In December 1898, Edgar Francis Knight Jr. had an argument with his father, Edgar Sr., owner of several manufacturing businesses building everything from coachwork and parts for electric safety elevators to bicycles and sewing machines. The younger Knight had suggested building automobiles to race and increase the prestige of the Knight Trust’s name - and perhaps start manufacturing motor cars for the road, but the elder disagreed vehemently. Over the following year and a half, Edgar Jr. raised a considerable sum of money and patronised the new sport of motor racing, sponsoring racers, mechanics and engineers alike. By the middle of 1900, he finally convinced his father to supply him with a loan to pay for the retooling of one of the Trust’s factories, and upon the completion of this work on the 15th of March, 1901, the Knight Motor Company was finally born.
From that year to that fateful day in October of 1929, the company prospered, moving from racing vehicles to manufacturing stoutly made, premium vehicles aimed at an emerging market of the well to do who wanted cars. Following the First World War, Knight also bought several smaller luxury marques floundering in the postwar recession and combined their staff into Templar in 1920. The Twenties were boom years for all the Knight Trust’s businesses, and upon his father’s retirement as chairman in 1922 Edgar Jr. became chairman of the lot. A slew of classic designs followed, as well as efforts to break into the competetive low-cost car sectors with the Knight Thirty Special and the Little Lance of '27. Come the crash though, all was upturned. Edgar’s borrowing and rapid expansion had left the concern ill equipped to weather the Depression, and many analysts predicted bankrupcy or liquidation - at best a retreat to their old core businesses. In a surprise move, Edgar stepped down in favour of Charles “Charlie” Gordon Knight, his nephew. The company’s stocks took a further hit, but his daring reorganisation of the Trust and consolidation of the coachbuilding works into the main automobile business bought the company enough time to adapt, keep its creditors at bay and stave off the worst of the losses. Charlie’s management took the company through the rest of this difficult era and into - and out of - the Second World War. When he died suddenly in 1946, passing management of the newly reorganised Knight Family Industrial Trust to Edgar Jr’s son, Edward, the once fragile business was cash rich and had a fresh vein of design knowledge to mine from the war - and the rest, as they say, is history.
i still havent actually written down any lore or a real brand hierarchy or anything really because i couldnt think of a good excuse i’m just lazy but hey i made another car
Avaliable with over 220 horsepower when optioned with the Futur-Tronic Injection 483 V8, the 1976 Knight Alhambra is endowed with smooth, ever avaliable power, even from idle.
With increased interior room and upgraded safety equipment on previous years, the interior of the 1976 Knight Alhambra is a place of rare luxury and reassuring security - at an import-beating price.
In 1977, the Knight-Templar company introduced a groundbreaking line of compact cars with the Tabard, bringing Fruinian sophistication and handling in an affordable package, with the comfort and practicality Gasmea demands. In 1982, the Tabard was substantially redesigned to adapt to the demands of an ever changing market. Now we’re doing it again.
The newest generation of our premium compact automobile includes all-round independent suspension and electronic fuel injection as standard on all models, from the top-of-the-line Constellation to the most economically designed models.
With the safety inherent to Knight-Templars patented body and chassis engineering systems and up to date safety equipment, you can ride in your Tabard in full knowledge that you and your family are in one of the most secure vehicles avaliable for less than $11000* in Gasmea today. From the standard 2.2E HT4 four cylinder to the 3.5C 606 V6 powerplant all engines are a marriage of brand new technology and proven Knight-Templar engineering, providing power, economy and reliability you can trust.
This message brought to you by Edward F. Knight II, CEO of Knight-Templar holdings and Chairman of the Knight Family Industrial Trust.
*Certain models only. Final price of car will depend on trim and options selected.
i have a reasonably internally consistent model hierarchy plotted out so yeah, its still a third generation Crusader now with even more chrome and probably even more slow
