1903 Columbus Electric Folding-Top Runabout

The Columbus automobile company began as the Columbus Buggy Company, located in that Ohio city. The company began with horse-drawn transport before switching to automobiles in 1903. The Folding Top Runabout was Columbus's mainstay from 1903 to 1905, after which the company introduced coupe, runabout, victoria, stanhope, surrey, and even station wagon models. They built gasoline-powered cars from 1907, high-wheelers at first, but later as the conventional Firestone-Columbus. The company survived until 1915.

This Columbus Electric was purchased by Harold Coker in 2009 as a Christmas gift for his wife, Lillian. He acquired it from Wayne McKinley, a Chevrolet dealer in O'Fallon, Illinois, who had owned it since the early 1960s. It is believed to have been on display at the Illinois State Fair on August 11th, 1967.

The McKinleys installed a new interior. The patent leather fenders are original, and much of the car is in complete and original condition. The interior is finished in maroon buttoned velour, and the floor is carpeted in matching color. The steering tiller is on the left side, and the only instrumentation is a volt-ammeter bearing the name Columbus Buggy Company. The tires are 30x3 Firestone Non-Skid blackwalls.

The power for the lights and propulsion is from four 12-volt lead-acid batteries. Two of the batters are in the front, and two are in the back.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2015