Colburn Automobile Company
Encyclopedia
The Colburn Automoble Company was a Brass Era car
manufacturer in Denver, Colorado
. The company produced cars from 1906-1911. in their factory at 15th Street and Colfax Avenue
.
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. 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. The roadster featured a 4-cylinder, 40HP engine and 4 speed transmission and sold for $4,500.00. A large shiny brass "C" emblazened the front of the automobiles.
No Colburn automobiles are known to exist today.
mining district. 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.
At one time, the brothers ran the Ajax Mine in Victor, one of the many mines owned by the Judge.
Brass Era car
The automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
manufacturer in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The company produced cars from 1906-1911. in their factory at 15th Street and Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local street system, it lies 15 blocks north of the zero...
.
Colburns were built as a roadster, and later as a touring car (Model 35). They were fashioned after the French Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
with the radiator positioned behind the sloping hood. 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. The roadster featured a 4-cylinder, 40HP engine and 4 speed transmission and sold for $4,500.00. A large shiny brass "C" emblazened 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, ColoradoCripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
mining district. 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.
At one time, the brothers ran the Ajax Mine in Victor, one of the many mines owned by the Judge.
See also
- Brass Era carBrass Era carThe automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
- Antique carAntique carIn the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...
- Classic carClassic carA classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
- History of the automobileHistory of the automobileThe history of the automobile begins as early as 1769, with the creation of steam engined automobiles capable of human transport. In 1806, the first cars powered by an internal combustion engine running on fuel gas appeared, which led to the introduction in 1885 of the ubiquitous modern gasoline-...
- List of defunct United States automobile manufacturers