My family’s latest Coles added to the collection

[Cole motor car lover]

The first new addition we acquired is a cole we’ve known about for sometime and that is the only 1917 Cole 8 toursedan model known to exist with a custom body by Springfield which can transform from a completely open touring like style to a completely closed limousine. The second and most recent Cole Acquisition added to the family is one of my all time favorites! It’s a 1911 Cole model 30 Toy Tonneau and again the only known survivor of this body type! It has a very nice size 4 cylinder motor that is roughly 348.4 cubic inches and easily outputs 40 horsepower according to original advertising at the time. I’m very thankful for my dad Kevin fleck and for adding these to the family and can’t wait to get these cars back on the road and out in public eye at car shows!

[Barney Eaton]

Do you know Mr B Hall in Clermont  Indiana?   He has a couple of Coles

[kfle]

It has been great putting together the collection of six autos from the Cole Motor Car company with my son Ben!  We have learned so much and have put together a one of a kind collection of very rare autos that are not often seen.  Three of our Coles were owned by the JJ Cole family during the time of the company.  The latest Cole, which is the Toy Tonneau, came out of Iowa and needs some good cleaning up, some new tires, and some general sorting out.  It is an amazing auto and here is an original ad for it.  

[kfle]

3 minutes ago, Barney Eaton said:

Do you know Mr B Hall in Clermont  Indiana?   He has a couple of Coles

Yes we know Beauford and have been to his place a few times over the years.  

[Cole motor car lover]

Just incase anyone wanted to see the engines powering these automobiles. First is the 346.8 cubic inch v8 of the 1917 Cole and second is the 348.4 cubic inch 4 cylinder motor of the 1911 Cole model 30. Side note the horse power of the 1917 v8 was around 75 horsepower 

[wayne sheldon]

Wonderful additions to the Cole collection! I also love the Sears parked next to the 1911 toy tonneau. Is it yours also?

[kfle]

7 minutes ago, wayne sheldon said:

Wonderful additions to the Cole collection! I also love the Sears parked next to the 1911 toy tonneau. Is it yours also?

Actually that is a 1910 chalmers Detroit next to it and is not ours.

[1937hd45]

Never saw an issue of ASIA magazine before, but I picked up this copy Sunday because of the Cole  ad on the back page. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

Hey there Kevin! I believe the Chalmers Detroit is in the last photo of the 1911 Cole toy tonneau. The Sears is next to the 1911 Cole in the first photo of it! (Not counting the advertisement or engine photo)

 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by wayne sheldon
I hate leaving typos! (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

I like the location of the "cowl lights" does this make for easier entry & exit at night? Bob

 

[jdome]

?

Edited September 7, 2022 by jdome (see edit history)

[kfle]

43 minutes ago, wayne sheldon said:

Hey there Kevin! I believe the Chalmers Detroit is in the last photo of the 1911 Cole toy tonneau. The Sears in next to the 1911 Cole in the first photo of it! (Not counting the advertisement or engine photo)

Ahhh ok.  That photo was in the barn in Iowa where we picked it up.  

[Cole motor car lover]

44 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

I like the location of the "cowl lights" does this make for easier entry & exit at night? Bob

 

I’m not to sure yet as I haven’t been able to test it out much myself unfortunately as I’m currently in Florida and the car is kept at the Michigan property but I imagine it would be very helpful at night thank you for that thought!! I never really thought about that until now definitely a nice design and touch. I especially love the curve of the body. Thank you again bob I appreciate the comment!

[nickelroadster]

Was the engine in the 19111 a Northway engine?

[4Hud]

Both really cool cars but that 1911 is amazing, can't wait to see it all cleaned up.

[KLF]

5 hours ago, nickelroadster said:

Was the engine in the 19111 a Northway engine?

The engine is almost identical to my 1912 Oakland engine which was made by Northway.  I believe Coles used Northway engines for some of the years.

Ken

[1937hd45]

Another Cole? The cowl lights are in the same area. 

 

Bob 

[kfle]

6 hours ago, KLF said:

The engine is almost identical to my 1912 Oakland engine which was made by Northway.  I believe Coles used Northway engines for some of the years.

Ken

Yes, Cole used Northway engines, however Cole's Chief Engineer, Charles Crawford worked with Northway to make some of their own design and optimization improvements.  

[kfle]

6 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Another Cole? The cowl lights are in the same area. 

 

Bob 

Yes, this is the Cole roadster model which is the sister car to the Toy Tonneau in the line up.  

[1937hd45]

5 minutes ago, kfle said:

Yes, this is the Cole roadster model which is the sister car to the Toy Tonneau in the line up.  

