History of Meyers Auto Group
Meyers Auto Group consists of three brands; Raleigh, Atlas, and Meyers.
Meyers Automobiles was founded in 1920 by William Meyers. Meyers focused on building slightly upscale, premium cars for businessmen.
In 1928 Meyers created the Raleigh brand in an effort to sell cheaper cars to the mainstream public.
In 1935 Meyers purchased Atlas Motors, a maker of sedans and commercial vehicles.
That’s pretty much the story. This thread picks up in 1960. 1960 was an eventful year for the company. This was the year my grandfather, Donald W. Meyers took over control of the company as his father, Douglas Meyers had retired. My father, Robert C. Meyers was working on the engine development team. And me? Well, technically, I haven’t even been born yet.
1960 was also the first year that MAG, normally focused on building large sedans, would introduce a compact car.
Well, without further adieu, let’s get to the 1960 models!
Our look at the 1960 models from the Meyers Auto Group starts with Raleigh, and it starts with a bang…or a chip.
Raleigh
Raleigh is proud to introduce for 1960, our brand new “compact” car, the Raleigh Robin! Available in coupe, sedan, and wagon variants, the Raleigh Robin is the small car for people on the go.
Raleigh Robin Coupe 160
All three variants of the Robin are available with the all new, efficient, MAG LB6 straight six engines. The standard choice the 140 cubic inch version which produces 110 horsepower. Optional is the 160 cubic inch, 124 horsepower version.
The standard Raleigh Robin 140 Coupe is available with a standard 4 speed manual transmission or an optional 3 speed Glideomatic automatic transmission. First, the specs for the manual.
For the young, urban, couple on the go is the Raleigh Robin sedan, also available with both the 140 and 160 ci straight sixes, manual or automatic. Raleigh Robin Sedan 160
And now the stats for all four trim levels of the Raleigh Robin Sedan, starting with the 140 manual.
And finally, for the young suburban family, comes the Raleigh Robin Wagon. For the convenience of the driver, only the Glideomatic automatic transmission is available. Raleigh Robin Wagon 160
The Robin wagon is available with both the 140 ci and 160 ci I6 and comes standard with an automatic transmission. First up is the 140.
The classic Raleigh Regent sedan continues for 1960 and features revised styling. Originally introduced for the 1956 model year, the Raleigh Regent continues to get better. New for 1960 is the 160 ci straight six engine, allowing the Regent to become the cheapest large sedan in America! The Regent 160 is available with the MAG Glideomatic automatic transmission.
Other engine options include the standard MAG short block, SB8 V8 engines, which were introduced in 1956. The SB8 V8s are available with both manual and automatic transmissions and come in three difference displacements.
The standard Raleigh Regent 303 comes equipped with the 303 ci V8 engine, producing 219 horsepower. First the manual, then the automatic.
The mid-range Raleigh Regent 333 comes equipped with the 333 ci V8 engine, producing 236 horsepower. Up first is the manual, followed by the automatic.
The top of the line Raleigh Regent 369 comes equipped with the 369 ci V8 engine, producing 253 horsepower. Up first is the manual, followed by the automatic.
For 1960, the Atlas Ambassador sedan features revised front and rear styling.
1960 Atlas Ambassador Deluxe
The Ambassador sedan is available in three trim levels, with three different engine choices.
The entry level Ambassador 303 comes standard with the MAG SB8 303 ci V8. This engine produces a smooth 219 horsepower and comes standard with the MAG Glideomatic three speed automatic transmission.
And finally, for the man who wants some thrill in his life, is the sporty Ambassador Deluxe. The Ambassador Deluxe features a 369 ci V8 producing 253 horsepower with choice of manual or automatic transmission.
Atlas Mountaineer
The Atlas Mountaineer pickup, America’s Toughest, continues relatively unchanged for 1960.
New for 1960 is the Mountaineer standard trim. Under the hood is MAG’s new I6, producing 124 horsepower. This power flows through a 3 speed, heavy duty, manual transmission.
