The Anderson automobile is considered the most successful automobile built in the Southeastern United States. While the Anderson Motor Company was only operational from 1916 to 1925, it will forever be remembered as a what-if story and a part of South Carolina’s haunted history. John Gary Anderson started the business in Rock Hill, South Carolina, but one critical flaw, the engines, is believed to have caused the Anderson to fail. One online article stated, “Great-grandson Walter Hardin explains, ‘They had an engine block that wasn’t really hard, and they put a cast iron head on it, and the rates of expansion were different. So, the blocks began to crack, and they had a lot of engine trouble.”
Another issue was the price of the vehicles compared to Model T Fords at the time. Model Ts were selling for less than $300 in the early 1920s, making the cars much more affordable for Americans. Andersons cost five times as much (less than $1,700) for a five-passenger touring car, and as much as $2,500 for a sedan.
Some reports have estimated that only 12 or 13 of these vehicles are known to exist today.
Written By John G. Clark Jr.
