 Southern Engine and Boiler Works had a spin-off creating a new company which was named Marathon Motor Works (after the 1904 Olympics) which was headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The genius of Marathon’s engineer, William Collier, soon turned the car into a huge success. Marathons became known for their high quality and endurance and as early as 1912 production could scarcely meet the demand. Bad management led to financial disruption and dictated the demise of the company in 1914. Marathon Motor Works was the only car builder to have all the components engineered and manufactured in-house.