1920 AV Monocar
The 1920 AV Monocar was a quite funny little car with a very low driving position with the driver’s legs stretched out forward into the pointed nose of the car. The engine is mounted in the rear, driving the rear wheels. And even though the little AV Monocar might look strange, it was a quite popular cycle-car of its time. It was somehow a mixture of a motorcycle and a small car and offered more comfort and stability than a motorcycle.
AV of Teddington in Middlesex was founded by Ward & Avey Ltd. They bought a cycle-car design from designer John Carden and started to produce monocars.
The cars were single seaters, as the name Monocar already indicates, steering was by wires, and the transmission of the V-twin air-cooled JAP or Blackburne motorcycle engine was by chain through a Sturmey Archer three-speed motorcycle gearbox.
The tiny car was a simple little machine and easy to repair when things went wrong.
Alvis Cars
In 1919 T. G. John founded the T.G. John and Co. Ltd., a company producing stationary engines, carburettor bodies and motor scooters. T. G. John was approached by Geoffrey de Feville with the design of a 4-cylinder engine with aluminium pistons and pressure lubrication. These units were called Alvis. In 1921 the company changed its name to Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd. and moved production to Holyhead Road, Coventry.
From 1928 to 1931 the Alvis 12/75 F.W.D. was produced, a front wheel drive car with overhead camshaft and in-board brakes. The car was available as 4-seat sports, 2-seat sports, and sports saloon. 142 cars were produced. Until the end of the 1920s, mostly smaller sports cars were manufactured. One of them was the Alvis 12/50, a successful classic sports car. One of the successors was the Alvis 12/60 HP. It was a 4-cylinder rear wheel drive sports car available as 2 seat, 4 seat, and saloon. 282 cars were built.
Peel Microcars
The Peel Microcars were produced in the 1960s by Peel Engineering on the Isle of Man and were the world’s smallest cars. The Peel P 50 was a single seat 3-wheeler with a German 49 cc two-stroke engine produced by Zweirad Union (DKW) and originally was a moped engine. The car was a simple glass fibre construction with no chassis, a length of 54 in (1.37 m) and a width of 41 in (1.04 m). The car was available in red, white and blue. As the engine was placed under the driver’s seat the car was very loud. It also had hardly any comfort, no speedometer and not even indicators or brake signs. The driver had to use hand signs, which wasn’t too easy as only the window on the right hand side could be opened. Less than 50 cars were built from 1963 t0 1964.The Peel Trident was a 2-seater 3-wheeler and a few cars had a 99 cc Triumph Tina/T10 engine and an 8” rear wheel, instead of the 49 cc Zweirad Union engine. The car was a little bigger than the P 50 with a length of 71 in (1.81 m) and a width of 42 in (1.07 m). Some of the cars were fitted with a shopping basket instead of the passenger seat. The colours available were red and blue and a little more than 80 cars were built from 1964 to 1966.
Scootacar Mk 1 and Mk 2
The Scootacar was a small car built by Scootacars Ltd, a division of the Hunslet Engine Company. According to the wishes of the wife of one of the directors, who wanted a car that was easier to park than her Jaguar, Henry Brown designed the car by sitting on a Villiers engine and making an assistant to draw an outline around him. The first car was the Mk 1fitted with a Villiers 197 cc two –stroke engine. It was a 3-wheeler (two front wheels and one rear wheel) with a steel floor, a fibre-glass body and a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). It was roomy enough for two people, one in the front the other one in the rear. The car only had one large door on the left side. In 1959 the model was totally redesigned to improve it. The body shell of the Mk 2 was larger, the engine was placed under a rear bench and the driver’s seat could be tipped forward. It had room for three people now and a top speed of 55 mph (89 km/h). In 1962 a few Mk 3 were sold with a 250 cc engine and a top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h) The car didn’t sell too well and after a total of about 1000 Scootacars were manufactured the production ended in 1964.
1935 Hillman Minx
The Hillman Minx of which 92,095 cars were manufactured from 1935 to 1939 certainly was neither a fast nor an extremely beautiful car. But it was remarkably cheap and roomy. It was a reliable family car that could carry four or even five adults. The most popular version therefore was the 4-door saloon. The Hillman Minx was produced by Roots Ltd. after having purchased Hillman in 1928. Mechanically the car was rather conventional, with a 4-cylinder side-valve front engine with Solex carb and a top speed of 60 mph. It had a separate chassis and beam-axle front and rear suspension. Significant might be that Bill Heynes (later working for Jaguar) as well as Alec Issigonis (the designer of the Mini) were employed at Roots at the time of the construction of the Hillman Minx.
