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This is absolutely the most important thing. We launched the website in October and I have been shocked by how many people visit and are searching for information. With only 77 known cars to exist and a relatively obscure brand, it is easy to assume that you would have to be an owner to want to search for information or be interested in Cole. Well, here are the stats for the site since launch in October as of this morning: Total visitors: 758 Total pages viewed: 4188 Avg pages viewed per visitor: 5.52 (so most visitors are not just stumbling on to the site by accident or through a search where they were looking for something else) Average visitors per week currently is about 26 The biggest challenge is to get your search engine optimization right with Google and others. We have worked on this and have risen in the search rankings when someone searches for Cole motor car company or a specific year or make of a Cole car. The site is not popping up when people search in Google and this started happening in probably March or so. A good example of this is from October to the Dec 31 2018, our biggest referrer was Facebook with sending 109 visitors to the website and only 57 visitors coming from search engines. In 2019 since about March we have 278 visitors coming from Search engines like Google and about 87 from Facebook and 22 from Wikipedia. We are now averaging 3 visitors per day from search engines so it is picking up. I have attached some screenshots of the data. Think about this data and what it means. Even if you threw out half of the visitors as people going to the wrong site, that is still quite a good amount of people looking for information about the Cole Motor car Company and the cars. If this site didn't exist, how do these people find information and stay engaged? They may run across static sites like Wikipedia with some information, but what about a community aspect? it would be completely missed. It will be interesting to track this over time and see if interest continues to increase or if it decreases over time. This is just the data and the data tells the real story, not my opinion. This chart shows the stats year to date for 2019. I do not have likes or comments enabled on the site. This chart shows where people are visiting from for 2019 Year to date. This is site data for May 18-21st. We had the Cole Owner meetup the weekend of May 18 at the Gilmore Pre 42 event with 10 Coles there. You can see typical traffic on May 19th, however the day of the show and the Monday and Tuesday after had pretty big increases of people looking at Cole information. Here is referrer stats for May. As you can see 77 searches in May.

Thanks and I am in my 40's and got started in this Coles less than two years ago when myself and my son were at an auction and we ran across a 1913 Cole. We had never heard of it, didn't know anything about it, but fell in love with it. We tried to do searches on our phone for information and there was a Wikipedia page (later to find out that it had many inaccuracies), links to forum posts, and that was about it. Later we ran across the gentleman Leroy Cole, no relation to the Cole car family, who ran the former Cole club for three decades and he was gracious with information and knowledge. So we decided to relaunch the registry last fall using the learnings of the past and the present. Some things that we have learned so far 1. Easy to find information. You have to have an information source that is easy to find and completely accessible. Think about the person at an auction, a car show, a parking lot where they see a car, or just anywhere and they see a car such as Cole and say hmmm that is interesting I wonder what it is? They pull out their phone and do a search. If connections to quick information and a community do not come up you have lost them as they move on to something else. If they find what they are looking for and the story is interesting with available connections then you have the start of engagement. 2. Awareness is key. The cars need to be seen, the history needs to be shared, and stories need to be heard. In my opinion, Coles are very nice cars with a great look and technology, though no one ever saw them. We have been getting our Coles out at more events and encouraging other Cole owners to as well. We are also letting people know where they will be so that people can see them. Most people are not aware that Coles from 1916 on up are Full Classics in the CCCA and have been since 2012. Well, they had two Coles registered and they had only been two a total of two events over the years. I let other owners know about this and now CCCA membership for Cole owners is up to 6 active owners this year who are getting involved with their local region. Also we became an affiliated region with the HCCA this Spring and they had two great articles in their recent issue of the Gazette in May. My son and I also helped the Gilmore Car Museum launch a special Cole exhibit that opened earlier this month and is running through October. It includes seven cars from 1909 - 1925, lots of Cole artifacts, pictures, and documents, and even has the Cole Sheet music song playing in the background. It isn't just a single car of the brand sitting there on display, it tells the story of the company and the evolution of the auto industry from High Wheeler to the start of the Classic era through the lens of one company. All of this activity generates interest in the brand and gets the knowledge out there. Now it is not creating a lot of future Cole owners or active users, but you don't need a lot when there are only 77 known Coles that still exist right now. We are also active in the various social media circles as well. 3. Make it easy to participate. We are just a historical auto site and registry and not an official club and it makes things streamlined and easier for something like Cole where it is more global with a limited set of participants, however I think there are things that apply to other groups as well. We charge no membership fees and do everything electronically. We do have a periodic 'newsletter' but it is sent out through email. We did have an event in May, but we organized that through the website and other avenues. I do not share any personal information on the Cole registry though the members get to know each other through connections and we are able to easily facilitate these connections. For example a newer Cole owner of a 1916 Touring car sent me a Facebook message on last Friday about some issues he was having. I then messaged another Cole owner who had something similar in the past and got the answer. Within an hour the owner had an answer and was good to go on how to address it. We are gathering up lots of information as well and creating a simple library that we will scan soon and put on the website(i.e. we have just about every owners manual, almost all dealer books, and lots of other info) that will make it easier for owners to get what they need. By doing all this we are trying to lower the barrier to owning and maintaining a Cole as it can be scary for someone to jump right in to something like this. We also make it easy to participate in the group with no fees that you have to worry about (most times it is not the $25 that you pay for a club, it is the hassle of the administration of dealing with all of that), no club hierarchy or politics to deal with, and a central information source that everyone can access. 4. Manage the pipeline. The other need I saw was managing the pipeline of car caretakers. Typically Cole owners love their cars and when they get up there in age they want to see their Cole go to the next care taker who will love it and cherish it as much as they did. Of course they want a fair price as well! Also through connections we have made with the registry, you have new Cole enthusiasts who have been interested in Coles from before for some reason or they saw a Cole at a show and did research and are curious about owning one. Some people are ready buyers, some people are developing where they are learning what it takes and building funds or other necessary things to one day become an owner. I just facilitate the connection between these parties and if it works out great, and if it doesn't then so be it. This type of thing probably works better with a marquee that has a more limited supply, but it is working. Also, you have a support structure for the new owner which is important. 5. Make it fun. Finally, the biggest one is to make it fun! I have learned that it is about the cars, the connections, and the history. The more you can center around that and make things fun for the owner the better. People disassociate from car clubs when they feel they are or are going to be 'judged', when there is politics, or when they are not having fun. We stay away from all of that and is why we didn't put a heavy car club structure in place. It is just an information source that facilitates connections between people that own and are passionate about Coles. Some people will probably wonder about cost, since there are no fees or anything. I pay $10 per month for the website hosting, so $120 per year is my investment back into the hobby. My son and I create all the web pages and maintain it, though with modern web tools that is super easy. Newsletters we write and compile from others as well, and since it is all electronic it is published by clicking a button. So far we have had an amazing time sharing our passion, meeting others, and making an impact! We are not perfect by any means but this is a journey that we will continue and we have a good start. I will leave you with a few pictures from May. One is my son with his 1923 Cole Coupe. Whenever, he is out he always lets people see and get in the car and in the first picture he is sitting in the drivers seat showing some younger people the car and how it worked. In the second and third picture you can see how he was giving people rides in his car throughout the day. The other owners were doing the same and here is a great pic of a young kid who came along whos name was 'Cole' in the 1909 Cole High Wheeler that someone brought.

