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Private company

Commonwealth

Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Commonwealth Motors Corporation was a luxury auto company that produced cars from 1917 to 1922. The company was founded in Chicago as Partin-Palmer company in 1913, but in 1915 got into financial trouble. In 1917, the name was changed to Commonwealth, and production was moved to Joliet, Illinois.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1915Founded1
  • Industryautomobile manufacturer1
  • HeadquartersJoliet1

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The Commonwealth Motors Corporation was a luxury auto company that produced cars from 1917 to 1922. The company was founded in Chicago as Partin-Palmer company in 1913, but in 1915 got into financial trouble. In 1917, the name was changed to Commonwealth, and production was moved to Joliet, Illinois.2

Products and brands

Checker Cab Manufacturing Company

In the spring of 1922, Morris Markin, owner of both Markin Auto Body (Commonwealth supplier) and a minority owner of Checker Taxi of Chicago, a taxicab co-op (Commonwealth customer), consolidated all production into the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company and moved production to Kalamazoo, Michigan and suspended all Commonwealth auto production. The new reorganized company continued producing Checker cabs until 1982, operating from 1958 as Checker Motors Corporation. Checker Motors continued producing components for GM and Chrysler until the 2009 failures of both companies. Unable to survive the financial turmoil, Checker Motors closed its doors in 2010.

Models

1917-1918 Commonwealth HP: 19.6 Wheelbase: 112 inches

1919 Commonwealth HP: 19.6 Wheelbase: 115 inches

1919 Commonwealth Victory Six Tour HP: 25.3 Wheelbase: 115 inches

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1920 Commonwealth Model 4-40 Cylinders: four HP: 35 Wheelbase: 117 inches

1921-1922 Commonwealth Model 4-35 Cylinders: four HP: 37 Wheelbase: 117 inches

1919-22 Commonwealth Mogul Cheker Taxicab Cylinders: four HP: 21.03 Transmission: selective sliding 3-speed Voltage: six to eight Wheelbase: 117 inches

From Wikipedia’s article on Commonwealth (automobile company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1915Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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