Simplex
Crane Model 5

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The Crane Motor Car Company of Bayonne, New Jersey, built large six-cylinder chassis that were sold without bodies and finished by coachbuilders such as Brewster. Its engine attracted the Simplex Automobile Company of New Brunswick, which needed a replacement for its chain-drive four-cylinder; Simplex bought Crane and later cars were called Crane-Simplex, built in the Simplex factory. By 1917 around 500 Crane-Simplex chassis had been completed, with Brewster, Holbrook, Demarest and Healey among the preferred coachbuilders. This page is about the earlier Model 3 and does not describe the Model 5 itself.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1915 Simplex Crane Model 5 46hp Boattail Tourer Chassis no. 2046 – Bonhams Level B

   • 467 Simplex Crane Model 5 chassis built 1915–1919 (approximately; 70 in 1915)

   Accessed 2026-11-12