A sight that you will rarely see - I moved my Cole cars to a new place

[kfle]

I am selling my work shop facility that is close the Gilmore Car Museum as I am mostly in Florida now, so I got a unit at a collector car storage facility in West Michigan.  Anyways, I moved the cars over the weekend and now all of the cars from the Cole Motor Car Company are in one room lined up by year.  After I got them in there, myself and a few friends just sat and enjoyed them while talking history.  

 

From front left to front right

1. 1911 Cole Toy Tonneau, 4 cylinder 40HP- the only one known to survive

2. 1913 Cole Series 9, 4 cylinder 50HP - One of two known to survive and owned by the JJ Cole Family

3. 1920 Cole Aero 8 7p Tourster, 346.6 ci 80 HP V8

4. 1923 Cole 890 Two Person Coupe, 346.6 90 HP V8 - Test car for balloon tires in partnership with Firestone, owned by the JJ Cole Family until 1990, and was the Cole Display car at the New York and Chicago Auto show in 1923.  

5. 1925 Cole 890 Brouette with a custom body by Willoughby, 346.6 90 HP V8 - Mrs. Cole's personal Chauffer driven car that was owned by the Cole family until 2007.

 

I have a sixth Cole that is a 1917 Cole Toursedan with a special convertible body by Springfield, though that one is with someone who is replacing the leather on the Cone Clutch.  That one will then join the other five in the next two weeks.  

 

 

Here is a better shot of the 1923 and 1925.  They are quite large cars so had to park them at more of an angle than I was planning.  

 

Now I will be moving in all of the Cole signs and memorabilia as well as other cars and decorations.  If you ever find yourself in West Michigan and want to see the Cole's, just let me know!

[old car fan]

Would  love to,awesome  display.

[JamesR]

23 minutes ago, kfle said:

If you ever find yourself in West Michigan and want to see the Cole's, just let me know!

 

A generous offer and those are some beautiful cars! They exude quality. Eighty and ninety horsepower was a whole lot for the early 1920's. What was the typical top speed for this era of Cole?

[kfle]

1 minute ago, JamesR said:

 

A generous offer and those are some beautiful cars! They exude quality. Eighty and ninety horsepower was a whole lot for the early 1920's. What was the typical top speed for this era of Cole?

That really depends on the gearing of the specific Cole model.  They are three speed cars and geared for lots of torque and power.  Also, the premise was making it so you could be in third gear from 4mph to top speed so that you didnt have to shift.  Now the sport models had different gearing and utilize the power better.  When Cole introduced their V8 in January of 1915, 4 months after Cadillac, their engine was bigger and in the late teens only Cunningham was bigger.  My son has had the 1923 Sport Coupe up to 70mph, however the 1920 big Touring car likes 50mph.  Teams loved to use the Cole chassis with the V8 for racing and one of them beat the record by the Blitzen Benz.  Here is an ad from 1919 for the Sportster and then an overview of one of the Cole racing cars using the same V8.  Read the ad copy for the Sportster on the performance specs.  

 

 

 

 

[1937hd45]

I found some Cole photos on another site, when I find them I'll be back and post them. Nice storage area. Bob 

[pmhowe]

Thanks for the post. I particularly like the lines of the mid-twenties coupe. The low back outline makes it look quite sporting for the time. Obviously not designed for long trips with lots of baggage, however. The double spare on the rear clearly speaks to what was thought of tire survival in those days. I'm guessing a wheelbase of around 126"? And what kind of engine did it have?
Thanks,

Phil

[kfle]

12 minutes ago, pmhowe said:

Thanks for the post. I particularly like the lines of the mid-twenties coupe. The low back outline makes it look quite sporting for the time. Obviously not designed for long trips with lots of baggage, however. The double spare on the rear clearly speaks to what was thought of tire survival in those days. I'm guessing a wheelbase of around 126"? And what kind of engine did it have?
Thanks,

Phil

It is powered by a 90HP V8 engine.  Actually the car was the test car with Firestone for balloon tires which were less than 30psi and had few flats. The car was at the New York and Chicago auto shows in 1923 and the dual tire rack on back was actually the display rack to show off the new balloon tires at the auto shows.  That car is a custom body and is 127.5” wheel base and the design was meant to draw people in at the auto shows.  This picture will help give you a perspective on scale.  That is my son who was 21 in this picture standing next to it.  

