Roosevelt (automobile)

Roosevelt was a Vintage era marque of an American automobile that was manufactured by the Marmon Motor Car Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, during the 1929 and 1930 model years.^[1]

Roosevelt
1929 Roosevelt Eight Model 68 4-Door Sedan
Overview
Type	Passenger car
Manufacturer	Marmon Motor Car Company
Also called	Marmon-Roosevelt
Production	1929-1930
Designer	Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
Body and chassis
Body style	Sedan, Coupe, Victoria and Convertible
Powertrain
Engine	L-head 8-cylinder engine, 201.9 cubic-inches
Power output	72 horsepower
Transmission	3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	113 in (2,870 mm)
Chronology
Successor	Marmon Model 70

1929 Roosevelt advertisement in Amsterdam

History

The Roosevelt was named after President Theodore Roosevelt and designed to be priced as an "affordable" automobile, and advertising used the tag line Smart Transportation for the Thrifty.^[2] The Roosevelt was the first automobile in America with a straight-eight engine to be priced under $1,000, with the sedan and coupe selling for $995, equivalent to $18,220 in 2024.^[3]

Although the Roosevelt name did not appear for the 1931 range of Marmon models, the car was refined into the new Model 70 Marmon.^[1]

Sales in 1929 approached 24,500 automobiles, considered an excellent first year for a new marque. One of the unique features of the Roosevelt was the horn button. It served 3 purposes. Push down and it would honk, pull up and it was the starter, and turn it, to turn the head lights on and off. It also had a cameo of Theodore Roosevelt, black and white, on the front top middle of the radiator.^[4][1]