1915 Cornelian Racer

Blood Brothers Machine Company. Kalamazoo, Allegan, Michigan.

The Blood Brothers had already made a car under their own name from 1902 to 1906, and in 1914 they returned to the auto mobile business, this time with a cyclecar which they called the Cornelian. It had a 1688cc 13 hp 4 cylinder Sterling engine, shaftdrive and, very unusual for the time, integral construction and independent rear suspension. Introduced at the New York Automobile Show in January 1914, it was priced at $435. An encouraging number of orders led the brothers to move from Kalamazoo to a new factory at Allegan, which they occupied in March 1915. A Cornelian gained a lot of publicity when Louis Chevrolet drove one in the 1915 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, the smallest engined car to race there. However, this did not help sales, and Cornelian production ended in October 1915, after only about 100 had been made.