AMES

Carriage Woodstock Co. (1910-1912)
Ames Motor Car Co. (1912-1915)
Owensboro, Kentucky

This is an Ames radiator emblem (1912-1915 exact dates unknown)    mjs
Size: 56mm diameter   MM: Unknown

Frederick A Ames moved to Owensboro in 1887 and started a carriage repair shop that had grown by 1904 into the Carriage Woodstock Company, a thriving buggy manufacturing business. The Ames motorcar introduced in 1910 was a 30hp four-cylinder model offered in touring and roadster body styles.

In 1912, the Company was reorganized into the Ames Motor Car Company and the production line was expanded by the addition of 40hp four-cylinder and 50hp six-cylinder models but by 1913 the Ames line was reduced to the 40hp four-cylinder model. The Ames was a good quality car with a production output of about 50 cars a month but all production ceased in 1915. From 1915 to 1925 the Company became the F.A. Ames Company making aftermarket bodies for Model T Fords.

The Emblems

The Ames radiator emblems shown here, both above and below, have slightly different designs. However, these emblems appear to be original and were used between 1912 and 1915 but I do not know the exact dates of use. The radiator emblems shown are all very rare.

This is an Ames radiator emblem (1912-1915 exact dates unknown)    sac
Size: 57mm diameter   MM: Unknown (some None)

This is another very rare Ames radiator emblem (1912-1915 exact dates unknown)   sam
Size: 56mm  MM: Unknown

After production of the Ames motor car ceased in 1915, the F. A. Ames Company had a successful business supplying custom built aftermarket bodies for the Ford Model T, initially without using an emblem but, in 1922, Ames introduced a new style of black painted radiator, some of which carried an Ames decal on the front top of the radiator. This Ames decal had the following design but was colored orange:

Amesbuilt radiator decal (1922-1923)
Size: 50mm diameter

From November 1923, the Ames aftermarket Ford Model T radiator carried a red and blue painted emblem, see example shown below:

This is an Ames Built radiator emblem (1923)    ms
Size: 50mm diameter