Thanks! Its a start and there are improvements that need to be done. Eventually we will have scans of Cole documentation and material on the site. It has to be quick to find, easy to use, and something that someone can find and access on their phone.

Two encouraging recent signs I have witnessed and been a part of 1. On May 17th at the Gilmore Car museum pre 1942 one day tour there were over 70 cars participating! It was quite a site and had over 20 that were pre 15. This was the largest amount of touring cars that they have had. 2. Myself and my 18 year old son relaunched the Cole motor car registry and club last fall complete with a modern website and on May 18th at the Gilmore pre 42 event we had 10 Coles show up! This is a larger gathering of Coles than the previous Cole Motor Car Club of America which was active from 1980 until 2010 was able to put together. We have seen several Coles shift ownership from people in their 80s to people in their 40s and 50s and I have had contact from people in their 20s interested but they need to build up the funds and build the connections. I know five Coles that have shifted ownership over the last year and none were public or advertised sales. More with help from the registry making connections between the old caretaker and the new enthusiastic caretaker. I am learning what works and what doesn’t in the modern world and you need to make the information source very accessible and easy to be found. There is a lot more to learn as well!

Just ran across this old thread. The first car is a 1923 Cole Aero Volante. That was the last year of the dual side mount tires on a Cole. Also, that was the last year of the Aero 8 branding. The Aero 8's all had a propeller under the moto meter which your picture does. For 1924 and 1925, Cole went to the 'Master Model' branding.

Specifically, that is an early 1912 Cole 30/40 Touring Car. Here is a picture of the same model with the top down with President Taft in it at a Tour stop. Cole didn't use model years and during the span of 1912 and 1913, they came out with four different cars with lots of body types. They were the Model 30/40, the Series 7, the Series 8, and the series 9. In the fall of 1912, the Cole Series 8 used the Delco electrical system and starter. The picture that @Keiser31 shared is a Series 8 as that was the last model with right hand drive. The Series 9 came out in June of 13 and was left hand drive.

Well of course its an advantage to be born into just about anything. If you grow up learning something, then it gives you a huge boost. This doesn't mean you can't start something up later in life though. I am in my 40's and I just got into the old car hobby 2.5 years ago. I didn't grow up around cars, didn't know anyone who was in the car hobby, nothing. Just saw a 31 Model A Roadster somewhere, fell in love with it and made an impulse buy. It has been a learning and fun journey ever since with mistakes made, friends made, and getting even more addicted to this hobby. Now my 18 year old son is hooked and enjoying every minute of it too!