[Brass is Best]

Outstanding!

[PhillyFordGuy]

Terrific post, thank you! Would you say you have the pre-eminent Cole collection in existence? Or are there rivals?

[cpwalter]

A beautiful collection of automotive art.

[kfle]

2 hours ago, PhillyFordGuy said:

Terrific post, thank you! Would you say you have the pre-eminent Cole collection in existence? Or are there rivals?

As far as number of Coles, there is one other individual who has 6 Coles.  He is a very private individual, has a very large overall collection, and has never taken one of his cars to a car show or event in his life.  Also, the Co-founder of RmSotheby's has 4 Coles.  There are a total of 79 cars known to still exist of all years (1909-1925) out of just under 41,000 cars that were produced.  If you start to break this down, a portion of those 79 are not running or complete cars and then over half are buried in collections or at museums.  There are probably only about 20 that actually make it out to public events and that is why you don't see one often.  Also there are very few Coles that ever go up for public sale.  

 

As far as significance, my Collection is at the top with three of the JJ Cole family cars and four of the six of my cars are the only surviving examples known to survive (2 of them being custom one off builds by JJ Cole).  The Co-founder of RMSotheby's has the 4th Cole Family car.  Here is a picture from the JJ Cole family taking their 4 family cars out for a trip to a park in Indianapolis during the mid 1940's.  The front white 1919 Cole Roadster is the one that I dont have with the following three in the line-up being mine.  

Edited June 7, 2023 by kfle (see edit history)

[kfle]

A few asked for some better pictures of the other individual Coles.  

 

Here is the 1920 Cole Aero 8 Tourster at a CCCA event.  For size comparisons there is a 1930's Bentley.  

 

Here is the 1913 Cole Series 9 sitting at Detroit Classic and Exotics about 4 years ago after I had Brian Joseph put the pin striping back on it and do some other mechanical things to it.  

Here is the 1911 Toy Tonneau, with the 1913 next to it

 

Here is the 1917 Toursedan with Convertible body by Springfield.  

 

 

 

[cpwalter]

Had to break out my Standard Catalog of American Cars after seeing your pictures and familiarize myself about the Cole, It had a short life span but produced some good looking cars. Wonder what would have happened to the brand had Cole taken the offer from Durant to join GM and where would it have fit in the lineup? Being from West Michigan how did you get interested in the Cole family of cars?

[kfle]

8 minutes ago, cpwalter said:

Had to break out my Standard Catalog of American Cars after seeing your pictures and familiarize myself about the Cole, It had a short life span but produced some good looking cars. Wonder what would have happened to the brand had Cole taken the offer from Durant to join GM and where would it have fit in the lineup? Being from West Michigan how did you get interested in the Cole family of cars?

The Standard Catalog of American Cars isnt entirely accurate when it comes to Cole, but it gives you a close enough overview 🙂  Durant actually tried to acquire Cole 3 times, but JJ Cole refused each time and was a proud man.  He wasnt happy with where the industry was going so he liquidated the company in late 24.  In the teens, Cole was second only to Cadillac in luxury car sales.

 

Now as to how I got interested in Cole, I was at an auction about 7 years ago in Kokomo Indiana where the local museum lost their building so they sold off their cars.  My son convinced me to keep bidding on the 1913 Cole and I ended up winning the auction.  When you see the quality and design of the Cole in person, it is quite a car.  I then got to know the guy that ran the Cole registry for 30 years and the more I learned about the cars and the company, I was hooked.  Given the overall small amount of surviving Coles in the world it is quite amazing that there are 6 collectors that own multiple Coles.  It is a testament to the quality and power of the car.  

[Marty Roth]

Thank you for sharing photos, background, and your experience.

Many of us don't have enough knowledge of Cole automobiles - surely myself !

[raysgraham]

thanks for posting . A very unique car with a wonderful history

[DFeeney]

Be proud of your collection,  Future generations will enjoy them as much as you do now.

[kfle]

9 hours ago, DFeeney said:

Be proud of your collection,  Future generations will enjoy them as much as you do now.

Agreed.  I am very proud of the collection and get the Coles out to share with others when I can.  I view myself as a caretaker of them to continue to preserve the history for the future.

[Lee H]

Kfle, may I ask you a question? In the early 1970s, my father was a block mason in Indianapolis, and I was a little kid carrying hod for him. Anyway, he had a job downtown (which I believe was at the Cole factory, but I can’t be sure…I remember the adjacent interstate was under construction), and he took me to one of the floors where there were several antique cars, and I can still remember the big “COLE” on at least one of the radiators.

