
POWELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Powell Manufacturing Company
2914 North Alameda St.
Compton, California

Powell Manufacturing Company (PMC) was a company based in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It was best known for its line of motor scooters that peaked in popularity in the late 1940s. From September 1954 to March 1957, Powell manufactured "Sport Wagon" pickup trucks and station wagons. In the 1960s and 1970s, they manufactured the "Powell Challenger" trail bikes.
The Powell Brothers--Hayward and Channing Powell--started off manufacturing radios in the mid-1920s, immediately after they graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. In the mid-1930s, they moved into scooter production. The Powell manufacturing facility in Compton, California switched to war production in 1942. After World War II Powell again returned to scooter production with the C-47, P-48, P-49 step through models. The Powell Streamliner model, used by U.S. Airborne troops during World War II, was copied and served as the basis for the original Fuji Rabbit scooter in June 1946 (six-months before the first Vespa scooter).
In the 1960s, the company reorganized as "Powell Brothers, Inc., and manufactured the "Powell Challenger" trail-bike. During this period, the company relocated to a larger facility in South Gate, California. Hayward Powell died in March 1978, and with Channing Powell retired, the company officially dissolved and closed its doors in April 1979. Channing Powell died in 1988. During its life-span it produced thousand of radios, approximately 1,200 pickup trucks, 300 station wagons, 3 motor homes, and tens of thousands of scooters and trail bikes.

Alan Powell test riding a Challenger in back of the Powell factory in SoCal. His job was to find design flaws in their frames..

19yr old Alan Powell put the product on the map by winning five Saddleback Park races.

Interior shot of the Powell Factory, ca. 1960's
Related Links:
Welcome to the Powell Registry
Powell Manufacturing Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Candlelight Guitarist® ...about Brad ~ The Candlelight Guitarist™