Bendix SWC Sedan (1934)

1934 Bendix SWC Sedan. Made in South Bend Indiana.

Bendix got their start in 1907 with the Bendix Motor Buggy. The company failed by 1914 but the unique starter system that they developed was adopted by Chevrolet. By the mid to late 1920's, Bendix was producing the most advanced braking system available on the market.

Then Bendix decided to develop a car. They decided to develop the car in secrecy since General Motors was a major stock holder of Bendix and GM would see the car as a potential competitor to their cars. Bendix created a fictitious company known as the Steel Wheel Corporation (SWC) and began development of the car. Bendix wanted the car to be light, rigid, and streamlined. The car had a steel body mounted to a wooden frame. To keep the weight down to about 3000 lbs, the hood, doors, and fenders were all made from aluminum.

The car was front wheel drive with a straight 6-cylinder Continental motor capable of 86HP. The car featured an innovative suspension and a hydraulic braking system using four drum brakes. The cooling system was complicated and used a latent heat exchange system instead of a standard cooling fan.

Once the car was completed, it was shipped across the Atlantic Ocean with the idea of a European manufacturer producing the car under license with all of the components supplied by Bendix. The car went on a tour of the continent and was seen by automotive engineers from Bentley, Citroen, Peugeot, FIAT, Renault, and Bugatti. The car had a suspension failure that occurred in Italy. Unable to repair the car, Bendix had it shipped back to Indiana. While the car was away, GM had learned of the project and had it terminated. This is the only Bendix SWC Sedan ever produced.

Any similarity to the design of the Chrysler Airflow was merely coincidental.