Twice Multiplex Cars were made in the Valve Factory at Berwick - first in 1912, and again in 1953. Both times, the cars were little more than prototypes - very few were completed.
The 1912/13 models were designed and built by engineer Clarence Crispin, at the Multiplex valve company located on 600 Fowler Avenue in Berwick. Crispin approached the Car and Foundry about producing the cars, but they declined.
In 1912, Multiplex Manufacturing Company spent two years producing 14 Multiplex Cars. "The Multiplex was a sporty, upper-priced and large car equipped with a four-cylinder engine, and offered as a Touring, a Roadster, and a Raceabout.
A prototype "Sports" car with an 85 inches (2,200 mm) wheelbase, weighing in at just 980 pounds (440 kg) and allegedly capable of a top speed of 126 mph (203 km/h) was also built"
The Multiplex was expensive; $3,125 for the raceabout, $3,175 for the roadster, and $3,600 (equivalent to $120,103 in 2025) for the touring car. The Prototype sports car had an envisioned price of $4,000. (That would be roughly $120-130,0000 in todays equivalent)
After completing just 14 cars, the company went back to just making valves.
Until the 1950s, when it decided to try again - but again, only a few were made, this time really only prototypes. It was a beautiful car - I got to see one myself a few years at an event in Berwick.
And it wasn't actually made by the valve company. In 1952 they made it clear that their space may be used, but the company would not be outlaying any money for the venture.
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From : Car Life, February 1954
A homely, pale blue car made an auspicious competitive debut at the Floyd Bennett sport car races in New York last September. Getting off slowly in the LeMans type start, it worked its way through the field of the finest 1,500 cc (91 cubic inch) cars in the East and, by the 40th lap, was led only by an OSCA and the potent Bandini of Jim Pauley. Trailing were Porsches, MG Specials, and two Siata V8’s, one of which the newcomer had lapped.
Plans are underway to enter this newly designed car in other competitive events and Henry Fanelli, an experienced sport car driver who piloted the Multiplex at Floyd Bennett, claims it is the finest handling car he has driven.
That Multiplex had a rather crude, handformed aluminum body on an original design chassis fitted with a stock 1,497 cc, Singer engine. This powerplant, which was held under 4800 rpm in fourth gear, maintained an average speed of slightly under 71 mph for the approximate 100 miles it covered.
After the mishap, another wheel was installed and the Multiplex was driven 165 miles through the New York City traffic to the factory at Berwick, Pa. This performance could be envied, for the competitive temperament of the Multiplex appears to be matched by its gentle town and country handling.
The Multiplex 186 is the brainchild of ‘Fritz’ Bingaman, longtime enthusiast of sport cars and former stock car and dirt track driver. One of this country’s top machine designers, who has spent years in the heavy industry fields, Bingaman has forsaken all other work to concentrate on the development of an aggressive American sport car in the 1,500 cc class.
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Chassis layout and suspension were his basic considerations and the body was designed afterward to functionally enclose the real machine hidden underneath. Bingaman has developed a vehicle designed for roadability and handling qualities, rather than dreaming up a futuristic custom creation and then engineering the needed members underneath the skin.
He has aimed at that segment of the sport car field which is currently represented on the American scene only by adaptations of Detroit Iron and the now defunct Crosley. According to Bingaman, the level of U.S. sport car competition has reached the point where a limited-production, American-built automobile in the 1,500 cc category should find a market if it is designed in the true sport car tradition and has proved it has the guts to match imported equivalents.
Consequently, he found that the Multiplex Manufacturing Company of Berwick, Penna., had the facilities to construct such a car, and is ready to offer limited production of such a model when such action should be warranted. With the support of Ben and Fred Crispin of the 50-year old concern, the original model was evolved but not without many labor pains.
This first car, subjected to much testing and road work, was the one raced at Floyd Bennett. Its exceptionally rigid tubular truss type chassis carries a front suspension which, although composed of normal components of ‘A’ frames and leaf springs, is unusual in that the arrangement is a departure from usual Detroit geometry.
The individual suspension layout, which makes use of Monroe tubular 50/50 shocks, is such that the track doesn’t change and the wheels remain vertical at all times. The soundness of the theory is proven by the fact that after thousands of miles of testing and racing, the 5.90-15 Goodyear tires show very little wear, and roadability and handling are superb.
A wheelbase of 85 inches uses a front track of 46 inches and rear of 45 3/8 inches. Total chassis weight with the Singer engine is 980 pounds. The center of gravity is 1 3/4 inches above the centerline of the wheels, with a minimum ground clearance of 5 1/2 inches.
The steering was reworked from a standard Ross box giving two turns lock to lock. A Borg-Warner rear end and transmission also are standard. This original car with aluminum body scaled 1,925 pounds wet, with weight distribution divided at 52% front, 48% rear.
From the first test run the design proved not only feasible, but practical and promising. With any newly designed vehicle, trouble spots are to be expected and the Multiplex developed a major problem when power plants were considered. At first, to stay within the American market, a modified air cooled Harley-Davidson 74 Twin was fitted.
The coupe, which weighs 1,705 pounds, is fitted with quality appointments. Styling resembles the Cisitalia done by Farina. Price, with a delivery date of approximately one month after placing an order, is in the $4,000 bracket. This model, Bingaman says, will have a top speed of 126 mph. No price has been set on the roadster and the Multiplex company is considering selling the bare chassis, since any engine can be fitted.
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Although few cars were ever produced, there's an abundance of brochures and marketing materials found for them.
READ MORE
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Multiplex 186 Brochure #1 (1953-1954):
The Biggest Little Car In The World
Built By: Multiplex Manufacturing Company, Berwick Pennsylvania
A real sports car designed by a prominent car enthusiast and engineer. This car can serve the dual purpose of racing and conventional driving.
Among the outstanding features of the “186” are its air cooled twin motor, tubular steel frame design construction and aluminum body.
Custom built, many of the owner’s wishes may be incorporated, in minor changes here and there, to suit particular requirements.
Due to the design of the car, it is light in weight and has superior road-ability and cornering characteristics. The type of suspension and the low center of gravity are also important factors in obtaining these results, as well as the weight to horsepower ratio, which in the case of the “186” is 18 lbs per horsepower.
This is a truly significant first in motor car design, and naturally means economical operation.
