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Automotive history: The Paige Touring Car

added features. .(Roberts,) Standard on the touring cars were black running gear and dark blue bodies.


In 1915 the Paige Company introduced the Fairfield touring car with a new six-cylinder. It was a seven passenger car with two extra folding seats that disappeared into the back of the front seat when not in use. Leather covered over-stuffed upholstering was on the deep seats with high backs and sides.


In describing this new touring car,The Horseless Age Magazine of December 23, 1914 says this:


"Among the equipment may be mentioned foot and robe rails, two disappearing auxiliary seats, one man top, quick adjustable curtains, slip cover concealing bows, automatic rain vision windshield, Gray & Davis lamps with dimmers, demountable rims, including an extra one; a tire iron, license bracket, electric horn, pump, jack, tools and tire repair kit. The fenders are crowned and the running boards are of pressed steel, linoleum covered and aluminum bound. The starting and lighting system is the new Gray & Davis system. A Willard 90 ampere-hour storage battery is used and the wiring is carried out on the ground return system. Ignition is by a Bosch magneto."

The Fleetwood touring car introduced in 1916 was a Richelieu Blue with straw finish wheels. They sold for $1,050. To prove the stamina of the Paige seven-passenger touring car, a Portland, Oregon auto dealer staged a climb up Mount Hood. The car after two days had managed to climb to an elevation of 9,500 feet.


In 1921 a Paige seven-passenger touring car climbed to the summit of Pike's Peak. This was believed to be the longest, steepest, highest climb ever made by an automobile. (Roberts)

Between 1915 and 1920 sales for Paige automobiles made a steady growth. Due to the postwar depression, sales dropped dramatically in 1921. In 1922 they began making a comeback. During that year Paige no longer put names on their open cars and touring cars became phaetons.


Paige continued to produce the touring car or phaeton until the company was sold in 1927 to the Graham brothers. The name has disappeared from the automotive industry along with many others common to the 1920s. During its peak Paige had the slogan, "The most beautiful car in America." Catchy even if not exactly true.

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Automotive history: The Paige Touring Car

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    by Annalou Mack

    First, let us define what a touring car is. According to several dictionaries it is an early type of large open automobile

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