1915 Cole Model 8-50

Joseph Jarrett Cole was born in 1869 in Indiana, and after finishing high school, he left his parent's farm to study business. Working in the carriage industry, he quickly moved to top management positions, eventually buying out the Gates-Osborne Carriage Company of Indianapolis and renaming it the Cole Carriage Company. His investment was prosperous, with approximately 3,000 carriages built per year. As the industry shifted towards horseless carriages, Mr. Cole experimented with a high-wheeled motor buggy that he called the Cole Solid Tire Automobile.

The early Cole automobiles benefitted from the mechanical ingenuity of Charles S. Crawford, who would later work with Stutz.

Production of the high-wheeler was brief, with fewer than two hundred examples built (approximately 170) before Mr. Cole decided that his staff engineers would partner with industry suppliers to produce their own version of 'standardized' parts. Throughout its existence, the Cole was an assembled car using parts from various suppliers. Mr. Cole believed (perhaps rightfully so) that industry specialists could produce better mechanical components than automobile manufacturers could design and produce themselves.

The Cole Motor Car Company was organized in June 1909, and their conventional four-cylinder Model 30 proved popular, with over 100 examples built by the end of the year. Nearly eight hundred (783) vehicles were produced the following year, and before the company went out of business in 1925, approximately 40,000 Cole automobiles were built.

A Model 30 Flyer was entered in the 1010 Vanderbilt Cup Race and was awarded the Massapequa Trophy. The Cole automobiles competed in numerous events throughout the United States, often driven by Wild Bill Endicott, including a 24-hour contest at Brighton Beach.

The Cole automobile adopted a six-cylinder engine in 1913, along with electric starting, and after 1917, their lineup was exclusively powered by V-8 power. With 6,225 Cole vehicles produced in 1919, the Cole Company ranked 2nd behind Cadillac among America's high-priced automakers. Sales were strong until 1922, and a quiet liquidation followed in 1925.

1915 Cole Models
The 1915 Cole lineup was a diverse set of vehicles that occupied the mid- to upper-market segment, with prices that ranged from $1,500 to $3,750. The 'entry-level' Cole was the Standard 4-40 that used a 120-inch wheelbase and a four-cylinder, 40-horsepower engine. Body styles included a coupe, roadster, and seven-passenger tourer. The Model 6-50 had a larger 126-inch wheelbase and a six-cylinder engine offering approximately 50 horsepower. The four-passenger tourer was priced at $1,865, the seven-passenger tourer at $1,870, the coupe at $2,250, and the roadster at just under $2,500. The top-of-the-line Big Six 6-60 rested on a generous 136-inch wheelbase and its six-cylinder engine offered 60 horsepower. The most expensive body style was the seven-passenger limousine listed at $3,750. The roadster and 7-passenger tourer was $2,465 and the coupe was priced at $2,750.

1915 was the first year for the Model 850 and its 127-inch wheelbase was powered by a Cadillac 'monoblock,' flathead V8 engine displacing 346 cubic inches and developing 70 horsepower. The engine had an iron block, removable cylinder heads, and a bronze Stromberg 'Series H' updraft carburetor.

Bodystyles on the Model 8-50 included a seven-passenger tourer, roadster, coupe, and Berline Limousine. The three-passenger roadster was priced at $1,785 which made it nearly $300 less than a similarly-bodied Cadillac Model 53.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024