KIBLINGER

W. H. Kiblinger Co. (1907-1909)
Auburn, Indiana

This is a reproduction Kiblinger script (c1907)    natam
Size: Unknown

The W. H. Kiblinger Company had built horse-drawn carriages and had experimented with motorized carriages before moving into automobile manufacturing in 1907. 

The Kiblinger was a high-wheeler runabout based on the Kiblinger carriage and was offered as the "lowest priced successful automobile on the road". At $250 for a well-made sturdy runabout it was good value. But the people building the Success high-wheeler in St. Louis sued Kiblinger for patent infringement. The Kiblinger business was sold and production continued using a modified Kiblinger called a McIntyre (see McIntyre). Total production of the Kiblinger was 613 cars.

Emblems

There are very few illustrations of Kiblinger motor vehicles and most surviving Kiblinger motor cars have been heavily restored. 

It is likely that the Kiblinger did not carry any emblem but would have displayed the "Kiblinger" name on a small maker's tag or nameplate attached to the rear of the vehicle in common with earlier horse-drawn Kiblinger carriages, or on a Kiblinger serial plate attached to the side of the vehicle or under the driver's seat, see examples shown below. Original Kiblinger tags and serial plates are rare.

This is a Kiblinger maker's tag (c1907)    mjs
Size: 74mm wide 17mm high

This is a Kiblinger serial plate (c1909)    sam
Size: 128mm wide 30mm high

The brass Kiblinger script shown above at the top of this post is displayed on the front of the dash on a surviving two-cylinder Kiblinger, see below. This Kiblinger script appears to be a reproduction and was likely to have been fitted at the time of an earlier restoration. I cannot confirm that the design of this script is original.

Kiblinger with dash mounted script (1907)    natam

The following photo shows another restored, surviving Kiblinger, which displays the "Kiblinger" name on wooden panels attached to the sides of the vehicle. It is possible that this Kiblinger originally had side panels displaying the "Kiblinger" name using colored decals but this cannot yet be confirmed.

Kiblinger Model D with body side name panels (1907) rmsothebys