 

Sadly, my dad is no longer here to ask, but do you know any stories that might confirm my memory of Cole cars that were still inside the factory at such a late date? Thanks in advance…I’ve always wondered.

 

Lee 

[kfle]

4 minutes ago, Lee H said:

Kfle, may I ask you a question? In the early 1970s, my father was a block mason in Indianapolis, and I was a little kid carrying hod for him. Anyway, he had a job downtown (which I believe was at the Cole factory, but I can’t be sure…I remember the adjacent interstate was under construction), and he took me to one of the floors where there were several antique cars, and I can still remember the big “COLE” on at least one of the radiators.

 

Sadly, my dad is no longer here to ask, but do you know any stories that might confirm my memory of Cole cars that were still inside the factory at such a late date? Thanks in advance…I’ve always wondered.

 

Lee 

Yes, that is a true story.  The surviving Cole family member over the years retained ownership of the Cole Factory building in Indianapolis until about 1990 or so when it went to Marion County and became the Jail annex.  The Cole family cars plus a few others were stored in the basement of the factory building and maintained and cared for by the family members and is why they were preserved so well.  Here are a few pictures and news articles from the years about the Cole cars in the factory building basement.  

 

 

 

[58L-Y8]

Great cars need great conservators, kfle you are doing the Cole marque proud!   Here's a better look at that mid-1940's Indianapolis outing. 

[1935Packard]

Super cool, thanks for posting. And thanks for keeping our collective memory of these interesting cars alive.

[kfle]

1 hour ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Great cars need great conservators, kfle you are doing the Cole marque proud!   Here's a better look at that mid-1940's Indianapolis outing. 

That cleaned up nicely and thanks for doing that!  Also, here is the 1919 Cole Roadster that is chopped off at the front of the picture.  I wish I owned it!  In the Roadster are Joe Cole and Helen Cole which are the grand kids of JJ Cole.  

 

 

[Lee H]

Kfle, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that! It’s a strong memory, and after my Dad finished that job, he went right out and bought a ‘37 Dodge to restore. That was was what pushed me into antique cars, but now I think it’s unlikely that he ever would have (and ultimately, me), without that seminal event. Bless you!

[vintage1]

Great looking collection. You are right about them being large cars, you can really see that in the photo with the Bentley.

 

[Dandy Dave]

On 6/6/2023 at 6:56 PM, kfle said:

I am selling my work shop facility that is close the Gilmore Car Museum as I am mostly in Florida now, so I got a unit at a collector car storage facility in West Michigan.  Anyways, I moved the cars over the weekend and now all of the cars from the Cole Motor Car Company are in one room lined up by year.  After I got them in there, myself and a few friends just sat and enjoyed them while talking history.  

 

From front left to front right

1. 1911 Cole Toy Tonneau, 4 cylinder 40HP- the only one known to survive

2. 1913 Cole Series 9, 4 cylinder 50HP - One of two known to survive and owned by the JJ Cole Family

3. 1920 Cole Aero 8 7p Tourster, 346.6 ci 80 HP V8

4. 1923 Cole 890 Two Person Coupe, 346.6 90 HP V8 - Test car for balloon tires in partnership with Firestone, owned by the JJ Cole Family until 1990, and was the Cole Display car at the New York and Chicago Auto show in 1923.  

5. 1925 Cole 890 Brouette with a custom body by Willoughby, 346.6 90 HP V8 - Mrs. Cole's personal Chauffer driven car that was owned by the Cole family until 2007.

 

I have a sixth Cole that is a 1917 Cole Toursedan with a special convertible body by Springfield, though that one is with someone who is replacing the leather on the Cone Clutch.  That one will then join the other five in the next two weeks.  

 

 

Here is a better shot of the 1923 and 1925.  They are quite large cars so had to park them at more of an angle than I was planning.  

Now I will be moving in all of the Cole signs and memorabilia as well as other cars and decorations.  If you ever find yourself in West Michigan and want to see the Cole's, just let me know!

I get out to Michigan from time to time. I may just take you up on that offer. 🙂

[kfle]

10 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

I get out to Michigan from time to time. I may just take you up on that offer. 🙂

Just let me know when, happy to share the Coles!