A Bite of History – Mike Thies

Apperson
The Jackrabbit Jumps Into the Game

Long before muscle cars and turbochargers, there was Apperson. a name that roared through the early 1900s when cars still looked like fancy wagons without horses. Founded in 1901 by the Apperson brothers (who had worked with Elwood Haynes, another car pioneer), these guys were among the original big names of American motoring.

Their claim to fame? The Apperson Jackrabbit. Launched in 1907, it wasn’t just a car. it was a statement. Fast, sporty, and sleek (for the time), the Jackrabbit was marketed as a speedster, and the name totally fit. It was a light, nimble ride that could outrun much of the competition. basically a turn-of-the-century street racer.

Apperson pushed boundaries with things like four-wheel brakes and V-type radiators. They weren’t afraid to be bold in a world still figuring out what a “car” even was. But by the 1920s, the market was getting crowded, and the big dogs (like Ford and GM) were rolling in with mass production and deeper pockets.

By 1926, Apperson ran out of steam. and cash. But the legacy of the Jackrabbit lives on as a reminder of when driving was brand new, and carmakers had names like racehorses.