Formed in 1912 by James Scripps Booth, heir to a newspaper publishing fortune, the Scripps-Booth company produced a variety of unusual vehicles. While its smaller two-cylinder cyclecars were well built, the company's larger four-cylinder automobiles developed a reputation for poor reliability and earned derisive nicknames like "Slips-Loose." Scripps-Booth ultimately became a part of General Motors, which closed the brand in 1922.