Marmon Model 34: the aluminium six of 1916

The Marmon Model 34 of 1916 was built around an aluminium straight-six, and aluminium was used in the body and chassis as well, bringing the weight down to 3,295 lb (1,495 kg). It was the company’s main model for years: more than 11,000 had been built by 1920, and it was replaced only for 1924.

Marmon Model 34 at a glance

There is no Wikipedia page for the Model 34; the facts come from the Model 34 section of the English Wikipedia article on the Marmon Motor Car Company. Based on one source.

History of the Marmon Model 34

The Model 34 arrived in 1916 and carried on the Marmon tradition of light, fast cars built from aluminium. The six-cylinder engine displaced 5,565 cc with a bore of 95.25 mm and a stroke of 130.175 mm, and aluminium was used in the body and chassis as well as the engine, keeping the total weight to 3,295 lb (1,495 kg). The wheelbase measured 136 in (3,454 mm), the fuel tank held 18 gallons (68 litres), and the electric system ran at 6 V from a 162 Ah battery.

To prove the car, a Model 34 was driven from coast to coast as a publicity stunt, beating the record of Erwin “Cannonball” Baker to considerable fanfare. Such runs suited the model’s reputation: Marmon cars had been known since the early years of the company as reliable and speedy upscale machines.

The 34 was long-lived. By 1920 more than 11,000 had been produced, and the model was replaced only when new cars were introduced for 1924. The company was in financial trouble by then, and in 1926 it was reorganised as the Marmon Motor Car Co. The old Model 34 remained the best-known Marmon of its generation, and the surviving cars include two-passenger speedster bodies of the 34B and 34-C types.

Design and features

• Aluminium straight-six: 5,565 cc with a 95.25 mm bore and 130.175 mm stroke.
• Aluminium body and chassis: the reason the car weighed only 3,295 lb (1,495 kg).
• Long wheelbase: 136 in (3,454 mm) for a car of 1916.
• 6 V electrics: a 162 Ah battery, and an 18-gallon (68 L) fuel tank.
• Proven by record runs: a Model 34 crossed the United States and beat Cannonball Baker’s time.

Marmon Model 34 versions

• Model 34 (1916–1924): the standard car on the 136 in chassis.
• 34B speedster: a two-seater speedster body, as on the 1923 car preserved at Lime Rock.
• 34-C speedster: the later speedster version, as on the 1924 car in the Stahls collection.
• Replacements of 1924: the new models that ended the 34’s long run.

The Model 34 was Marmon’s main car until the 1920s; the company’s last luxury model is the Marmon Sixteen, and the truck business that followed is covered under Marmon-Herrington. More Marmon cars are in the Marmon collection.

Sources

• Marmon Motor Car Company, English Wikipedia: Model 34 section: engine, weight, dimensions, production, record run