The Zimmerman Manufacturing Company of Auburn, Indiana produced automobiles from 1907 to 1915. Their vehicle was a high-wheel buggy, which were very popular in the early years of the automobile industry. They were especially useful for rural customers who needed vehicles that could endure the rough and rutted roads of the period. These were basically buggys with an engine.
Zimmerman, who had been in the carriage industry prior to manufacturing automobiles, naturally evolved their product with the addition of an engine. The engines powering the Zimmerman vehicles were sourced from the Model Gas Engine Co. of Auburn, Indiana.
The company worked hard to keep their vehicle as modern as possible but high-wheelers just simply went out of fashion as low sleek automobiles became the norm and in 1915 they closed their doors forever.
This 1908 Zimmerman High Wheeler runabout was the first auto donated to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. It is powered by a horizontally opposed, air cooled engine that displaces 127 cubic-inches and produces twelve horsepower. The power is sent to the rear wheels via a chain. This two-passenger runabout rests on a platform that measures 80-inches and originally cost $650.