Apperson Eight History
Apperson's 90-degree V-8 line (from 1914) — sold under the 'Roadaplane', 'Silver-Apperson' and 'Anniversary Eight' names, and the marque's mainstay into the 1920s.
Photo: “Apperson Type 8-18 (1918).jpg” by National Automobile Chamber of Commerce / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
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Apperson followed the industry's move to eight cylinders with a 90-degree V-8 — a roughly 5.5-liter unit — introduced around 1914, making the small Kokomo firm an early adopter of the layout that would define the American luxury car. The V-8 became Apperson's mainstay and was marketed under a rotating set of names as fashions changed.
From 1916 the company promoted its roadsters and tourings as the 'Roadaplane'; a 1917 'Silver-Apperson' was renamed the 'Anniversary' after 1919, and surviving cars are catalogued as the Model 8-20 'Anniversary Eight'. These were handsome, well-finished cars, but Apperson was now competing against vastly larger, better-capitalized makers.
The death of Elmer Apperson in 1920 broke the brothers' lifelong partnership and, by most accounts, robbed the firm of direction. Sales slid through the early 1920s; a rumored reunion with the old Haynes company came to nothing, and Apperson folded for good in 1926 — even as it introduced four-wheel brakes on its final models.
Generations
V-8 era · Apperson Eight
Photo: “Apperson Type 8-18 (1918).jpg” by National Automobile Chamber of Commerce / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
Apperson's 90-degree V-8 line, marketed under the 'Roadaplane', 'Silver-Apperson' and 'Anniversary Eight' names and the marque's mainstay into the 1920s.
1918 Photo: “Apperson Type 8-18 (1918).jpg” by National Automobile Chamber of Commerce / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain
1920 Photo: “1920 Apperson Jack Rabbit V8 - 15673628487.jpg” by CapCase / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Body styles
- Touring
- Roadster
- Sedan
Notable special editions & performance variants
Anniversary Eight (Model 8-20)
The V-8 sold as the 'Anniversary Eight' — the 1917 Conover-Silver-designed 'Silver-Apperson' renamed 'Anniversary' after 1919 and built as a custom model through 1921 (the model-year designation shifted from 8-19 in 1919 to 8-20 in 1920). A 1920 Model 8-20 Anniversary Eight Tourster is a documented surviving example.
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