Marmon Roosevelt History
History
The Roosevelt was launched by Marmon for 1929 as a separate, affordable brand, sold as the Marmon Model 68 and named after President Theodore Roosevelt under the tagline 'Smart Transportation for the Thrifty.' Its claim to fame was price: at $995 for the sedan and coupe, it was the first automobile in America with a straight-eight engine to be priced under $1,000.
Power came from a 201-cubic-inch L-head straight-eight rated at about 72 horsepower, with a three-speed manual transmission. The debut was a strong one — roughly 24,500 Roosevelts were sold in 1929 — but the timing was disastrous: the October 1929 stock-market crash gutted demand.
The Roosevelt name was dropped after 1930, with the car folded back into the Marmon range (refined into the Model 70). It is remembered as a bold value play that arrived just as the market for new makes collapsed.
Generations
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First and only generation · Roosevelt Model 68 (1929–1930)
201-cubic-inch L-head straight-eight (about 72 hp) with a three-speed manual; first American straight-eight priced under $1,000.
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1929 Photo: “1929 Roosevelt Model 68 four-door sedan, front right” by Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Body styles
- Sedan
- Coupe
Related models