Powell Manufacturing Company [1] [2] (PMC) was a company based in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It was best known for its line of motor scooters that peaked in popularity in the late 1940s. From September 1954[3] to March 1957, Powell manufactured "Sport Wagon" pickup trucks and station wagons[4]. In the 1960s and 1970s, they manufactured the "Powell Challenger" trail bikes.
The Powell Brothers--Hayward and Channing Powell--started off manufacturing radios in the mid-1920s, immediately after they graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. In the mid-1930s, they moved into scooter production. The Powell manufacturing facility in Compton, California switched to war production in 1942. After World War II Powell again returned to scooter production with the C-47, P-48, P-49 step through models. The Powell Streamliner model, used by U.S. Airborne troops during World War II, was copied and served as the basis for the original Fuji Rabbit scooter in June 1946 (six-months before the first Vespa scooter).[5][6]
In 1949, the Powell company moved into the lightweight motorcycle market with the introduction of the P-81 model, which was a direct competitor of the Mustang (motorcycle) produced in nearby Glendale, California. All four of these post-war Powell models used the same single-cylinder four stroke 24 cubic-inch (393 cc) engine which was developed in-house. Powell again switched to war production for the Korean War in the early 1950s and never returned to scooter production.
PMC was also an early innovator in pickup and suv design with several models produced in the 1950s using modified Plymouth (automobile) chassis. Powell's designs were later echoed in the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino models which appeared a few years later. "Motor Life" magazine, in its October 1955 issue (with a photo of the Powell Sport Wagon on the cover), called it "an obvious choice as one of the most interesting and unique automobiles in the U.S." In the February 1956 issue of Motor Trend, magazine co-founder[7] Walt Woron concluded his article: "The Powell Brothers, then, have succeeded in their purpose: to provide a vehicle that '... can't be beat for general utility...[that makes] the perfect runabout or 2nd family car...'".[8][9]
In the 1960s, the company reorganized as "Powell Brothers, Inc., and manufactured the "Powell Challenger" trail-bike. During this period, the company relocated to a larger facility in South Gate, California. Hayward Powell died in March 1978, and with Channing Powell retired, the company officially dissolved and closed its doors in April 1979. Channing Powell died in 1988. During its life-span it produced thousand of radios, approximately 1,200 pickup trucks, 300 station wagons, 3 motor homes[10], and tens of thousands of scooters and trail bikes.