 Joseph Jarret Cole was born in 1869 and lived until 1925. He was a man who had a passion for automobiles and for flying. He is credited with being the first Automobile Manufacturer to have one of his engines installed into an airplane and the first Auto Manufacturer to fly cross country. In 1904, he purchased a carriage company and renamed it the Cole Carriage Company. By 1908, the company had entered into automobile production. The following year, they produced 176 vehicles. The year after, there were 1,860 units built. Their best year was 1917, when 4,193 examples were built. For most of the years, production hovered around 1,000 - 3,000 vehicles. The Cole Series 30 was very successful in racing. Bill Endicott drove a car to an overall victory at the 24 Hour race at Brighton Beach, New York. The company's operations were in Indianapolis, Indiana. Among their achievements, they provided the first automobile to a US president - President William Taft in 1910. 36/40 hp, 255.4 cu. in. L-head inline four-cylinder engine, three-speed manual transmission, solid front axle, 3/4-elliptic rear leaf spring suspension, and power-assisted rear disc brakes. Wheelbase: 118 in. In an era when Indiana truly did challenge Michigan as the motoring center of America, the Cole Motor Car Company of Indianapolis built very high-quality automobiles between 1909 and 1925. They were especially noted for the quality of their construction and engineering, often compared to Cadillac, especially after the introduction of a similar V-8 model in 1916. They were also a pioneer of offering a large roster of options and accessories. Earlier Coles were successful in American competition, especially the four-cylinder Series 30 models of 1910. Indeed, Cole followed in the footsteps of other Brass Era automakers by offering a sporty and rakish roadster, the 30 Model L, introduced halfway through the 1911 model year, which was advertised as being capable of success on both road and track. It was reportedly the only car of its class to have successfully completed a twenty-four race, a feat that it twice achieved at Brighton Beach. Only three factory-bodied 30 Model L Roadsters are known to have survive, one of which is in long-term institutional ownership.
Source:
Continue reading:Previous
1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz ConvertibleUntil 1956, Cadillac offered its’ ultra-exclusive Eldorado only as a two-door convertible. However, for 1956, Cadillac expanded the Eldorado line with a hardtop coupe called the Eldorado Seville, rebranding the droptop as the Eldorado Biarritz. With an original MSRP that edged in on the $7,000 mark, just 2,150 Biarritz were produced that year. |
Options