Thank you! It was worth the hour of scrolling through all the old photos in Walt's old photo thread. Never found the Toy Tonneau photo I remember seeing in there, think it was in a collection of photos taken in or around Washington, D.C. the side lights left a lasting memory. Bob 

[Cole motor car lover]

7 hours ago, 4Hud said:

Both really cool cars but that 1911 is amazing, can't wait to see it all cleaned up.

I agree and can’t wait for it to get all cleaned back up and gone through mechanically. I’ll make sure to post updated photos when that is done. The previous owner is 100 years old and he took very good care of the car and even wrote an entire book on the car and everything that has been done mechanically and cosmetics so that has been extremely helpful! Thank you for the comment 

[Cole motor car lover]

 Here are some more photos of the 1911 Cole it also not pictured has an exhaust cutout and a added train whistle guess the original owner wanted people to get out of his way😂. This car is very original still which is amazing although the original owner cheaper out and didn’t buy the clock option or the upgraded Speedometer option I believe the speedometer in this car was $15 or $20 and the upgraded one was like $30 or something my dad might be able to post a photo of the original dealer option booklet for 1911

[John Bloom]

Outstanding stuff guys!  Glad it is in your passionate hands. And thanks for sharing with all of us!

[1937hd45]

Toy Tonneau bodies on any chassis are great looking. Is the Cole about the same size as a 1911 Cadillac? What is the item to the left of the ignition switch? Do you have the missing ID plate? Love the curved door top wood.  Bob

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[kfle]

21 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

Toy Tonneau bodies on any chassis are great looking. Is the Cole about the same size as a 1911 Cadillac? What is the item to the left of the ignition switch? Do you have the missing ID plate? Love the curved door top wood.  Bob

 

The Cole is a bit bigger than the Cadillac Toy Tonneau by about a foot and the engine is also larger.  The 'missing ID plate' that you can see the ghost of on the wood was a modern ID plate that the previous owner put on it in 1995 that held his car registration.  It was ugly and I popped it off.  When we clean the car up, some of the ghosting will disappear.  

 

The plaque that is to the left of the ignition switch is the tribute plaque that was placed on the 1911 Cole Speedster, roadsters, and Toy Tonneaus to commemorate the winning of the big race the year before.  It is a replica of one of the Vanderbilt cup trophies and is very detailed.  Here is a close up of the plaque from one that I have in my collection that was taken off a car.  It is a very hard to find item and it is great that this Cole still has it on there.  

[kfle]

My son mentioned the original dealer book that we have for the car.  The total dealer brochure is 24 pages and here are a few snapshots from it.  Since this was the second series of cars from the Cole Motor Car Company, JJ Cole was selling the cars for slightly above cost to get the name and product into the market.  While still expensive in 1911,  prices of Coles started to increase higher in 1913.  It was a lot of car for the money comparatively at the time.  

[Walt G]

Further information on the Vanderbilt Cup Massapequa sweepstakes courtesy of my buddy Howard Kroplick who has the Vanderbilt Cup Races. com website for everything you need to know about the Vanderbilt Cup Races and The Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. Massapequa, NY is not far from either Howard nor myself from where we live here on long island. I mentioned this post to him and he provided the following:

Here is information on the plaque: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/question_of_the_day_can_you_identitfy_this_1911_vanderbilia

 

Link to Cole information: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/tag/1910+massapequa+sweepstakes

 

 

The Massapequa Trophy won by Cole: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/thursday_october_29_2009_the_massapequa_sweepstakes_trophy_reappers

 

Thanks to Howard ! if you haven't looked at the Vanderbiltcupraces.com site do so weekly, really interesting. Has great material and information on Mustangs ( he collects those too) and the 1937 Chrysler Imperial town car built for Della Chrysler, W.P. Chrysler's wife. that car spent its whole life here on long island within 55 miles of where I reside.

 

Walt

[kfle]

41 minutes ago, Walt G said:

Further information on the Vanderbilt Cup Massapequa sweepstakes courtesy of my buddy Howard Kroplick who has the Vanderbilt Cup Races. com website for everything you need to know about the Vanderbilt Cup Races and The Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. Massapequa, NY is not far from either Howard nor myself from where we live here on long island. I mentioned this post to him and he provided the following:

Here is information on the plaque: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/question_of_the_day_can_you_identitfy_this_1911_vanderbilia

 

Link to Cole information: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/tag/1910+massapequa+sweepstakes

 

 

The Massapequa Trophy won by Cole: https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/thursday_october_29_2009_the_massapequa_sweepstakes_trophy_reappers

 

Thanks to Howard ! if you haven't looked at the Vanderbiltcupraces.com site do so weekly, really interesting. Has great material and information on Mustangs ( he collects those too) and the 1937 Chrysler Imperial town car built for Della Chrysler, W.P. Chrysler's wife. that car spent its whole life here on long island within 55 miles of where I reside.

