1919 Cole Model 870 Aero Eight Sportster

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 4193 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.

In 1910, with financial backing from Harvey Firestone, production soared to 783 for the year. The Thirty would remain in the model line-up until it was replaced by the more powerful Forty in 1912. The following year it was joined by the four-cylinder Fifty and six-cylinder Sixty that took Cole farther up-market.

Cole continued their ascent into the luxury car segment by introducing the Model 8-50 in 1916. It was powered by a new V8 engine co-designed by chief engineer Charles Crawford, though it was manufactured by GM subsidiary Northway Motor. Northway Motors was also responsible for Cadillac's V8. For 1917, Cole only offered the V8 engine for all its models. By 1919, the V8 engine was used in the 870, consisting of seven different body styles. The Sportster model sold for $2,595.

This 1919 Cole Aero Eight Model 872 Sportster is painted in red with black fenders and was treated to a restoration in the 1960s. In the early 1990s, the engine was built by Tom Holthaus of Quality Machine. It received a higher compression and engine rebalancing.

It is believed that this car was once part of Harrah's collection. Another claim is that the car's second owner was the Denver Police Department.

There are only 70 or so known Cole's left in existence, and this example is the only known 1919 four-passenger Sportster. Also, it is the only known Cole with a second windshield.

In 2007, this Aero Eight Sportster was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA, where it was estimated to sell for $60,000 - $80,000 and offered without reserve. The lot was sold for $79,200, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2008