The Cole Aero-Eight

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Rich Eagle
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The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich Eagle » Mon May 09, 2022 1:59 pm

A contrast to the Model T Ford in its heyday was The Cole Aero-Eight. From 1915 to 1925 Cole featured a V-8 engine car in a variety of body styles. I find it interesting how much more sophisticated other cars were in the same era. Somehow it puts things in perspective and I appreciate the Ts just that much more.
Cole1.jpg
Cole2.jpg
Cole3.jpg
Cole4.jpg
The engine had a displacement of 346.3 c.i. and delivered 39.2 HP. It was built by Northway, then a division of General Motors that also manufactured the V-8 for Cadillac which came out in 1914.
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Rich Eagle
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich Eagle » Mon May 09, 2022 2:04 pm

Cole5.jpg
Cole6.jpg
Cole7.jpg
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Rich P. Bingham
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich P. Bingham » Mon May 09, 2022 2:12 pm

That's a treat to see, Rich ! Any indication what they sold for ?
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Rich Eagle
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich Eagle » Mon May 09, 2022 2:24 pm

I was just going to ad this from 1923.
Cole8.jpg
Cole9.jpg
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich P. Bingham » Mon May 09, 2022 3:50 pm

Thanks Rich. Those prices indicate the Cole was in a price bracket along with Packard and other "prestige" marques. From the ads and specs, very much at par in performance and refinement. The gulf between the Model T and its most expensive contemporaries was very wide indeed, and continued to widen especially through that decade when the Cole held forth !
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by CudaMan » Mon May 09, 2022 4:18 pm

Very nice! :)
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by tdump » Mon May 09, 2022 10:11 pm

I want 1! :D
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Tue May 10, 2022 5:40 am

Cadillac is famous for its V8 introduced in 1915! The fact is, that Cadillac was not the first. There were several engineers working on a practical V8 for a few years before 1915. Cadillac even hinted at the V8's introduction in 1913, aiming for a 1914 model, however, it simply wasn't ready in time, so they tried to slip something else into the 1914 still four cylinder cars for their planned "great unveiling"! It was an advertising nightmare!
Finally, ready or not (it was basically ready?), the 1915 came out with the V8 for which Cadillac again became famous for. However, several others also introduced V8s for 1915, King for one, Cole for another.
I don't recall offhand who it was, and don't know where to find the answer quickly? But if I recall correctly, there was one company that provided most of the V8 engines at that time, and for several years to come. They manufactured Cadillac's engine, as well as several others, including Cole's. The designs were slightly different, each built to the specifications of the individual manufacturers. And each manufacturer had patents covering their specific engines.
Cole's engine was a slightly different design, it ran smoother, and proved to be somewhat more reliable than Cadillac or any others. In the mid 1920s, Cadillac altered their design to match what made Cole's engine smoother.
If I could find it? There was a really good discussion about two years ago on the AACA forum about Cole and their engine and how it differed from Cadillac's. Of course that discussion is biased. The fellow that wrote most of it owns and drives five or six Cole automobiles! He loves them!
Also, a good friend toured with a Cole for several years. I followed him a number of times. GREAT running automobile!

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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Rich Eagle » Tue May 10, 2022 6:10 am

I believe it was Northway Wayne.
"Big news came in mid-1915: Only one year after Cadillac had pioneered the V-8 engine, and about at the same time as the mighty Cunningham V-8 debuted, Cole brought out its own V-8 powered automobile - and would stay with it until the very end of the make, dropping its Fours and Sixes after 1916. This engine had a displacement of 346.3 c.i. and delivered 39.2 HP. It was built by Northway, then a division of General Motors that also manufactured the V-8 for Cadillac. The car was named the Model 8-50. It had a 127-inch (3,200 mm) wheelbase. Five body styles were available at prices between $1,785 and $3,250. Targeted at this level were, of course, Cadillac; Stearns-Knight, who came out with a sleeve-valve V-8 in 1916; or Lozier who drastically reduced its prices to about this level for its last season of existence."
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=fe0b1a09 ... ZDkz&ntb=1
Chevrolet announced their Model D V8 in September of 1917. It was 286.28 cubic inches and rated output was 60 horsepower. " comfortably competitive with the 77-hp Cadillac and 60-hp Oldsmobile V8s of the period."
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=566702c0 ... YjRk&ntb=1
Olds "1916 to 1918 and from 1919 to 1921".
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by Kaiser » Fri May 27, 2022 5:09 am

What amazes me most about the Cole is the engine seems to be split verticaly lenghthwise between the cylinder banks, if i see it right in the brochure you posted, that surely is a strange way to construct a V8.
I've only seen that once before and that was a aluminum big block from a drag car that blew up :lol:
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Re: The Cole Aero-Eight

Post by TXGOAT2 » Fri May 27, 2022 8:44 am

I think all the early American V8s were split down the middle. This faciliated casting and machining, but added expense. Charles Sorenson has been credited with designing a uniblock V8 for Ford that could be produced economically. The uniblock design eliminated a number of manufacturing operations and also did away with some potential trouble spots. One drawback, I believe, was the necessity of running the exhaust ports down through the block to exit below the head on ther side opposite the valves. The split designs had short exhaust passages exiting the same side of the block as the valves were located on, right alongside the intake ports. This facilitated both cooling the engine and providing a means of heating the intake manifolds. The Ford design required a relatively larger radiator and was more prone to overheating if the cooling system was not kept in good order. Exhaust flow was also somewhat constrained. That said, shade tree engineers have pushed modified Ford flathead V8 output to well over 300 HP. The late flatheads were 239 CID and rated at 110 HP. If you can finds one in good condition, they're a joy to drive. The best of them were probably the 1946-48 year models.

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