Columbia (automobile brand)
Vehicles |
Columbia was an American brand of
In 1908, the company was renamed the Columbia Motor Car Company and in 1910 was acquired by United States Motor Company. A different Columbia Motors existed from 1917 to 1924.
Electric models
The 1904 'Columbia Brougham' was equipped with a tonneau. It could seat four passengers and sold for US$3,500. Twin electric motors were situated at the rear of the car. Similar 'Columbia' coupes, 'Columbia Hansom' cabs, or hansoms, were also produced for the same price. They could achieve 13 mph (21 km/h). A 'Columbia Victoria Phaeton' was priced at US$3,000, but was based on the same design.
The 'Columbia Surrey' and 'Columbia Victoria' were more traditional horseless carriages. Both used the same power system as the larger cars, with twin electric motors, but cost much less at US$1,500 and US$1,600, respectively.
At the bottom end of the range was the 'Columbia Runabout' car. Priced at just US$750, it used a single electric motor, with an Exide battery and Concord springs.
Columbia's basic runabout was typical of the time, resembling a horseless carriage, and was steered via a
Besides the runabout, Columbia manufactured about 20 other models including
Internal combustion engined models
The Columbia Touring Car was an entirely different car. A
A Knight sleeve valve powered model was added to the range in 1912 and 1913.
See also
- Brass Era car
- History of the electric vehicle
- United States Motor Company
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers
References
- Brooks Brierley (November 6, 2006). "1903 Columbia Mark LX Electric Runabout". Autoweek Magazine. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- "Electric Carriages". Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly: 373. January 1904.
- David Burgess Wise, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles, ISBN 0-7858-1106-0
External links
- Columbia Automobile Company page
- the actress Julia Marlowe and her dog in one of the company's electric cars