The story
As early as 1899, Charles W. Groff and J. Frank Runkle experimented with automobiles. At the end of 1901, they founded the Groff-Runkle Motor Vehicle Company in Columbus, Ohio. In 1901, a prototype was completed, which successfully completed a test drive between Columbus and Wooster, Ohio. Later, Mr. Frank Burkholder, Barton Griffiths, and George W. Groff financially joined the company. With the initial capital of $50,000 provided by the financiers, the Columbus Motor Vehicle Company could be founded. The first vehicle was the 'Santos Dumont' model, named in honor of the Brazilian-French aviation pioneer. In 1903, the company introduced an additional, smaller model. This single-cylinder runabout with 9 hp as an entry-level vehicle cost 1,250 dollars.
From Wikipedia’s article on Columbus Motor Vehicle Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3