Smith Automobile Infant Bodysuit

Product Details & Size Guide

GhostCorp Apparel - resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Introduce a new generation to a distinctive chapter of Kansas history with this Smith Automobile infant bodysuit. The Topeka company brought its first cars to the public in 1902, beginning with two-cylinder models called Veracity before larger cars took the Smith name. Its Great Smith reached the top of Pikes Peak in 1908, a memorable milestone for a short-lived American maker. A thoughtful pick for families who enjoy early motoring stories and the history of local industry.

The Smith Automobile Company operated in Topeka, Kansas, producing the Veracity, Smith, and Great Smith automobile lines from 1902 to 1911. Terry Stafford was testing a car by February 1900, and artificial-limb manufacturers Anton and Clement Smith financed a factory. The first cars reached the public in August 1902. Early two-cylinder models were marketed as Veracity; Smith became the marque name when larger cars appeared. Formed in November 1904 with $100,000 in capitalization, the company introduced a Stafford-designed four-cylinder, shaft-drive car in 1906. The 1907 Great Smith featured a water-cooled four-cylinder engine and four-speed transmission, and cost $2,500. A Great Smith reached the top of Pikes Peak in 1908. That year and the next, the Smith brothers sold their interests to Michigan investors, whose proposed factory move to Grand Rapids was opposed; production remained in Topeka. Stafford left in 1908 to build cars under his own name, and his Stafford Motor Car Company continued until 1915. Smith sought local financial help in 1910 and entered receivership by December. The plant was sold to Charles and George Southwick in 1911, who assembled remaining cars from available parts; it became a silo-manufacturing site in 1912. A red and black Great Smith is displayed by the Kansas Historical Society.