 

Walt

Thanks Walt as always.  That is a fascinating site and wonderful reading.  Here is a recent picture of the trophy that a member of the Cole family sent me just the other day.  

[Cole motor car lover]

Just incase anyone wanted a better look of the 1917 Cole 8 TourSedan

[Cole motor car lover]

Just wanted to add that if anyone is attending greenfield village old car festival the 1911 Cole and my families 1913 Cole are both in attendance and unfortunately I was unable to make it this year do to health issues but I know my dad and his friend would be happy to show you the cars and talk with you about them with any of you:)!

[1937hd45]

Thank you for sharing the Cole collection, your family's passion for the brand is greatly admired. Haven't been to Greenfield Village in 45 years, what is the large open building in the first photo, looks like the Wright Brothers are expanding their building. 

 

Bob 

[58L-Y8]

Congratulations on your latest Cole acquisition, thanks for sharing the good news and photos.

[wayne sheldon]

The two early Cole automobiles look great together!

I hope your health issues are not serious. Don't want you missing very many events and showings with your cars!

[Cole motor car lover]

5 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Thank you for sharing the Cole collection, your family's passion for the brand is greatly admired. Haven't been to Greenfield Village in 45 years, what is the large open building in the first photo, looks like the Wright Brothers are expanding their building. 

 

Bob 

Of course anytime I love sharing the coles and all the history I can about them I love all pre war cars but the coles have especially gained a special place in my heart for a obvious reason. I would love to answer your question but unfortunately I don’t know my apologies. I told my dad though and he’ll answer you when he’s done with everything at the show today. Thank you again for your comment I always appreciate your kindness and knowledge 

 

Ben

[Cole motor car lover]

8 minutes ago, wayne sheldon said:

The two early Cole automobiles look great together!

I hope your health issues are not serious. Don't want you missing very many events and showings with your cars!

Thank you very much and I agree they look spectacular together I love just how quickly things changed in the automotive industry at the time and the fact you can see it with those two coke models with the 13 Cole using all electric and the 1911 using gas for the lighting just very cool to see. Unfortunately I am going through the process of being diagnosed with a very rare muscular disorder and I’m just going through a lot of testing and many doctor visits but I promise I’ll be back and out with the coles and sharing my knowledge of them in person as soon as I can!! Thank you again for your kindness and enjoying the coles!

[Jim Skelly]

On 9/10/2022 at 11:15 AM, 1937hd45 said:

Haven't been to Greenfield Village in 45 years, what is the large open building in the first photo, looks like the Wright Brothers are expanding their building. 

It's the Detroit Central Market:

 

1860s Detroit Central Market reopens in new home, Greenfield Village (detroitnews.com)

 

[1937hd45]

Thank you for the link Jim, glad the Market has a new home. Maybe I need to finally get out there for the Old Car Festival, it has been on my Bucket List forever, and 2023 would be the 55th anniversary of my first visit in 1968. 

 

Bob 

[Cole motor car lover]

I just wanted to post about a couple findings my dad discovered while at the car show this weekend in this first picture is an original grease chart/mechanical chart it was discovered by simply sliding this wood panel and there it was! Also someone had pointed out to my dad that the prestolite tank had a rare cover accessory for the time you e had just assumed someone painted the tank black but nope when he undid the cover the original tank with writing and all was revealed! And not pictured here I’ll try and get some photos when I’m able too we discovered that it is still using the original spark plugs from the time and they still work incredibly well! Now this car is a very low mileage car it only has 9 thousand miles so not bad at all for a one hundred and eleven year old car. Anyways just thought I’d continue to share as we continue to discover more stuff about the car thank you again to everyone that has shown interest in the coles it makes my entire day with every kind comments from all you amazing people!

  Sincerely Ben:)

[1937hd45]

I think we are all enjoying that car more and more. I didn't know it was really low milage, safe to say the upholstery is original with maybe one repaint? 

[Cole motor car lover]

15 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

I think we are all enjoying that car more and more. I didn't know it was really low milage, safe to say the upholstery is original with maybe one repaint? 

Yes I don’t remember the exact mileage but I do know it’s in the 9 thousand mile range I’m sure my dad can share a photo of the exact mileage and give even more info as he has the book with all the info on the car. the previous owner as I stated before is 100  and he had acquired the car from a big time car collector in Iowa when he unfortunately passed as far as we know we are the fourth owner of the car. You’re correct with the one repaint and original upholstery the second owner of the car had it repainted in the 50s and didn’t do the best job but it’s not bad especially for the age. I’ll have my dad chime in when he’s able too as he can explain the history a lot better than I can. 
my apologies for not knowing the exact mileage like I said I’ll have my dad respond as soon as he’s able too. Thank you again for being so interested:)!!