Yes it has always included 1932. Right on their site it lists a judged class 1930-1932.

I registered two cars earlier. One of my favorite events of the year!

In the 70's I was just in Kindergarten and elementary school! I just got into this hobby two years ago and am really enjoying it. I am meeting great people, seeing lots of great cars, and learning so much. My 18 year old son is also now very active in it as well. We focus on the pre 1932 era and that is what we really like. Our first Hershey will be this year and we cannot wait! We see people post about the decline, etc. and maybe there is from past decades, but there is still a lot of fun, enjoyment, and comradery to be had out there at all events. We take one of our old cars to the local cruise in and get lots of people talking to us and enjoying the cars just as much as when we take one of our cars to a Concours event. This last weekend we took one of our cars on the Gilmore Car Museum pre 1942 one day tour and they had 70 cars participating. A lot of younger people on the tour as well. There was someone who was right in front of us in a 1913 Jackson that had never driven the car more than 1 mile before. Everyone was patient, helpful, and they ended up making it and completing the tour. So who knows when the Golden age was, I am more interested in enjoying the time now and focusing on having fun, sharing the cars, and meeting the people!

Great to hear from you and you did a wonderful paint job on the car! It is still the original work that you did at the time. Greg Tocket sold the car in 1987 or so to the Indy Motor Speedway museum directly and they have owned it ever since. They have not had it on display in a few years and have now loaned it to the Gilmore Car Museum for a Cole exhibit that just started this week and runs through October 31st. Here is the car setup at the Gilmore as the exhibit was being set up.

No, this one was never in the Harrah's collection. The only Cole that the Harrah's collection had and is now part of the museum there is a 1916 Cole Tourscoupe.

It could have been this one. It was found in the early 80’s out east and then restored. The Indy motor speedway museum purchased this Cole roadster in the late 80s and have had it ever since.

My son was also giving people rides in them throughout the day as well. He and his two person Coupe will be at the the Concours of America at St Johns in July. He loves the cars and the hobby!

Thanks and we will do it again. There is also an exhibit of 7 Coles that starts next week at the Gilmore car museum that runs through October. Besides the cars we will have quite a few company artifacts, documents, etc. a rare opportunity to go deeper and to see this many Coles from 1909–1925 in one place.

Here are some pictures of the cars the only 1909 Cole High Wheeler 1911 Cole 30 Roadster 1913 Cole Series Nine Touring car 1915 Cole 8 Roadster with the first Cole V8 1917 Cole 8 TourSedan with a body by Springfield that can be an open or closed car 1919 Cole Aero 8 7p Toursedan with Westinghouse air springs 1923 Cole 890 2 person Coupe that was built by JJ Cole custom for his son 1924 Cole 7p Royal Sedan with air suspension 1925 Cole Brouette with body by Willoughby that was mrs Coles personal chauffeur driven car. Also it is unrestored and original. 1923 Cole Two person Coupe that is my 18 year old son’s giving people rides

You are right about probably not seeing this again! Just got home and it was a wonderful day at the Gilmore pre 42 show. The Cole reunion was a fun time and it was great to see the cars together! I’ll post some pictures of all of the cars later when I can reduce the size to meet the upload requirements.

Thanks!

The house In the first picture is mine but the car room in the second pic is Not mine. That is at a major restoration shop that I had doing some work on the car. That picture is from their display room. Here are a couple more pictures of that room on the day I took that picture.

I had these two cars out over the last week with weather improving. Both driving with top down!

Thanks for the information and the updates on the type of hose. I don't have an actual picture handy, but here is a drawing of the tire pump. As you can see at the top the tire pump, is where you hook up the hose and it doesn't use any type of connector like the one shown on the hose in a previous post. The hose really just slides over the ribbed connection point so finding the right diameter hose will be important. The hose was then stored under the front seat in a nice wooden pull out drawer that is there for the tire pump hose and tools.

My 1913 Cole has a Taylor Noil Automatic Tire Pump that is powered off of the engine. The pump does put out air when it is engaged and now I need a hose for it. What would be the correct Tire pump hose from 1913? Also the hose would need to be much longer than a standard tire pump as it was meant to run from the engine compartment to each tire. Any ideas on where I would get a proper hose like this? thanks in advance.

Yes I will have my Cole there. There will be somewhere in the ball park of 10 Coles there for the Cole owner gathering. I honestly do not think there has been that many Coles in one place at one time since the 20's or 30's. There will be the first model 1909 Cole High wheeler and then the last Cole model which is my 1925 Cole Brouette. Then there will be a good representative of the models in between.

Gary - It will be great to meet you. I will have the 1925 Cole Brouette, that I posted about in the forums a few weeks ago, there on the tour and the showcase. I have not used Airbnb myself but have heard overall good things about it. Kevin

Now your reading my mind and thanks for the input!