CUTTING

Clarke-Carter Automobile Co. (1909-1912)

Cutting Motor Car Co. (1912-1913)

Jackson, Michigan

This is a Cutting radiator emblem (dates uncertain)  sam
Size: 64mm diameter    MM: Unknown

The Cutting was a four-cylinder automobile produced in a range of model types and body styles, starting with the 1910 Cutting Model A-40. For 1911, there were several new models in sizes ranging from 32hp to 60hp. Cutting cars raced at the Indianapolis 500 in 1911 and 1912 and were placed in the top 15 in 1911.

The Cutting was a well designed and well built automobile. But, the company had been under-capitalized from the start and was unable to raise sufficient finance following the reorganization of the company as the Cutting Motor Car Company in September 1912. The company struggled on for a while but was in receivership by June 1913 and the Cutting plant was sold in September 1913. 

Emblems  

Advertisements for the 1910 Cutting Model A-40 show an oval-shaped "Cutting 40" logo, see example below:

This is a Cutting 40 ad showing the oval-shaped logo (1910)   atj

The following shows a restored 1910 Cutting Model A-40 Tourabout, which displays a blue enamel radiator emblem and a brass radiator script:

Cutting Model A Tourabout (1910)    aa

The following is a close-up black and white photo of the same car showing the emblem attached to the radiator with two pins:

Cutting Model A radiator emblem & script (1910)    aa

Emblem collectors should beware, however, because the Cutting radiator emblem shown above was a reproduction emblem made by Harry Pulfer for the restoration of this car and additional copies were made for sale, see example shown below:

This is a reproduction Cutting 40 radiator emblem (1909-1910) ms
Size: 76mm wide 50mm high     

The original Cutting 40 radiator emblem is the same shape and size as the reproduction emblem shown above, except that it was in brass with no enamel. This Cutting 40 radiator emblem was used on cars built in 1909 and 1910 for the 1910 model year. Original brass Cutting radiator emblems are extremely rare. If you have a clear photo of an original brass Cutting 40 radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post.

The absence of original period photos of Cutting cars after 1910, the very few surviving original Cutting cars and limited advertisements showing Cutting cars makes it difficult to confirm with confidence the use of Cutting emblems after 1910. However, the production of a range of different Cutting model sizes for 1911 certainly required new Cutting emblems.

There are round Cutting radiator emblems finished in enamel made for the Clarke-Carter Automobile Company, see the example shown above at the top of this post. These round radiator emblems may have been made for use in 1911 but I can find no original period photos or illustrations of Cutting motor cars at any date showing a round radiator emblem. If you have any original period photos or illustrations of Cutting cars showing a round radiator emblem, please let me known, in order to update this post.

The Clarke-Carter Automobile Company was short of cash from the start, so it is possible that, having had sample batches of round enamel radiator emblems made, the company decided not to go ahead. This might explain the existence of different colored Cutting radiator emblems.

An alternative possibility is that the round enamel Cutting radiator emblems were planned to be used in late 1912 for the 1913 model year. This would fit with the existence of the round enamel radiator emblem made for the Cutting Motor Car Company shown later below. 

The blue and white enamel Cutting radiator emblem, shown above at the top of this post, was made for the Clarke-Carter Automobile Company and is extremely rare. 

There is also a pale blue and white enamel version of this Cutting radiator emblem in reversed colors, see example below. If this Cutting radiator emblem is original, it would also be extremely rare. 

This is a Cutting radiator emblem (dates uncertain)    sam
Size: 64mm diameter    MM: Unknown

There also appears to be a red, white and black enamel version of this Cutting radiator emblem, which is seen on a surviving 1911 Cutting on display at Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor, Michigan, see below. However, I cannot confirm the details of this Cutting radiator emblem or if it is a an original emblem, or, indeed, if this emblem was fitted to the radiator at the time of manufacture or was added later during restoration. If it is an original emblem, it would be extremely rare.

This is a Cutting showing a radiator emblem (1911)   yocs

Emblem collectors should beware, however, as there are reproduction round Cutting radiator emblems produced in different colors with plain, shiny backs, see the red reproduction Cutting emblem example shown below:

This is a reproduction Cutting radiator emblem   gcm

The following advertisement, which appeared in late 1911 for the 1912 model year for the Cutting 30 hp torpedo roadster, shows no radiator emblem only a "Cutting" radiator script. This strongly suggests that the round radiator emblem was not used in 1911 or early 1912.

This is a Cutting 30 ad showing a radiator script (1911)   ms

The following photo shows a surviving Model A-30 Cutting car, which was a model produced for the 1912 model year but may have been built in late 1911. This Cutting has a brass "Cutting" script mounted on the front of the radiator tank top but I cannot confirm that this script was originally mounted here. More likely, the script was moved to the radiator top during restoration. 

Cutting car with script radiator emblem (c1911)    pwc

Cutting radiator script (c1909-1912)     ms
Size: 160mm wide

Cutting serial plate (c1911)    ms

The "Cutting" name was also displayed on the sill plates, see example shown below. This Cutting sill plate is rare.

This is a Cutting sill plate (c1910-1912)   ms
Size: 213mm wide 51mmm high

The lack of a radiator emblem in the Cutting car advertisement illustration published in late 1911 for the 1912 model year shown above supports the possibility referred to earlier that the round enamel Clarke-Carter Automobile Company radiator emblems may have been made later in 1912. Although the company was very short of cash, it is conceivable that the round enamel emblems were planned for use in the 1913 model year to help promote the Cutting by emphasizing the appearance of a new model. 

A Clarke-Carter Automobile Company advertisement appearing in mid 1912 gives details of the Cutting cars for the 1913 model year and announces that deliveries were scheduled to begin on August 20, 1912, so it is possible that the first batch of Clarke-Carter Automobile Company radiator emblems were made in mid-1912. 

The reorganization to the Cutting Motor Car Company was presumably decided after the production of the Clarke-Carter Automobile Company emblems were made. This reorganization was completed by September 1912 and a Cutting brochure for the 1913 Cutting Models A-40 and B-40 was produced by the new company. This brochure has an illustration of the Cutting car with the "Cutting" script on the radiator but still no emblem, see later below. However, the brochure cover shows the emblem design logo, which also appears faintly on the illustrations in the brochure, see below:

Cutting logo on 1913 brochure cover (1912)    abebooks

Cutting brochure front view showing radiator script (1912-1913)  ms

The following blue and white enamel radiator emblem was made for Cutting models built by the Cutting Motor Car Company and is extremely rare.  

This is a Cutting radiator emblem (dates uncertain poss c1912-1913)  mjs
Size: 64mm diameter    MM: Unknown

The lack of a radiator emblem in the Cutting brochure illustrations produced by the Cutting Motor Car Company suggests that the company may have decided against buying new radiator emblems at a time of serious financial shortage, in which case the Cutting Motor Car Company emblems may have been produced as a sample batch.