RAMBLER

Thomas B Jeffery & Co. (1902-1910)

Thomas B Jeffery Co. (1910-1913)

Kenosha, Wisconsin

This is a Rambler hub face showing the Rambler script logo (c1908)    mjs
Size: 51mm diameter  

In the late 1890's Thomas B Jeffery and R Philip Gormully operated the second largest bicycle manufacturer in America after Colonel Albert Pope and their bicycle was called the Rambler. In 1897 Thomas Jeffery built an experimental single-cylinder gasoline car and in 1898 his son Charles Jeffery built two more motor cars. These cars were displayed at automobile shows in Chicago and New York in 1900. 

When Philip Gormully died Thomas Jeffery decided to sell the bicycle business and to go into the automobile business with a new factory in Kenosha keeping the Rambler name. The first new Rambler appeared in 1902 and was a 4 hp, single-cylinder runabout. It was a lovely, well made car at a low price and 1,500 were produced in the first year.  For the 1904 model year, some 16 hp two-cylinder models were introduced with front-mounted engines and wheel steering. Sales had increased to nearly 4,000 cars by 1905 when a four-cylinder model was introduced with engines rated up to 40 hp. Delivery vans were also produced by Rambler. The Rambler was now an industry leader and the Kenosha factory was the largest and best equipped in America.

In 1910 Thomas Jeffery died and the company was reorganized as Thomas B Jeffery Company with Charles Jeffery at its head. Production was increased and names were added to Rambler models. In 1914 the Rambler name was dropped and a new car called the Jeffery was introduced in memory of Thomas Jeffery (see Jeffery).

Emblems

The earliest single-cylinder Rambler models did not display an emblem or a nameplate but may have had the Rambler name on a small serial plate attached to the body of the car. 

The following original period photo shows a 1904 two-cylinder Rambler, which does not display any emblem or script:

Two-cylinder Rambler (1904)   dpl

However, from 1904, the two-cylinder Ramblers did display the Rambler name on cast brass nameplates attached the the front of the dash board, see example shown below.  This Rambler nameplate is rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate displayed on the front of the dash (1904)     sam
Size: 90mm wide 40mm high

Some models also displayed the Rambler name on a cast brass nameplate attached to the metal frame along the side of the hood, see example shown below. This Rambler nameplate is very rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate attached to the side hood frame (1904)     sam

The Rambler name was also displayed on the hub caps, similar to the example shown above at the top of this post, and to the step plate, see example shown below:

This is a Rambler step plate (1904)     sam

On some models, the "Rambler" name was displayed in a cast brass hood catch fixing, see example shown below:

Rambler hood catch fixing (1904)    ms

Early Rambler cars also had a serial plate, see example below. This early Rambler serial plate is very rare.

This is a Rambler serial plate (c1905)     mjs
Size: 78mm wide 31mm high

The first four-cylinder Rambler models appearing in late 1905 for the 1906 model year did carry an emblem mounted on the front of the radiator tank top. This is seen on Rambler advertisements for 1906, see example shown below:

Rambler ad showing a radiator emblem (1906)   ebay

This Rambler radiator emblem is more clearly seen in the original factory photo used in the advertisement and an original period photo of a Rambler race car, which show the Rambler name on a curved metal plate mounted in the radiator tank top, see below. This Rambler radiator emblem is either hand painted or uses a decal. This Rambler radiator emblem would be extremely rare.

Rambler factory photo showing radiator emblem (1906)   hcg

Rambler race car showing radiator emblem (c1906)    kenosha county historical society

Some different Rambler radiator emblems with elongated oval shapes carrying the "Rambler" name, either painted or applied using a decal, are seen in other original period Rambler photos from late 1905 to 1907, see examples shown below:

Rambler with radiator emblem (c1905)   rambler & jeffery group

Close-up showing the radiator emblem (c1905) rambler&jefferygroup

This is a Rambler car with a radiator emblem (c1906)      hcg

Close up showing the radiator emblem (c1906)     hcg

This is a Rambler car with a radiator emblem and radiator script (c1907)    hcg

Close up showing the radiator emblem and script (c1907)    hcg

The following photo shows an original painted Rambler radiator emblem similar to those shown in the above photos. This Rambler radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is a Rambler radiator emblem (c1905-c1908)     mjs
Size: 190mm wide 60mm high

Brass Rambler radiator scripts begin to be seen in some, but not all, original period photos from about 1907, see example shown earlier above.  This suggests that the large brass Rambler radiator script may have been an optional addition rather than fitted in the factory. An original factory photo from about 1909 shows a smaller "Rambler" radiator script, see below:

Rambler race car with smaller radiator script (c1909)   dpl

Although brass Rambler radiator scripts are widely used on surviving restored Rambler cars, I have not seen a Rambler radiator script on an original period photo of a Rambler car after about 1909.

Original brass Rambler radiator scripts, as shown in the original photos above or as shown below, are scarce:

This is a Rambler radiator script (c1907-1909)      ms
Size: Various (examples 258mm & 350mm wide)

The Rambler name was also displayed on the sill plates on some models, probably from about 1906, but I cannot confirm a date, see example shown below:

This is a pair of Rambler sill plates (c1906)     rjc
Size: 340mm wide 44mm high

The following is a later painted brass Rambler dash nameplate:

Rambler dash nameplate (c1908)   ms

The following original factory photo shows a 1909 Rambler with the "Rambler" name displayed on the front of the tank top without a backing plate:

Rambler showing script radiator emblem (1909)  dpl

From 1909, the "Rambler" name is stamped into the top of the narrow brass radiator shell of the four-cylinder models, see original factory photo of a Rambler Model 45 for 1909 shown below:

Rambler Model 45 showing Rambler script radiator emblem (1909)   dpl

This Rambler script radiator emblem is clearly seen in the following photo of a surviving Rambler Model 54 from 1910:

Rambler Model 54 showing Rambler script radiator emblem (1910)  conceptcarz

The following photo of a surviving 1909 Rambler Model 45 seven-passenger touring car also displays the "Rambler" name on a cast brass plate mounted on the front of the dash over the hood. However, the unusual shape of the nameplate suggests that it was originally placed in a different location and may have been a sill plate possibly from an earlier model.

Rambler nameplate on front of dash (1909)  rambler&jefferygroup

This is a Rambler nameplate (date unknown)   bill jacomet
Size: Unknown

The "Rambler" name continued to be displayed on the brass sill plates, see example below from a 1910 Rambler Model 53:

Rambler Model 53 sill plate (1910)   classiccars

From later 1910, the Rambler dash board nameplate was changed to reflect the new company name, see example below. This Rambler nameplate is very rare.

This is a Rambler nameplate (c1910-1913)     mjs
Size: 96mm wide 47mm high

The "Rambler" name was also displayed on what appears to be a plated brass sill plate, see example shown below:

This is a Rambler nameplate or sill plate (c1910-1913)  rrc
Size: 432mm wide 76mm high

Close up showing "Rambler" name

The very small Rambler script shown below has solder on the back was used as a lapel pin or a stick-pin. This Rambler script emblem is very rare.

This is a Rambler script emblem (date unknown)     mjs
Size: 50mm wide      MM: Childs