The Dolson was a

brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It is generally considered to encompass 1896 through 191 ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

manufactured in

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county, on the boundary between Eaton Township and C ...

by the J.L. Dolson & Sons from 1904 to 1907. They later changed the company name to the Dolson Automobile Company. The Dolson was a large car with a 60-horsepower engine. They offered a touring car boasting seven seats that sold for $3,250 in 1907. It was advertised as the "Mile-a-Minute" car. They also offered smaller vehicles, with chain and shaft-driven 20 hp flat-twins, and a shaft driven four of 28/30-horsepower.

History

The Dolson family were successful wagon builders in the late 19th century. The company was located in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, about 10 miles southwest of

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

. In 1902 the company built their first automobile, a 5-passenger touring car, equipped with a two-cylinder water cooled engine, which had 15 horsepower and cost US$1,450. Dolson began producing automobiles in 1904, beginning with four-cylinder touring models. The automobile was regarded for its use of galvanized steel copper sheet panel bodywork. Production increased in 1905 when the carriage business began to phase out. By 1906, Dolson was producing four different models of automobile. In 1907, Dolson produced the Model F Roadster, called the "Cannon Ball". The Cannon Ball had a four-cylinder engine that produced 60 horsepower, advertisements claimed the vehicle could go 75 miles per hour (120 km/hr). The company ran out of capital soon after it acquired the St. Anne Kerosine Motor Company, and

liquidated Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

in 1908. In 2012, a

resident and a few investors purchased a 1907 Dolson from an auction in Plymouth, with a goal of returning a Dolson to the city of Charlotte. Some residents of the town gathered and cheered as the man and his father filled the automobile with gasoline, cranked it and took it for a short spin, with local media coverage.

References

* http://charlottemihistory.weebly.com/dolsons-automotive-company.html https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/03/man-brings-historic-dolson-auto-back-to-charlotte/ Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United States Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Michigan Vehicles built in Lansing, Michigan Defunct companies based in Michigan {{Veteran-auto-stub