McFARLAN

McFarlan Carriage Co.   ) 

McFarlan Motor Corp.    ) 1909-1928
McFarlan Motor Car Co.) 
Connersville, Indiana 

This is a McFarlan Six radiator emblem (1912-c1918)    mjs
Size: 62mm diameter     MM: Robbins

John B. McFarlan organized his carriage works in Connersville in 1856 and it was his grandson, Harry McFarlan, who decided to build a motor car. The first McFarlan was introduced in late 1909 for the 1910 model year and was a large and prestigious 35/40 hp six-cylinder motor car offered in three body styles, touring, baby tonneau and roadster. In 1913 the McFarlan Motor Car Company superseded the McFarlan Carriage Company.

The McFarlan was an expensive motor car and steadily rose in price to over $6,000 in 1920 and to $9,000 in 1922 for the Knickerbocker Cabriolet. A special $25,000 version of this car was built with all the exposed and usually-nickel-plated hardware finished in 24 carat gold for a rich customer from Oklahoma City. A straight-eight model was introduced for 1926. In 1928, Harry McFarlan died and the McFarlan assets were sold to Errett Lobban Cord, who wanted the McFarlan dealership network to sell the new Model J Duesenberg.

Emblems

McFarlan motor car advertisements in 1910  and 1911 do not show any radiator emblems, see example shown below:

McFarlan Six ad showing no radiator emblem (1911) ebay

Original photos of McFarlan motor cars on display at an auto show in 1911 also do not show a radiator emblem, see below:

McFarlan Six at Auto Show with no rad emblem (1911) dpl  

However, the following illustration of a McFarlan Six dated 1911 shows a rectangular radiator emblem:

This shows a McFarlan Six with a radiator emblem (1911)  hcg

Close-up showing radiator emblem (1911)  hcg

I have never seen this emblem elsewhere and it may not be a realistic impression of a McFarlan Six radiator emblem. If you have further details of this rectangular McFarlan radiator emblem, please let me know, in order to update this post. If such a McFarlan Six radiator did exist, it would be extremely rare.

The following detail from a McFarlan advertisement for the 1912 model year shows a circular emblem shaped McFarlan Six thistle logo and a radiator emblem on the car:

McFarlan Six showing logo & emblem (1912)   ebay

The new McFarlan logo emblem is also shown on the following McFarlan Six advertisement from 1912:

McFarlan Six ad with logo emblem (1912) chuckstoyland

Original McFarlan Six photos from 1913 clearly show the radiator emblem, see example shown below:

This is a McFarlan Six with a round radiator emblem (1913)    dpl

This McFarlan Six radiator emblem appears to be the same as the circular logo in the 1912 model year advertisement shown earlier above. This is the blue, pale blue and green enamel McFarlan Six radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This McFarlan Six radiator emblem appears to have continued in use for several years but there is insufficient evidence to confirm the final date of use of this emblem. This McFarlan radiator emblem is very rare.

This is a McFarlan radiator emblem (1912-c1918)   mjs
Size: 62mm diameter   MM: Robbins

I cannot confirm the date when the McFarlan radiator emblem was changed but this is believed to have been before 1920. The new emblem is the round, chrome plated metal McFarlan radiator emblem shown below. This McFarlan radiator emblem continued in use until the end of production and is rare.

This is a McFarlan radiator emblem (c1919-1928)   mjs
Size: 45mm diameter center 57mm diameter overall  MM: Unknown

The following shows a McFarlan radiator emblem with a smaller diameter outer emblem mount:

This is a McFarlan radiator emblem (date unknown)  ms
Size:45mm diameter center 51mm diameter overall  MM:Unknown

The following McFarlan emblem is displayed on McFarlan built engines:

This is a McFarlan engine emblem (c1927)   ms

McFarlan engine showing the engine emblem (1927) bonhams