Jaguar, A Short Story
In 1922 William Lyons and William Walmsley founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool. The company was producing motorcycle sidecars and coachwork. In 1928 the factory moved to Coventry to meet the demands for the Austin Swallow. In 1931 the first car was presented with a chassis manufactured by Standard, exclusively for Swallow. This was the beginning of the S.S. cars. The first models were the S.S. I and the S.S. II. In the following years they were the basis for several successors. In 1934 William Walmsley left the company and William Lyons started to cooperate with Harry Weslake. Harry Weslake started to improve the engines and founded a construction department under the responsibility of William Heynes. The S.S. 90 was introduced in 1935. It was a Roadster on the basis of the S.S. I. In 1935 the name Jaguar was first use for a car. It was the S.S. Jaguar, a 4-door saloon with 2.5 L engine. The smaller version was the 2-door S.S. Jaguar 1.5 L and the successor of the S.S I and S.S. II. During WW2 the company again produced motorcycle sidecars for military use. After WW2 and due to the unfavourable connotations of the SS initials the name was changed to Jaguar Cars Ltd. In the 1950s Jaguar produced a series of elegantly-styled sports cars and saloons. After several changes of the ownership the Ford Motor Company acquired the company in 1989. In 2008 Jaguar was sold to Tatra Motors in India.
The Bristol 400
The Bristol 400 was the first car produced by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1946.
In 1910 Sir George White, who also was the owner of Bristol Tramways, founded the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company in Filton near Bristol. In 1920 after WW I British and Colonial was liquidated and its assets became the British Aeroplane Company. During WW II the company’s most important aircraft was the Beaufighter.
After WW II the British Aeroplane Company bought a license to build BMW models from Frazer Nash. And the Bristol 400 was based on the best features of the pre-war BMW models. It had the BMW 328’s frame, a slightly modified engine of the 326 and the neat steel body was inspired by the 327.
Other models of the high quality luxury cars followed, but the cars never have been made in large quantities. Today 4 models are available. The Blendheim 3, a four-seated coupe, the Blendheim Speedster, a convertible, and the Fighter and Fighter T. But as the Bristol Cars Ltd got no distributors or dealers, the only way to get a car is to go to 368-370 Kensington High Street, London W14 8NL, where the company’s only showroom is situated.
Specifications of the Bristol 400:
- Production 1947-1950 – 487 units
- Class – sports sedan
- Body style – 2-door saloon
- Engine – 1971 cc ohv straight-6
Reliant Regal Supervan III
The Reliant Regal Supervan III is a three-wheeler, produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England from 1952 to 1971. The most famous Supervan certainly is the car owned by the Trotter brothers in “Only Fools and Horses”, even though it is often referred to as a Regal Robin. The original van can now be seen in the “Cars of the Stars” museum whereas one of the ‘back-up’ cars is owned by boxer Ricky Hutton. In the “Mr. Bean” series a light blue Supervan is used.
As being a lightweight three-wheeler, the car can be driven on motorcycle license in the UK.
Morris Minor 1928-1934
The Morris Minor was produced by the Morris Motor Company. From 1928 to 1932 the cars had a 847 cc overhead camshaft engine and from 1932 to 1934 a side valve engine of the same capacity. The Cars were designed by EG Wrigley and the engines based on one William Morris himself owned and that was designed by Wolseley. It was smaller though, than the one designed by Wolseley.
The chassis had a wheel base of 78 in (1,981 mm) and cable operated brakes on all 4 wheels.Co
The Morris Motor Company produced a 2-door fabric-bodied saloon and a four-seat tourer. In 1930 a steel-bodied version and a van were added. In 1934 the Minor was replaced by the Morris Eight.
- Manufacturer – Morris Motor Company
- Production – 86,318 from 1928 to 1933
- Body styles – 4-door saloon, 2-seat sports, 4-seat tourer, coupe, van
Morris Minor 1948-1971
Before Sir Alec Issigonis became famous for having created the Mini, he had designed the Morris Minor. The Morris Minor was to be a good motor car with a certain amount of luxury and a price suitable even for working class people. From 1948 to 1971 over 1.6 million cars were manufactured. The rear-wheel drive cars (4-door saloon) had a kerb weight of only 1,708 lb (775 kg). The cars were produced in Cowley, Oxfordshire and later in Birmingham. The very last Morris Minor was assembled in 1974 in New Zealand.
1948-1952: The original Minor MM series included a 4-seat saloon ( 2-door and 4-door) and a convertible 4-seat Tourer. The engine was an 0.9 L (918 cc/56 in³) side valve straight-4, 27.5 hp (21 kW), top speed 64 mph (103 km/h).
1952-1956: Minor Series II. In 1952 the Traveller, an estate version was first sold. It had an external wooden (ash) frame for the rear bodywork and two side-hinged rear doors. The engine now was an 0.8 L (803 cc/49 in³) A-Series overhead valve straight-4, 30hp (22 kW), top speed 63 mph (101 km/h).
1956-1971: Minor 1000. The two-piece split windscreen was replaced with an one-piece one and the rear window was enlarged. In 1961 the Morris Minor became the first car in Britain to sell over 1 million units. For this event 350 two-door saloons were manufactured with lilac paintwork and white interior.
The engines were an 0.9 L (948 cc/57 in³) A-Series straight-4, 37 hp (28 kW) from 1956 to 1962, and an 1.1 L (1098 cc/67 in³) A-Series straight-4, 48 hp (36 kW), top speed 77 mph (124 km/h).
The van version used to be very popular with the British Post Office and even today there are a great number of restored and improved Morris Minor still running in Britain.
