From introduction, the McFarlan motor car was a large, mid-to-high price automobile that was produced in small numbers (about 200 units annually) and always with an engine of six-cylinders.

[1] A variety of proprietary engines (Wisconsin, Buda, Brownell, Continental) were used in the early McFarlans, with a Teetor-Hartley being settled on in 1916.

[2] Aiming for the top of the luxury market, one McFarlan Town Car displayed at the 1923 Chicago Auto Show, had the nickel-plating replaced with 24 carat gold, including a gold-plated interior.

[3][2][1] The McFarlan was a luxury automobile owned by celebrities of the day such as Wallace Reid, William Desmond Taylor, Fatty Arbuckle, Paul Whiteman, Jack Dempsey and Virginia governor E. Lee Trinkle.

The six-cylinder unit was actually an improved Teetor-Hartley engine with four-valves per cylinder, 18 spark plugs, pressure lubrication, triple ignition, displacing 573 cubic-inches and produced 120 horsepower.

[1][2] In an attempt to lower prices and increase sales, McFarlan introduced a mid-priced Single-Valve Six model powered by a Wisconsin six-cylinder engine.

[1] By 1925 the McFarlan Motor Car Company offered 2 distinct lines with a total of 26 different models ranging in price from $2,000 to $10,000.

[1][2] The 1920's witnessed the failing health of Harry McFarlan, the post-World War I recession, and new products being introduced by other manufacturers.

Harry McFarlan's long time associate Burton Barrows took over company operations, and introduced the Line-8 and new styling for Twin-Valve Six, but his health also failed and he passed away in 1928.

[2] McFarlan's efforts to move into new market segments had thinned its resources, and when the company did introduce new styling in 1928 (the first since 1921), it was too late.