Company History
Founded in 1902 by Rhys Llewellyn, a Welshman who immigrated to New York. Initially starting as a small coachbuilding outfit, The Llewellyn Motor Car Company (later Llewellyn Motor Company) hand-built custom designs for discerning customers until 1915, when Llewellyn designed and built their first car completely from the ground up. This model was named the “Series I”, with a custom-designed flathead V8 producing a then revolutionary 65 horsepower. The Series I became a success, with its successor, the Series II coming in 1918. Sales boomed until the 1940s, when business saw a huge downturn due to the ongoing war. Llewellyn then became a contractor for the US Military, building engines and munitions for the war effort. By the 1950s, Llewellyn had re-emerged as a luxury brand, starting with the introduction of the 1953 Astride, a hand-built luxury sedan with with revolutionary technology, such as auto-leveling suspension and auto-dimming headlights. While the Astride did help re-establish Llewellyn as a competitor in the global luxury market, it ultimately was a sales failure, selling less than 1,000 units.
Llewellyn’s sales success continued into the 1960s, but 1964 represented a very dark year for the company; their founder, Rhys Llewellyn died suddenly, sinking the company’s stock values and sending it dangerously close to bankruptcy. Thankfully, the introduction of the Gran Astoria and the Elmira in 1965 and 1966, respectively, were able to bring the company back from the brink. Innovation continued in this period, with the first automatic air conditioning system and Llewellyn’s first 3-speed automatic, both introduced on the 1962 Astride. In 1967, the Gran Astoria received a simple fiber optic warning system, allowing the driver to be informed of potentially faulty lighting elements.
The 1970s and 1980s saw Llewellyn expand on their lineup, with the introduction of such models as the Orion personal luxury coupe, and the Centennia compact sedan, two models that became sales successes almost overnight. This era also saw further advancements in technology, such as the first variable suspension system appearing in the 1987 Elmira, Llewellyn’s first digital instrumentation cluster in the 1983 Gran Astoria. Llewellyn also expanded their engine offerings, with the advanced all-aluminum, dual overhead camshafts Hi-Tech V6 engine family, appearing first in the 1988 Centennia, Llewellyn’s first all-new model since 1980.
Since the 1990s, Llewellyn has worked to become the leader in American luxury, with further model introductions such as the 1992 Gran Astoria, the 1996 Centennia, and the 1999 Monolith- Llewellyn’s very first SUV. Each model has brought something new to the table- establishing a history that is shared and treasured today.
Current Lineup
Sedans and Coupes;
Centennia - Compact Sedan
Gran Astoria - Mid-size Sedan
Astride - Full-size Sedan
Elmira - Luxury Performance Coupe
Crossovers and SUVs;
Aeris- Compact Crossover
Aspen - Mid-size Crossover
Albany - Full-size Crossover
Monolith - Full-size SUV
Electric Vehicles;
Aleph - Electric Full-size Sedan
Galaxis - Electric Full-size Crossover
GTR Performance Models;
Centennia GTR
Gran Astoria GTR
Elmira GTR-10
Completed Models
1961 Llewellyn Astride Deluxe Phateon - created in collaboration with @debonair0806.
1980 Llewellyn Orion Marquee - created in collaboration with @debonair0806.
1988 Llewellyn Centennia Touring 3.0
1992 Llewellyn Gran Astoria Platinum 5.0
1996 Llewellyn Centennia Platinum w/ Touring Package
2000 Llewellyn Astride Platinum
2023 Llewellyn Elmira GTR-10 - created in collaboration with @yurimacs.
©2023 Llewellyn Motor Company. Llewellyn, the Llewellyn Logo and any other relevant materials are registered trademarks of Llewellyn Motor Company. All depictions of driving are done on closed roads by trained drivers; do not attempt them at home. Remember to wear your seatbelt, and follow all local and state road laws. For more information on Llewellyn and Llewellyn models, please visit the Llewellyn website or contact your nearest dealer. Features, colors and equipment pictured may not be available in all regions.