The Hi-Line trim fills the mid range and is the pickup for everyone. Available with either a 303 or 333 ci V8 and a 4 speed heavy duty manual transmission, this is the only truck you’ll ever need.
For 1960, the MAG car line wraps up with the revised Meyers Mighty. Standard with the Glideomatic automatic transmission, buyers can choose between the base 333 model or the Meyers Mighty Special, equipped with a 369ci V8.
That’s a convincing lineup of mass-market cars so far… but the exterior colors you have chosen for them seem more appropriate for cars produced later in the decade. Anyway, all of them look quite good to me!
Welcome to our look at the 1961 Meyers Auto Group lineup of models.
Raleigh
The Raleigh model lineup for 1961 remains unchanged from the previous year.
Raleigh Robin
With sales of 141,226, the Raleigh Robin is a certified hit. For 1961, all three variants remain available (coupe, sedan, and wagon). There are no mechanical changes for the new year.
1961 Raleigh Robin Coupe 160
1961 Raleigh Robin Sedan 160
1961 Raleigh Robin Wagon 160
Raleigh Regent
The classic Raleigh Regent sedan enters its 6th model year unchanged after minor styling revisions were made last year. 84,705 people can’t be wrong. While sales were actually slightly down from 1959, the introduction of the new base model with the 160 ci I6 helped soften the decline.
The Atlas model line sees some expansion for 1961.
Atlas Ambassador
With sales of 78,450, the Ambassador sedan continues for 1961, its 6th model year. No changes have been made to trim levels or engine choices.
Atlas Mountaineer
America’s most rugged pickup is also keeping things the same for 1961. Sales of 122,987 came mostly from the Hi-Line models, though the introduction of the standard 160 model went surprisingly well.
1961 Atlas Mountaineer Deluxe
The expansion for the 1961 model line comes from the back of the Mountaineer. Seeing an increase in the market for delivery vehicles, MAG engineers went to the drawing board and came back with…
Atlas Mountaineer City-Line
The 1961 Atlas Mountaineer City-Line is available with either the 303 or 333 V8 engines and comes equipped with the same heavy duty 4 speed manual found in the Mountaineer pickup.
Other News and Notes for 1961
Meyers Automotive Group has announced total sales of 1960 models at 468,700 units; the best year in the history of the company. Sales were up nearly 20%. The introduction of the Raleigh Robin, the company’s newest best selling vehicle is credited with the bump. The introduction of lower trim versions of the Raleigh Regent sedan and Atlas Mountaineer pickup were also seen as integral to the sales jump.
1961 Detroit Autorama
The 1961 Detroit Autorama welcomes journalists and the public from all over to view new models from the world’s top automakers as well as concepts for the future of motoring. Meyers Automotive Group is no different. In addition to the models we already produce, we’ve decided to bring a concept car. The Meyers F44 Concept aims to fill a rather large void in our line up.
The Meyers F44 is a hand made fiberglass sports car aiming to compete with other cars coming out of Detroit such as the Chevrolet Corvette. While the Corvette only offers up to a 327 ci V8, we’ve stuffed our largest engine, the SB8 369 ci V8 into the front of this beautiful rear wheel drive convertible.
There’s no official word on if the F44 will make it to production, but rumors going around the show indicate a target of 1964.
New Big Car Rumors
Word going around Detroit is that Meyers is looking to replace their aging large sedans within the next year. The current trio entered production in 1956 and are starting to show their age. Styling revisions for 1960 helped, but the public has begun to move on from these models. Some blurry photographs have emerged from the MAG testing grounds showing a much boxier shape than anything we’ve seen from them before.
Birth Announcement
Robert and Helen Meyers have announced the birth of a son.
Christopher James Meyers was born at 8:17pm on Wednesday September 20, 1961. He weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz. He is the first son of Robert Meyers, an engineer with Meyers Auto Group and Helen, a homemaker. He is the grandson of Donald Meyers, the head of Meyers Automotive Group.
