Colonial

Colonial was an American luxury automobile marque produced in Chicago, Illinois, for a brief period between 1920 and 1921. It originated with Walden W. Shaw and John D. Hertz, owners of the Walden W. Shaw Livery Corporation, who sought to extend their transportation interests beyond taxicabs and into the production-car market. Their company controlled the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, giving the project an industrial and commercial connection to the well-known Shaw and Yellow Cab transportation businesses. The automobile was initially introduced as the Shaw during Chicago Automobile Show week in February 1920 at the Hotel Congress. The founders concluded that the Shaw name, strongly associated with taxicabs, was not an ideal identity for an expensive private automobile. They therefore changed the model's name to Colonial. The new name was intended to support a more prestigious positioning, although it was not entirely distinctive because other automobile manufacturers had previously used Colonial as a marque. Colonial was conceived as a large luxury touring car. It used a 136-inch wheelbase and was offered in configurations seating two, four, or seven passengers. Its listed price was $5,000, placing it at the high end of the American automobile market of the period. The car's engineering specification also changed during its short production life. The original plan called for a four-cylinder Rochester-Duesenberg engine, but by July 1920 the company had substituted a Weidely twelve-cylinder unit. The change appears to have been intended to strengthen the car's sales appeal by associating it with the prestige and smoothness commonly attributed to multi-cylinder luxury cars. The Colonial identity lasted only through the end of 1921. By the time of the 1921 Chicago Automobile Show, John D. Hertz had assumed complete control of the company. The same basic automobile was presented with a Continental engine and a new marque, Ambassador. As a result, Colonial was not developed into a long-running independent brand; it became an interim name in the transition from the original Shaw automobile to the Ambassador. The marque is therefore notable primarily for its connection to the early automobile activities of the Walden W. Shaw Livery Corporation and John Hertz, rather than for a sustained product range or long-term market presence.

Colonial emerged from an attempt by Walden W. Shaw and John D. Hertz to move from transportation services into the manufacture of private luxury automobiles. The two men owned the Walden W. Shaw Livery Corporation, which also owned the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company. Their existing association with taxicabs provided manufacturing and distribution experience, but it also created a branding problem: the Shaw name was widely recognized in connection with taxis and did not necessarily communicate the exclusivity expected from a costly private car. The new automobile was unveiled as the Shaw at the Hotel Congress during the week of the Chicago Automobile Show in February 1920. Soon afterward, the name was changed to Colonial. The rebranding sought to separate the luxury car from the taxi business and establish a more suitable identity for the premium market. Colonial was nevertheless a relatively generic automobile name, having already been used by other makes. The car was a substantial touring automobile with a 136-inch wheelbase. Customers could choose bodies configured for two, four, or seven passengers. Its $5,000 price placed it among expensive American automobiles of the early postwar period. The initial engineering plan specified a four-cylinder Rochester-Duesenberg engine. During 1920, however, the company replaced that unit with a Weidely twelve-cylinder engine. The change reflected the period's emphasis on cylinder count as a signal of refinement, power, and prestige. Colonial production and marketing were short-lived. By the time of the 1921 Chicago Automobile Show, John D. Hertz was in complete charge of the company. The same basic automobile was presented with a Continental engine and was given the name Ambassador. This transition effectively ended Colonial as a separate marque by the close of 1921. The brand's history is consequently defined by a single luxury touring-car line, a rapid change in engine specification, and a sequence of name changes from Shaw to Colonial and finally Ambassador.

• 1921

  Colonial became Ambassador

  [1]Colonial (Shaw automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  Under John D. Hertz's complete control, the car was reintroduced with a Continental engine and the Ambassador name.

• 1920

  Luxury automobile introduced as the Shaw

  [1]Colonial (Shaw automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  Walden W. Shaw and John D. Hertz introduced their new luxury automobile as the Shaw at the Hotel Congress during Chicago Automobile Show week.

• 1920

  The Shaw name changed to Colonial

  [1]Colonial (Shaw automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  The automobile was renamed Colonial to distance the luxury product from the Shaw taxi association.

• 1920

  Engine upgraded to a Weidely twelve-cylinder

  [1]Colonial (Shaw automobile)en.wikipedia.org

  The planned Rochester-Duesenberg four-cylinder engine was replaced by a Weidely twelve-cylinder engine by July.

A high-priced American luxury touring automobile positioned around large dimensions, multiple seating configurations, and progressively more prestigious engine specifications.

• Luxury automobile · 1920

  Colonial luxury touring car

  Colonial's principal and apparently only production offering was a large American luxury touring car built on a 136-inch wheelbase. It was available in bodies seating two, four, or seven occupants and carried a listed price of $5,000. The car was initially planned with a Rochester-Duesenberg four-cylinder engine, but the specification changed to a Weidely twelve-cylinder engine during 1920. In 1921, the same basic automobile was reintroduced under the Ambassador name with a Continental engine.

• 1921

  Rebrand Colonial as AmbassadorStrategy

  Background

  John D. Hertz had assumed complete control of the company by the 1921 Chicago Automobile Show.

  Action taken

  The existing automobile was presented with a Continental engine and the Ambassador name.

  Aftermath

  The Colonial marque ended at the close of 1921 and was replaced by Ambassador.

  Source

• 1920

  Rename the Shaw automobile ColonialStrategy

  Background

  The founders believed that the Shaw name was too strongly associated with taxicabs to support sales of an expensive private luxury automobile.

  Action taken

  The company changed the automobile's name from Shaw to Colonial.

  Aftermath

  Colonial became the marque used for the car during its short production period, although the name itself was not unique in the automobile industry.

  Source

• 1920

  Adopt a Weidely twelve-cylinder engineGeneration change

  Background

  The company reconsidered the original four-cylinder Rochester-Duesenberg specification while attempting to improve the car's appeal in the luxury market.

  Action taken

  By July 1920, the planned engine was replaced with a Weidely twelve-cylinder unit.

  Aftermath

  The change gave Colonial a more prestigious multi-cylinder specification, but the marque remained in production only briefly.

  Source

1. 1Colonial (Shaw automobile)en.wikipedia.org