Colburn Automobile Company
 | |
| Industry | Automobile Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1906 |
| Founder | Judge E.A. Colburn |
| Defunct | 1911 |
| Headquarters | Denver Colorado |
Key people | E.A. Colburn, E.A. Colburn Jr., H.C. Colburn |
The Colburn Automobile Company was a Brass Era car manufacturer in Denver, Colorado. The company produced cars from 1906-1911.[1][2] in their factory at 15th Street and Colfax Avenue.[3]
Colburns were built as a roadster, and later as a touring car (Model 35). They were fashioned after the French Renault with the radiator positioned behind the sloping hood.[4] The Model 30 and Model 40 roadsters were fast with a top speed of 72 miles per hour and often competed in road races and track events around the Denver area.[5] The roadster featured a 4-cylinder, 40HP engine and 4 speed transmission and sold for $4,500.00. A large shiny brass "C" emblazoned the front of the automobiles.
No Colburn automobiles are known to exist today.
The Colburn Family
Herbert C. Colburn and Ernest A. Colburn Jr. were the sons of Judge Ernest A. Colburn (E.A. Colburn). The Judge was a very wealthy man, having made his fortune as a mine owner in the Cripple Creek, Colorado mining district.[6] The Judge was the financial backer of the automobile; it was designed and built by his sons. There was a falling out between the Judge and his sons, possibly over Judge Colburn's divorcing the boys' mother and remarrying another woman. This dispute resulted in the Judge closing the factory and putting an end to the Colburn automobile.
H.C. and his brother E.A. Jr. were inventors and always interested in engineering and technology. They held at least 2 patents for the design of mining machinery.[7][8] At one time, the brothers ran the Ajax Mine in Victor, one of the many mines owned by the Judge.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Automobile Manufacturers Starting With The Letter C
- ^ Automotive weekly Feb 26,1912 Page 522
- ^ 1911 Denver Business directory
- ^ Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877-1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.87
- ^ Automotive Industries, Vol 21,Sep. 2,1909, page 413
- ^ Men of Note Affiliated with Mining and Mining Interests
- ^ Patent 1.415,314
- ^ Patent 2,002,000
- ^ Colorado Mine Register Vol 14 page 594