Cole Model 850-J Roadster 1915, Estados Unidos

 

Cole Model 850-J Roadster 1915, Estados Unidos
Fotografia


By the age of 35, Joseph Jarrett Cole was already a wealthy businessman with many successful ventures to his name, perhaps none more important than his eponymous carriage-manufacturer-turned-automaker, the Cole Motor Car Company of Indianapolis. Between 1903 and 1925 the company produced and shipped approximately 40,000 automobiles, all of them benefitting from Cole’s successful manufacturing model whereby staff engineers partnered with industry suppliers to produce their own version of “standardized” parts. Cole’s V-6 and—post-1917—exclusively V-8 model lineup was priced in direct competition with the likes of Cadillac, Lozier, and Stearns-Knight. Sales were robust within the segment until 1922.
Despite the company’s quiet liquidation in 1925, there remains much irrefutable merit to Cole’s engineering and design, particularly as it relates to early V-8 models, such as the first-year 850 Roadster offered here. Better developed and with notably easier serviceability than Cadillac’s competing “monoblock” V-8 engine, the Cole’s 346 cubic-inch, 70-horsepower flathead unit as found in this 1915 Model 850-J Roadster features an iron block, removable cylinder heads, and bronze Stromberg “Series H” updraft carburetor. Cole offered the Model 850 three-passenger roadster for $1,785, nearly $300 less than a similarly-bodied Cadillac Model 53.
Cole 850-J number 27159 is a prize of rare and distinctive quality; it is one of just 79 surviving examples of the Cole marque, and one of only two extant V-8-powered chassis from the 1915 model year. Benefitting from a previous high-quality and well-kept restoration, whose quality is plainly evident and with gentle patina throughout, 27159 is today presented in a rich maroon body with black-clad fenders over sumptuous black leather upholstery and a matching roadster top and boot.
This Cole 850-J was acquired by the consignor in 2017 out of long-term storage and retains much luster from its previous restoration, likely completed prior to 1990. Under the consignor’s purview, it has been additionally furnished with four new wooden artillery-spoke wheels, a complete exhaust system, an engine rebuild, as well as new leather upholstery and matching top boot. Its attractive qualities are further enriched by the presence of Johnson triple-action tubular shocks, a pair of dual, rear-mounted tire tubes, a Boyce MotoMeter, and correct Delco electricals.
Put simply, this Cole Model 850-J Roadster is a fine relic of immense significance, representing one of the earliest and most technologically innovative V-8 engine designs put into production by an American manufacturer of the Brass Era.

Packard 840 Deluxe Eight Convertible Coupe 1931, Estados Unidos

 

Packard 840 Deluxe Eight Convertible Coupe 1931, Estados Unidos
Fotografia




The Packard Motor Car Company introduced its Eighth Series on 14 August 1930. Manifolds and valves from the 734 Speedster engine were adopted across the board, resulting in a power boost to 120 horsepower on the 384.8-cubic-inch straight eight-cylinder “Senior” Deluxe models.
This Deluxe Eight Convertible Coupe was delivered new via the pivotal Earle C. Anthony distributorship of Los Angeles. The rest of the car’s history is unfortunately lost until the late-1960s when early collector Nathan Derus is said to have found the car outside a garage in Venice, California. Hal Orchard of Santa Ana, California is then reported to have restored the car in the 1970s. Later, in the 1980s, noted marque authority Eric Rosenau is said to have rebuilt the straight-eight engine. During this later refurbishment, the rear axle is said to have been fitted with 3.54:1 gears to facilitate driving in modern traffic and long-distance touring.
Tastefully painted in light and dark gray, the car features red wire wheels, dual fender-mounted spares, and wide whitewall tires. The black leather interior coordinates nicely with the exterior motif, which is further set off by handsome burl wood-grain on the dashboard and window trim. Directional signals have been discreetly fitted for safety on the road.