Haynes Light Six History

The Light Six was the Haynes Automobile Company's mainstream six-cylinder car, introduced for 1914 at around $1,485 and advertised as 'America's Greatest Light Six.' Period ads claimed 55 horsepower, 22 to 25 miles per gallon, and more than 1 horsepower to every 55 pounds of weight. The line was offered across body styles — typically a five-passenger touring or sedan, a three-passenger coupelet, and a two-passenger roadster — and carried various model numbers over the years (Models 26, 36, 37, 47, 55, 57, and later 75).

For 1916 Haynes refined the Light Six into new series Models 36 and 37: the Model 36 was a four-door tourer on a ~3,073 mm wheelbase, the Model 37 a two-door roadster on a slightly longer ~3,226 mm wheelbase, both powered by a 4.7-liter inline-six. The company built a new factory with a moving assembly line capable of turning out up to 60 cars per day; production peaked at just over 6,000 units in 1921.

Rising costs, an aging lineup, and the early-1920s recession overwhelmed the firm. The Light Six remained the range staple when the Haynes Automobile Company declared bankruptcy in September 1924 and ceased production in 1925; total output across all Haynes models (1894–1924) is estimated at approximately 58,761 vehicles.